[quote]yamashi, this is a breathtaking amount every month to be spending on preschool and elementary school-age children who are attending public school. You claim you recently bought a house and one of you (parents) can quit work any time and you’ll still “be fine” financially. I understand pre-school/pre-K costs more now than when I sent my kids to those programs but sheesh, $3000 month is very, very expensive for two kids who are already potty trained and not confined to a crib where state rules require one caregiver to every four cribs. [/quote]
Not sure where when your kids were around but it is pretty much the going rate for an infant and a private preschool. Trust me, this is my 3rd and the other ones ranged from $1,250-$1,395/month. Of course this amount is probably where you live. Next year I’m going to be pulling out my daughter from the private school and she will be in public so that will be a nice addition to my savings every month.
[quote]I also paid for dance, voice lessons, baseball and scout camp for many years for my school-age children, as well as (very expensive) show choir in middle/HS but none of it was anywhere near as expensive as what you are quoting here! [/quote]
Tutoring for two children range are about $200/month or $50 per week for each. Language arts about the same. Piano is about $55 per week to teach two kids for 45 minutes. I also do father and daughter camping trips with them which add an additional 150-300 per month and other stuff that she does through school. During the summer we also do swimming lessons which add more.
[quote]IMO, this is a absolutely a “mind-boggling” list of activities for young children. It sounds as if they are busy 24/7! I hope they don’t burn out early in life :-0[/quote]
Many think so too, but they seem to love it. Both of my oldest ones love to teach their classmates things that they know. They also enjoy learning about languages and piano. My job as a parent I feel is to keep letting them do what they enjoy. I have also tried golf and soccer, but that didn’t seem to stick.
[quote}A little “food for thought” here. For $45-$48K per year (a little less than what you are paying now for young kids’ care and activities), you can currently send TWO kids to CSU (different campuses) in URBAN cities in CA (LA and SF bay area) WITHOUT any financial aid!…[/quote]
I put enough money into their 529 plans each month to cover about that much per year in today’s dollars for them when they get older (assuming 3-5% compounded appreciation). Both grandparents have also set aside some money. Hopefully they don’t need it. I told them if they can get a free ride or other assistance, then that money is for them to keep.
[quote]Down the road, you could invest $600-$800 per course on 6-8 week SAT prep courses. THAT’s where the “rubber meets the road” in a child’s life. College admission boards DON’T CARE what your kid did in any grade before grade 9. [/quote]
I will do that if they want to, but right now I just want my kids to be well rounded and be able to do things they enjoy. I want my girls to grow up with self confidence and strong self esteem. I feel that if they start young with this, then it will go with them throughout the rest of their lives. I try to also instill values like grit and tenacity so that they don’t give up easily and find ways to get around barriers. I’m not teaching them SAT stuff at this age. I’m teaching them values.
[quote]Public universities in CA don’t even care what extracurricular activities your kid did in HS! My kids were BUSY in HS with a rigorous schedule of performing in HS’s all over the state for YEARS and the CSU mentor (application portal for the CSU Admissions Board) gave them no credit whatsoever for it [/quote]
From my experience I have found this to be false. Not sure what CSU schools require for admission, but when I was applying to numerous undergraduate schools this was a large part of the admission criteria. In addition, many essays required me to use material from my extracurricular activities to display my leadership abilities etc; and when interviewed I was always asked these questions.
[quote]Yes, at least 9 months of pre-K is very, very important when your kid is 4 and expected to enter K the following year.[/quote] You are correct, I find that giving them a headstart before Kindergarten gave my oldest a very important advantage compared to peers. I think that once kids are identified by peers/teachers/themselves as smart they tend to have higher self esteem and have higher expectations for themselves and from peers at an early age. This same thing compounds each year and to each kid in the same household. I think teachers talk to each other and say “oh you have x, you’re going to love her, she is so smart”, or “that was your sister! I had her and she was such a nice intelligent kid”
[quote]yamashi, if you have a big enough tree, did you ever think of tying an old tire onto a branch to make a swing? [/quote]
My child likes it when we play duets together on the piano each day and I take her camping. To each their own.
