Issaquah Kindergarten (Highland: preschool, relocating to, deal)

[AreWeThereYet??]

I have been doing some research and found out that most schools only offer 1/2 day Kindergarten (actually not even half day more like 2 hours). We are looking at relocating to Issaquah Highlands area.

I am concerned that a 1/2 day program will not be adequate for our daughter and that she may fall behind. Here in Florida she is scheduled to start in the gifted Kindergarten program which is a full day. Now we have to settle for a 2 hour program? How do kids get a good start with only 2 hours?

What other options are available in the Issaquah Highlands area? I know there is a full-day lottery program but I assume we already missed the lottery and will have no chance to get into the full day program. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This may be a deal breaker for relocating if we cant get her an adequate education.

[flyingsaucermom]

Call the district tomorrow. Last year I was very nervous about getting my son in FDK and anxiously waited during the lottery for his name to be called out (about a classroom of parents showed up to watch) just to find out the following day that ALL the children on the waitlist had a spot! How ridiculous. I don't know what happened this year though.

[flyingsaucermom]

Oh I should also mention that many of the parents who do half-day are supplementing their children's education. Either they are stay-at-home moms that do some work on their own, or they will take them to KUMON (which is also in the Highlands). I know parents that enroll them in other private academic programs, especially centered around a different language (like Japanese or Korean). Not all parents are doing this of course, but that's what I've seen.

[AreWeThereYet??]

Thanks! I called this morning and was informed that they are shipping the K kids to 2 other schools and the one mine will go to will have full day available. Big relief

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

Call the district tomorrow. Last year I was very nervous about getting my son in FDK and anxiously waited during the lottery for his name to be called out (about a classroom of parents showed up to watch) just to find out the following day that ALL the children on the waitlist had a spot! How ridiculous. I don't know what happened this year though.

Generally, the Kindergarten enrollment is going down significantly this coming fall. Parents that might have otherwise had kids 5 years ago decided to wait due to the financial worries of the economic crisis starting in 2008-2009. Our local school plans to drop 2 full classes.

[seattlenextyear]

There's "gifted Kindergarten" now? You are not making me want children. Is there no happy childhood time before the rat race starts?

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by seattlenextyear

There's "gifted Kindergarten" now? You are not making me want children. Is there no happy childhood time before the rat race starts?

Just the same as with adults, you don't have to join it if you don't want to.

[seattlenextyear]

Originally Posted by flyingsaucermom

Just the same as with adults, you don't have to join it if you don't want to.

I imagine there's got to be tremendous peer pressure.

[AreWeThereYet??]

Originally Posted by seattlenextyear

There's "gifted Kindergarten" now? You are not making me want children. Is there no happy childhood time before the rat race starts?

It's not about peer pressure or getting ahead. We were going to put her in the regular Kindergarten program but was told by her preschool teachers that she needed to be in the gifted program so that she does not get bored with the regular curriculum and have behavioral issues. We were also told the same thing by the tester.

[Hemlock140]

Kids are learning to read in preschool, there is indeed great pressure to succeed because the area has so many well educated, well paid parents that want the best for their kids. That means more laid back parents have to do what they can to keep up or their kids can get lost in the shuffle. Look at how hard it is to compete for a job these days. Add to that the availability of "distractions", and the more advanced children that get bored with a curriculum below their level can get into a lot of trouble. Happy childhood time is not what it was in the 60s or even 70s.