Preschool advice needed

I am looking into local preschools for my 3 yo DD. Needless to say, they
are not cheap. Just sending her 2 days a week will set us back $280/month.
I understand that preschool that is held in churches is a bit more
affordable. The problem with that is that we are aetheist and don't want to
send her to a church. Can anyone recommend anywhere else we can look
besides the high priced, brand name preschools?

Jeanne...

Does your area have preschool co-ops? There aren't many in my area but
they are significantly less expensive than non co-ops. Parents
participate in the preschool co-ops although not necessarily in the
classrooms to keep the costs down.

JennP....

Not all preschools housed in churches are affiliated with the church. Many
just rent the space. I know ds' first preschool just rented the downstairs
of the Quaker Meeting house. There was absolutely no affiliation whatsoever.
You might want to check if there even is affiliation before you completely
disregard a preschool. Also, just because they are housed in a church
doesn't necessarily mean they are less expensive. Ds' preschool last year
was in a Methodist church again, no affiliation, and it was much more
expensive than the other school we sent him to.

toto...

Look at your local YMCA or YWCA perhaps?

Also I taught in Church preschools that accepted everyone and had no
Bible curriculum in the Chicago area, though I haven't seen anything
like that in New Orleans. Before you judge the Church preschools, go
and tour them and see what they do.

Ericka Kammerer...

Check out the church-based preschools anyway. Not
all of them have a religious curriculum. Also, when you
visit them, if you find that the religious component is
too much for you, ask the Director for recommendations where
else to look. It's a small world. The preschools know
each other.

Best wishes,
Ericka

dkhedmo...

I personally don't like to use the word atheist, it seems to have some
sort of connotation of a confrontational variety, or at least is taken
as such by others; I would say that we are confirmed non-believers.

We recently moved and my younger son will not be able to attend the same
preschool program that my older one did, which we really liked a lot. I
had some very particular things in mind that I wanted from a school for
my younger son, and have found what seems to be just what I was looking
for in a local co-op nursery school, that happens to rent space in a
local church.

Because of the school's housing, I was skeptical, but had heard/read
excellent things about the program and the teacher. I observed a class
by appointment and attended an open house, neither time did I observe
anything to offend my non-believing sensibilities - there was not even
religious paraphernalia of any kind on view through the separate
entrance to the rental hall/school area, in the vestibule area, or in
the room itself. I also asked directly of the admission's director if
the program was secular, because of the school's location in the church
building, and she said it is. They do seasonal/holiday activities, but
in a way that I feel comfortable with, approaching them as cultural
activities with no religious content.

The program my older son attended was through our previous town's parks
and recreation department/community center, and it was excellent. Not
all towns have a park and rec department, or if they do, class quality
can be inconsistent, but sometimes you can find a great program, or a
series of individual classes you can piece together with library
storytimes and such to create your own preschool type experience. You'll
probably start coming across the same families again and again, and you
can arrange playdates to help the kids that seem to get along develop
more of a friendship.

The prices are usually very good, and sometimes free, with community
center and library programs. And the co-op nursery school we're
registering for now is incredibly inexpensive. We'll pay for the whole

Ericka Kammerer...

That is incorrect, for the most part (there are some areas
where they have lower overhead, but it's not a big financial
factor). The main reason that church-based preschools are sometimes
(though not always) less expensive is that the church may treat
the preschool as a ministry to the community and subsidize it,
perhaps by not charging rent or by charging a lower rent or in
some other manner that is advantageous for the preschool relative
to other schools that have to pay market rates for space.
Some churches see the preschool as a ministry where
they actively pursue spreading Christian ideas and maybe even
recruiting potential members. Others see it simply as a ministry
of being of service to the community and don't pursue much or
any religious education in the school. You just have to check
them out and see.

Best wishes,
Ericka

year of two or three classes a week what it sounds like others here pay
for a month or two.