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Home › Articles › Preschool Prep › Play for It

Play for It

Budgeting for Preschool

By Teri Brown

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Dr. Michelle Nitka is a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping families with preschool placement and is also the author of the booklet, Coping With Preschool Panic, The Los Angeles Guide to Private Preschools. Dr. Nitka says families need to consider the hidden costs of preschool as well as the obvious ones.

"It is also important for parents to remember that there are many hidden costs besides tuition and application fees," says Dr. Nitka. "Some schools will have annual fund drives, capital campaigns or endowment funds. Virtually all schools have an annual gala with a silent auction. Parents are expected to buy a ticket for the dinner and donate items or buy items from the silent auction. These hidden costs can up the cost of your child's preschool education several thousand dollars a year!"

Remember that some preschools require uniforms, which is an extra expense and some have fieldtrips that also cost extra money. All these things should be factored in when budgeting.

Low-Cost Alternatives
"Oftentimes, cooperative nursery schools are less expensive, in part because parents are working/volunteering at the school," says Dr. Nitka. "Depending on the school, parents may be required to volunteer anywhere from once a week to once a month. In Los Angeles, there are a number of outstanding cooperative nursery schools and parents benefit not only financially, but also by becoming part of a school community."

Dr. Nitka says that some preschools actually have established scholarship funds available.

"A number of preschool directors reported to me that they often have not been able to award all the scholarship money they have because people have not applied," says Dr. Nitka. "Due to the high cost of education even families that consider themselves middleclass should not hesitate toat least inquire about a partial scholarship especially if it means the difference between being able to afford to go to a particular preschool or having to opt out due to finances."

Patti Hermes, from Oswego, Ill., found a low-cost alternative that didn't scrimp on quality. She found that by waiting until her son was a bit older and only sending him a couple of days a week not only saved thousands of dollars, but provided a way to ease him into school.

"We sent him to preschool at the local Park District (it's a great program!) for only two days a week, partly to save money, and partly because he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to go to preschool," says Hermes. "We also waited until he was 4, so he only had one year. He loved it! And he was very successful in kindergarten this past year, so easing him into schooling worked for him."

Dr. Nitka says keeping the preschool panic in perspective will also go far in helping parents with budgeting issues because they won't feel as if they have to put their child into the most expensive preschool available for them to succeed.

"Try not to get caught up in the hysteria and remember that there are a lot of excellent preschools out there," says Dr. Nitka. "You don't have to send your child to the 'in' preschool of the moment. It is far more important to really look at your child and assess who they are and what they need at this point in time. Although preschool is important it is far more important to be a loving, involved, present parent, and no matter what anyone tells you no preschool alone will determine your child's success in life."

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