Public or Montessori Kindergarten

[NYDave]

We have an added wrinkle on this question.

My older daughter just finished her first year in her Montessori (which also happens to be Leport Lake). The year she turns 5, she misses the new CA kindergarten cutoff of Sep 1 by about a week. What that means is, if we keep her the full three years in Montessori, she will finish her third year and that September IUSD will admit her into ... kindergarten.

The alternatives seem to be: move her out of Montessori after her second year, and enter the 2-year transitional kindergarten (so 2 years of Montessori, 2 years of IUSD TK); or, keep paying the $$$ and enroll her in a private school for at least 1st grade, until IUSD can take her into a grade level that isn't a repeat of what she's already been through.

None of these seems great, but I guess it's what we're stuck with.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

I don't know how much repetition there is with Public K vs. Montessori K but I don't think you should be too worried about it even up to 1st grade.

If anything, she will be more advanced than the rest of the class and you might be able to talk to the teacher about giving her other work.

I actually think keeping them in Montessori K is beneficial and that 1st grade is a good transition year but again, it varies by child, parent, teacher, school etc etc.

 

[OCgasman]

Agree with IHO that kindergarten isn't that important.  Don't sweat it.  I know plenty of parents who voluntarily have kept their child back to repeat kindergarten cuz they feel kid will be more advanced and a better leader.  I personally don't agree with this philosophy but to all their own .

 

[qwerty]

Agree with IHO that kindergarten isn't that important.  Don't sweat it.  I know plenty of parents who voluntarily have kept their child back to repeat kindergarten cuz they feel kid will be more advanced and a better leader.  I personally don't agree with this philosophy but to all their own .

i dont know if people (of any age) can be taught to be leaders, i think this is an quality you either have or you dont. if you have it, you can fine tune it, but if you dont have it, you will never get it no matter how hard you try.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Agree with IHO that kindergarten isn't that important.  Don't sweat it.  I know plenty of parents who voluntarily have kept their child back to repeat kindergarten cuz they feel kid will be more advanced and a better leader.  I personally don't agree with this philosophy but to all their own .

As much as I like to think that that going to a high end K or preschool really matters, I don't believe the research bears that out.  It's important for them to go versus not going but going to an expensive private one to pretty high caliber public one in IUSD just doesn't make that much difference.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

We have an added wrinkle on this question.

My older daughter just finished her first year in her Montessori (which also happens to be Leport Lake). The year she turns 5, she misses the new CA kindergarten cutoff of Sep 1 by about a week. What that means is, if we keep her the full three years in Montessori, she will finish her third year and that September IUSD will admit her into ... kindergarten.

The alternatives seem to be: move her out of Montessori after her second year, and enter the 2-year transitional kindergarten (so 2 years of Montessori, 2 years of IUSD TK); or, keep paying the $$$ and enroll her in a private school for at least 1st grade, until IUSD can take her into a grade level that isn't a repeat of what she's already been through.

None of these seems great, but I guess it's what we're stuck with.

You can petition the district to let her in.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

... going to an expensive private one to pretty high caliber public one in IUSD just doesn't make that much difference.

Actually... there are some significant differences between private K and public K (even in Irvine):

1. Class size:
With budget cuts, I believe IUSD K class sizes are bigger

2. Number of teachers/helpers:
In the Montessori programs I am familiar with there are at least 2 or 3 full time in-class teachers, for public I believe it's 1 full time and maybe a part-time helper.

3. Length of instruction time:
Public is only half-day for K, for private, it's longer (that could be considered a con).

 

[Irvinecommuter]

... going to an expensive private one to pretty high caliber public one in IUSD just doesn't make that much difference.

Actually... there are some significant differences between private K and public K (even in Irvine):

1. Class size:
With budget cuts, I believe IUSD K class sizes are bigger

2. Number of teachers/helpers:
In the Montessori programs I am familiar with there are at least 2 or 3 full time in-class teachers, for public I believe it's 1 full time and maybe a part-time helper.

3. Length of instruction time:
Public is only half-day for K, for private, it's longer (that could be considered a con).

1 and 2 are connected and most people put their kids in after school care.  Another consideration is that the kids/friends you make in K are probably the ones you are going to have in 1st grade if you decide to go to a public elementary.  Also, public teachers are usually more satisfied with their jobs than private school teachers.

There are definitely advantages to private schools but the research just doesn't show that much of a difference. 
http://www.livescience.com/2575-study-public-schools-good-private-schools.html

This is a good list of pros and cons.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_public-vs-private-which-is-right-for-your-child_67271.bc

 

[bones]

Agree with IHO that kindergarten isn't that important.  Don't sweat it.  I know plenty of parents who voluntarily have kept their child back to repeat kindergarten cuz they feel kid will be more advanced and a better leader.  I personally don't agree with this philosophy but to all their own .

This is actually very trendy right now.  Some hold their child back 1 year so they can be bigger/stronger/faster than kids their age for sports. 

 

[qwerty]

Some hold their child back 1 year so they can be bigger/stronger/faster than kids their age for sports. 

you know this is irvine right? if you dont have black people playing it doesnt really count. Send them to mater dei for big boy sports.

 

[bones]

Some hold their child back 1 year so they can be bigger/stronger/faster than kids their age for sports. 

you know this is irvine right? if you dont have black people playing it doesnt really count. Send them to mater dei for big boy sports.

Ping pong scholarships!

 

[irvinehomeowner]

1 and 2 are connected

I don't totally agree. There is already an issue when you have 30 kids vs. 15 kids... then you have 30 kids with 1.5 teachers vs. 15 kids with 3 teachers.

This was actually the biggest issue for us when transitioning and many other parents have said the same thing.

and most people put their kids in after school care.

In Montessori, it's not after school care after the noon hour, it's still education. After 3pm, it becomes "day care"... so you still get more instruction in private vs. public.

Another consideration is that the kids/friends you make in K are probably the ones you are going to have in 1st grade if you decide to go to a public elementary.

This is true but also easily adapted to. I was concerned about the kids knowing each other also but you'll find that Irvine (and other schools) have very transitional populations. Kids come and go in every grade so your "BFF" one year may change the next.

Also, public teachers are usually more satisfied with their jobs than private school teachers.

Is this a fact or some stat you are aware of? I think it depends on the school/district.

There are definitely advantages to private schools but the research just doesn't show that much of a difference. 
http://www.livescience.com/2575-study-public-schools-good-private-schools.html

This is a good list of pros and cons.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_public-vs-private-which-is-right-for-your-child_67271.bc

In regards to qualifications for the second link, you will find the certain Montessori have a rigorous certification requirement also. I believe many of the lead teachers also have Master's degrees.

Again, much of it is subjective, but class size, teacher/student ratio and length of instruction are not.

 

[NYDave]

We have an added wrinkle on this question.

My older daughter just finished her first year in her Montessori (which also happens to be Leport Lake). The year she turns 5, she misses the new CA kindergarten cutoff of Sep 1 by about a week. What that means is, if we keep her the full three years in Montessori, she will finish her third year and that September IUSD will admit her into ... kindergarten.

The alternatives seem to be: move her out of Montessori after her second year, and enter the 2-year transitional kindergarten (so 2 years of Montessori, 2 years of IUSD TK); or, keep paying the $$$ and enroll her in a private school for at least 1st grade, until IUSD can take her into a grade level that isn't a repeat of what she's already been through.

None of these seems great, but I guess it's what we're stuck with.

You can petition the district to let her in.

When the time is closer we will check with the school district, but my (admittedly limited) understanding is that the state age requirements for starting K and 1st grade are strict and the district would risk losing some funding if they didn't adhere to them.

I agree this isn't likely to be a problem in the longer run, no matter what we end up doing. I'm not especially concerned about the specific curriculum or the transition to the public school environment (which will have to happen sooner or later, we're not keeping her in private school forever), but my daughter gets easily bored/lazy and I want to minimize that at this age-- plenty of time for that later, like when she's my age!

 

[Irvinecommuter]

1 and 2 are connected

I don't totally agree. There is already an issue when you have 30 kids vs. 15 kids... then you have 30 kids with 1.5 teachers vs. 15 kids with 3 teachers.

This was actually the biggest issue for us when transitioning and many other parents have said the same thing.

and most people put their kids in after school care.

In Montessori, it's not after school care after the noon hour, it's still education. After 3pm, it becomes "day care"... so you still get more instruction in private vs. public.

Another consideration is that the kids/friends you make in K are probably the ones you are going to have in 1st grade if you decide to go to a public elementary.

This is true but also easily adapted to. I was concerned about the kids knowing each other also but you'll find that Irvine (and other schools) have very transitional populations. Kids come and go in every grade so your "BFF" one year may change the next.

Also, public teachers are usually more satisfied with their jobs than private school teachers.

Is this a fact or some stat you are aware of? I think it depends on the school/district.

There are definitely advantages to private schools but the research just doesn't show that much of a difference. 
http://www.livescience.com/2575-study-public-schools-good-private-schools.html

This is a good list of pros and cons.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_public-vs-private-which-is-right-for-your-child_67271.bc

In regards to qualifications for the second link, you will find the certain Montessori have a rigorous certification requirement also. I believe many of the lead teachers also have Master's degrees.

Again, much of it is subjective, but class size, teacher/student ratio and length of instruction are not.

1)  Staffing is basically the general restriction on class sizes.  There are generally plenty of space but not enough teachers. 

2)  Too lazy to look it up but there are a lot of surveys and studies showing that public school teachers have better job satisfaction than private school teacher.  That is usually because of tenure, higher pay and better benefits. 

3)  My daughter is in a Montesorri program (not LePort) as well and I am aware of the certification and technique.  Just reading the website from LePort basically bashing public teacher, they have a lot of things wrong.  For example, in California all teachers have a B.A. or B.S. degree and then go on to get teaching credentials.  Private school teachers don't have to be credentialed. 

I am not saying that private pre-K is bad, just that personally I don't think it's worth the costs and expense.  But YMMV.

 

[moonchild508]

It's our turn to consider public vs. Montessori kindergarten.  I am wondering how things turned out for those who posted in this thread back in 2013.  Any update and "lessons learned" that you can share?  Any new input is appreciated too.

 

[irvinehomeowner]

If you can afford it, I still stand by keeping kids in a good private school as long as you can.

Frankly, if there was a decent private school in Irvine, we would probably keep our kids there until 6th or 8th grade (maybe even through high school).

They just get more 1-on-1 attention and the level of education seems more personalized to me.

Our youngest transitioned to public school this year, and although Common Core is the new thing, most of the math is stuff that has already been learned. The issue they are having is the class size and not getting enough direct attention or clarification on lessons because there are so many other students.

If I win the Lotto, I would consider opening a faith-based private school.

 

[ps99472]

Try public kinder first, if it doesn't work out you can always go back to Montessori, they're not gonna refuse $1200/month

Probably harder if you do it the other way around.

 

[Veronica]

Definitely Montessori.  Irvine public school kindergarten is a bad choice.  30-33 kids per class, very low academic standards (advanced kids will be bored, average - won't advance too far, kids that are falling behind won't get individual attention).  Yes, as an Irvine home owner I feel a bit resentful paying extra for the K year at Montessori, but it is worth it (for the reasons already articulated on this board).  If you can afford a house in Irvine, you should be able to afford one extra year of Montessori, IMHO. Otherwise, you are just living beyond your means.

 

[Irvinecommuter]

Definitely Montessori.  Irvine public school kindergarten is a bad choice.  30-33 kids per class, very low academic standards (advanced kids will be bored, average - won't advance too far, kids that are falling behind won't get individual attention).  Yes, as an Irvine home owner I feel a bit resentful paying extra for the K year at Montessori, but it is worth it (for the reasons already articulated on this board).  If you can afford a house in Irvine, you should be able to afford one extra year of Montessori, IMHO. Otherwise, you are just living beyond your means.

Completely disagree.  Montessori is great but Irvine school is also very good.  Kindergarten is about social interaction and ability to get along with other kids.  My daughter is way above grade level but is not "bored".  We work with her at home on weekend/weeknights to improve academically...for $1200 a month, you can hire your own tutor.

 

[bones]

Everyone's kid in irvine is "way above grade level".  I don't think I've ever read a post on TI about how their kid is BELOW grade.