School days approachin'

Day 77.

We went to visit a preschool today. Now that we'll be in Chicago next year, I need to find Dylan a part-time preschool. I'm looking for 3 days/week, only half day. It is SO hard to find a good, reasonably priced school that isn't far away (that has the part-time option)!! I am shocked there aren't more church schools with preschool programs in the city (i.e. lutheran schools?). It's frustrating, because there aren't many parent co-ops either. So, that leaves city pre-k (half days, but five days a week) or expensive private part-time options. Grrrr...

Convenience is big to me, considering half-day programs are only 2.5-3 hours, and I refuse to drive 30-40 min somewhere and not be able to go home during preschool because it's a waste of time. I want close.

So, even though I'm not Jewish, I'm turning to the two Jewish preschools in the neighborhood - which offer just what I'm looking for - minus the cheap price tag. Granted, they are the cheapest option in the neighborhood - so I guess it's all relative.

I am grateful that Dylan is mega-excited about school.

I was much more ambivalent about her attending, and feel good about my decision not to do 3-year old preschool. But, she is so ready now. She is soooo excited to be in a school setting. She longs for a teacher, school friends, recess, class projects, etc. Yes, she goes to art school and ballet and sunday school, but it's just not the same consistency as seeing the same students and teacher three times a week.

If she wasn't gung-ho, it would be easy to convince myself not to "waste" the money on preschool. It is way too expensive and just makes me mad that you have to pay so much for your kid to get a good quality experience in PRE-K!! But, she's into it, and it's easy to catch her enthusiasm. So, I'm frantically trying to get her into a place where she feels comfortable, and that feels right for our family.

Wish us luck on Friday when we visit probably our best option...