Is free really free? Parents have choices, and one of the most important choices parents must make is where to put their children for childcare and school. Southwest Florida has many pre-K programs, and of course when it comes to kindergarten most kids just go to the public school and not private schools or Grace Community School. The differences between these programs may not be obvious at first glance.
Let’s start with preschool. A lot of parents are under the impression that preschool is an all-day thing. Sadly, this usually isn’t the case. Most pre-K programs in Florida opt to do a 3-hour daily program so that their state funds can stretch through the whole year. Parents who need more than those 3 hours must purchase wraparound care for an added fee. Not here. Grace Community School’s pre-k program is now an all-day program — 6:30am to 6:00pm, no wraparound care needed! So instead of three hours of learning, students at Grace Community School participate in learning that lasts the entire day. As they say on TV, “But wait, there’s more!”
There is no comparison between the learning at Grace Community School versus other daycares. A lot of parents are interested in state-funded pre-K because it’s a “good deal.” What makes something a good deal? It means you’re getting more for your money and effort than you would be getting elsewhere, right? “Free” sounds like a good deal. You wouldn’t think that you could get a better deal than something that’s free. But you have to be careful. “Free” comes with strings attached. Is “free” worth it if it isn’t what’s best for your child? One of the most crucial things you will give up when choosing a free preschool program is reading instruction. I’m not talking about “reading readiness,” but real, actual reading.
Read the rest of this article here:
https://www.gracecommunityschool.com/2015/10/20/public-school-kindergarten-is-not-free/?fbclid=IwAR2uCfXMJh10UrsgLSjBOKQmSbL7Quc_KaOTGkyxd_mP_bUk4h-5qD5Tixk
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Needing help for your home schooling journey: https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/
And
Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:
Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/
and
Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/
This link is motivational: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/
Exemption Form online: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/