subject: Considering Day Care Costs Against Montessori Education Or Preschool [print this page] Many parents today are busy pursuing careers or simply working to stay ahead of the bills and thus they require daycare for their children. Ideally, parents should spend an optimal amount of time caring for their young children. However, of course, we do not live in an ideal world or not everyone has an ideal situation in life. Some parents may need to drop off kids at daycare for most or all of every workday.
For parents committed to all-day daycare for their children this can also be very costly. Along with this cost, there may be the added stress of feeling they are not spending enough time with their own children or that children are possibly under-stimulated, whether kids are put in daycare or cared for by a live-in nanny. One solution to both these problems and one not given consideration by enough parents is the option of Montessori school or preschool at a private school.
Typical daycare costs can be as high as $60 dollars per day. Even at a lowball figure, costs are usually about $40 dollars per day. This comes to at least $800 per month in daycare costs, for children spending full days in care.
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Compare this to private school tuition and the costs are lower, while the benefits much greater. Tuition at many Montessori schools starts in the range of $5,000 per year. Many parents object to this outright without thinking about how much a school-year-long bill for daycare will actually come to (i.e. at least $8,000 per year but probably closer to $10,000 or more).
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In addition, Montessori and other preschool programs - even those offered at other private schools - provide a stimulating, learning environment. Many parents might also consider this time as "test-driving" private school options like Montessori education. Montessori schools are focused on early learning and on encouraging children toward independence as well as mentoring others, with the classroom teacher taking a facilitating role in learning. Many other private schools such as Christian day school offer excellent preschool or junior kindergarten (JK) programs.
It comes out to a win-win for parents when compared to daylong daycare. Before committing to all day daycare, consider how much it will cost you over the ten month period of a regular school year and then consider the advantages for your child of putting him or her in a preschool program such as that offered at your local Montessori school.
