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I guess it depends on why the preschool is popular. If it was popular because the teachers are wonderful and it's a very loving and nurturing environoment it might be worth waiting outside over night.
But that's my point. For there to only be ONE pre-school like that makes it very scary. I would hope there is another reason like free college tuition if your kid goes there or something. If the situation is so dire that people have to wait overnight for pre-school then there are some serious issues with the other ones right?
Often, I think, it is just perception. I know one of the preschools in our area is considered the "it" preschool for some. They have a lottery and my kid got in, but I didn't send her. It was one of those schools where all the girls wore $100 dresses every day and they had "tea party" rather than snack. There was the perception that it was a great school, but I just didn't see the quality of the education was any better than a couple of the others we got in through lottery or just application. That daughter ended up easily at another church preschool where she had some GREAT teachers (and the kids just wore regular playclothes to school!) and the twins went to another church preschool with a similar experience. Great teachers, loving environment, what more do you need in preschool???
Honestly I don't know what the preschool situation is like in WF. In Cary, there are a lot of wonderful preschools and even with the growth this area has experienced it would be pretty tough not to get into one of them if you applied during registration. I looked online and the preschool they mentioned wasn't inexpensive for a church preschool and the registration fee seemed high (to me) so my guess is it's very good.
At least it's not like it is with our friends in St. Louis. There, you have to be in the *right* preschool (at 12K+ per year) to get into the *right* high school! Intense!
Good grief. I'm glad we got in at the ground level (daycare that serves as preschool for the upper ages). But even daycare was a struggle for us... We visited over 12 facilities, at least half of which said they had rarely if EVER called someone from their waitlist (b/c spots were already filled with siblings of current students). It was disheartening to say the least.
My son has been on the waitlist at the Duke campus daycare/preschool since I was 4 months pregnant. Even now that he's almost 3, he is STILL not at the top of the list (we get quarterly updates). If I wanted to send him there in the fall for preschool, I suspect that we wouldn't make it... and that's with 3 and a half years of waiting!
At least it's not like it is with our friends in St. Louis. There, you have to be in the *right* preschool (at 12K+ per year) to get into the *right* high school! Intense!
Hubby corrected me that it's more like 20K+. (Insert outrageously high amount here LOL)
I don't know the situation in Wake Forest, but I know that in Fuquay, there is just simply a supply/demand issue. It's not about wanting "the best" - for me it was about wanting somewhere I could afford that was convenient to my home. I can't afford non-church-based programs (the ones I know of, church based are between $150-$225 per month for 3 mornings; the non-church ones were $300+ for 3 mornings). When we moved here, just after preschool registration in 2006, I put my soon-to-be 3 year old on EVERY waiting list I could find. She got into only ONE of them - 20 minutes from home (in Cary instead of Fuquay). Last year, I sent my husband to the preschool closest to our house at 5 am - he was 3rd in line, and she was 6th on the waiting list (church members and current students and their siblings registered the day before). We found out a couple of days before school started that she was in. There are a couple of preschools near us that use a lottery system instead of 1st come; and ONE that is easier to get into, but it is more expensive and significantly further from my home - it was worth the early morning wait to have an affordable, convenient option. The program I put her in is NOT very academic at all, doesn't have kids "wearing $100 dresses" etc. But it was still hard to get into. . .
Our church is opening a new preschool this fall in Apex and I was surprised after talking to a few well established preschools in the area how crazy the registration can be. One director told me they went to the lottery several years ago because so many people would sleep in their cars overnight & it got to be a safety issue.
Are things really this competitive? I appreciate the dedication these parents have for their children, but at the same time it kind of makes me glad I don't have kids and don't have to feel the pressure to compete in this kind of thing.
"Demand for space in popular pre-schools in Wake County has gotten so hot that parents were willing to camp outside overnight to ensure that their children get spots for the fall."
This happens here in Bucks County PA. Some moms have mentioned they get there at 3 am and wait...also, I know this happened in South Charlotte at certain preschools. I will have 3 attending preschool, and I know I would do the same if I wanted to get them into a great school!
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