pre-school

I don't know what it is like in other cities, but in Chicago the pre-school application process is akin to college admissions. Some parents even begin the process with baby still in utero. The tours start in the Fall and decisions are made in the following February/March. I have a headache just thinking about it all, after my third school tour and open house this morning. In 2011 Eddie will turn 3 right before the cut off; children who turn 3 by September 1 are eligible for pre-school. Which means he will be one of the youngest ones. And I worry that he will not be ready, especially as a boy, and as a boy who is speech delayed (note, we start speech therapy the week after Thanksgiving). But I want him in some sort of school setting, partially for me because I will be at home with twins and also for him, socially. We have actually made the costly decision to start him in a 2 year old "school" program that is two days a week, starting in January...so maybe he will be well adjusted, potty-trained and all by the time he is three. Anyway, back to the pre-school application process. Our neighborhood school, a Chicago Public School called Audubon, is very good; considered one of the top 10 CPS elementary schools in the city. And we are on the list there; preference is given to siblings of current attending families, then to 4 year olds and then to neighborhood. So it would be ideal if we got one of the 24 spots. But we are also strongly considering moving; our house is just too small for 3 little ones. And so then that option may go out the window. So I have toured 2 of the Catholic schools in the neighborhood and considering touring one more, which is not so close to us or remotely close to where we will probably move, but it is our parish and where Eddie got baptised, so we will have some advantage to getting in there. Today I toured a private school that is known for its strong community involvement and small class size; I was exposed to it when I was working with Organic School Project and they asked us to help them with their lunch program. I thought it was a good school that was under the radar...but as I walked into a room filled with big diamonds and suits, numbering probably close to 100, I realized that this school is definitely on people's radar and it will be highly competitive to get into the newly opening pre-school with 14 spots for 4 year olds and 14 spots for 3 year olds. I talked with several parents and most have applied to at least 10 other schools. Yikes!

I want to find the ideal environment for Eddie; a school that has good outdoor space and daily recess for longer than 10 minutes, and attentive, caring teachers with the ability to service his needs, assuming that because of his language delay he will be classified as special needs. I like the schools that address readiness and skills through an inclusive process, meaning that if kids are slow readers they are not pulled out of the classroom or signaled out in an overt way, but that they are helped sufficiently within the classroom and are able to participate in regular classtime with their peers. Surprisingly, many of the schools do this now and provide a very individualized education, catered to that child's skill level. I find myself getting wrapped up in the process, asking tons of questions and intently observing the students and teachers to get a feel for the school. I guess this happens for anyone who valued their education as much as I did. Crazy though that Eddie is only two, still in diapers and only saying about 20 or so words, and here I am imagining him as an eighth grader with a locker and a cell phone. Am I ready for this?