With Preschool Tuition Soaring, Parents Seek Alternatives

Amy Oleson, a grade-school teacher in Sioux City, Iowa, has been sending her 3-year-old son, Ty, to Explorations, a husband-and-wife-run family-child-care program, since he was eight months old. Oleson pays about $115 a week (for three days per week). One of the main draws for her is the so-called emergent-learning approach used there. The term refers to an early childhood learning approach advocated by many experts that promotes learning through a child's interests and actions.

Like traditional preschool programs, the children sing the alphabet song, learn how to sign their names on their drawings and listen to stories. At Explorations they also get to talk about the frogs and fish in the aquarium and learn basic concepts of mathematics by using everyday tools like measuring tape and rulers — standard fare for preschool kids.

Family-child-care program guidelines vary by state and provider, so parents must do their due diligence when looking for a family child care home. The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) has a searchable database for accredited providers. Accreditation is the only nationally uniform set of standards for family-child-care providers, whereas regulations vary by state. Also, the NACCRRA offers a checklist that helps parents evaluate whether a program is right for their child.

"Some states don't have regulations at all, while others only regulate certain size [programs]," says Diana Webb, who works with family child care providers in Rochester, N.Y. New York State's regulations, for instance, require that any licensed family-child-care program have an educational component to it. Group size varies among providers and states.

Costs range widely, too, but Suzanne Williamson, president of the NAFCC, says a middle of the road cost would be $100 to $250 a week. More expensive set-ups can match or even exceed pricey preschools, but parents should keep in mind these programs sometimes run five days a week for 10 hours a day — good for working parents who need a child-care program with flexibility.

Even though she could afford preschool for her 4-year-old son, Henderson, the stay-at-home mother of three in Tustin, Calif., decided not to send him. "I loved the school, but when it came down to it, it just goes against who I am to pay that much," she says of the $500 a month tuition. "I think it's a waste of money. I can do it at home on my own, on my own time frame."

Home schooling can prep a child just as well as for kindergarten as a traditional preschool. In fact, says Laura Derrick, president of the National Home Education Network, "a lot of preschool and kindergarten activities were designed to mimic what happens in the family setting if the children were actually at home: They learn to clean up, organize. Some are academic things, but a lot of it is the social component."

Geralyn Jacobs, a professor at University of South Dakota's Early Childhood and Elementary Education program, notes myriad ways parents can prepare their child for later formal education: Read to them daily, help them write letters to relatives, take them to the library, point out interesting things as they go shopping, make sure they have time to play with other children. She also recommends parents look at their state's early learning guidelines to see the kinds of things their children can be learning.

There's a fairly extensive online home-schooling community parents can access to ensure they are preparing their kids for kindergarten. A to Z Home's Cool offers curriculum and lesson ideas, educational web sites and links to other home-school groups. The National Home Education Network is another resource for parents who want to learn more about home schooling. The Home School Legal Defense Association has information on the kinds of regulations each state has regarding home schooling.