Comments on: Post your pre-K solutions here http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/ Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:36:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-1002 Anonymous Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:04:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-1002 8:08 - who said taking anything away from older kids? Why can't both sets of students be served? But I for one don't think that school should be spending time with children teaching test prep. To me that's not learning. It's just sad that this system of "education" feeds itself. The tests are supposed to judge the level of the education the kids are receiving...not just forcing teachers to teach test prep. That's just covering a teacher or a principal's back. Sad that parents are sold this bill of goods by the DOE that says your kids should just learn what the tests judge. That's why arts and science funding has been severly cut by principals...they aren't tested subjects in our city schools. How sad. 8:08 - who said taking anything away from older kids? Why can’t both sets of students be served? But I for one don’t think that school should be spending time with children teaching test prep. To me that’s not learning. It’s just sad that this system of “education” feeds itself. The tests are supposed to judge the level of the education the kids are receiving…not just forcing teachers to teach test prep. That’s just covering a teacher or a principal’s back. Sad that parents are sold this bill of goods by the DOE that says your kids should just learn what the tests judge. That’s why arts and science funding has been severly cut by principals…they aren’t tested subjects in our city schools. How sad.

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-957 Anonymous Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:08:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-957 Don't you think your comments sound a little over the top? You want them to take time, teachers, and energy away from older kids who are going through test prep that could possibly have them being left back so that 4 year old can socialize?? Wake up! As the mother of a 3rd grader and a child starting Pre-k this fall, if my only option was that I would forgo Pre-k. Shame on you Don’t you think your comments sound a little over the top? You want them to take time, teachers, and energy away from older kids who are going through test prep that could possibly have them being left back so that 4 year old can socialize?? Wake up! As the mother of a 3rd grader and a child starting Pre-k this fall, if my only option was that I would forgo Pre-k. Shame on you

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-953 Anonymous Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:29:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-953 It would be great if somehow the DOE would use this mistake as an opportunity to come up with a creative solution. Yes this will mean they have to cough up some money to solve the problem. But wouldn't it be cool if they explored untraditional options. Some ideas: a Montesorri approach involving mixing grades in order to free up classrooms in schools where this could help...Or working with outside cultural institutions, that could use an infusion of city funding, to take in maybe some of the older classrooms so that one or more pre-k classes could be added to the schools. The city got creative with the problem they had in placing the Ross School. Why can't they get creative quickly to solve this problem too? I don't know that 4 year olds need school. But they do need socializing and security and a nice way to enter school to be ready to learn for kindergarten. Maybe the city could fund small groups of families who want to join together to hire a teacher to teach pre-k at a family's home. It would be great if somehow the DOE would use this mistake as an opportunity to come up with a creative solution. Yes this will mean they have to cough up some money to solve the problem. But wouldn’t it be cool if they explored untraditional options. Some ideas: a Montesorri approach involving mixing grades in order to free up classrooms in schools where this could help…Or working with outside cultural institutions, that could use an infusion of city funding, to take in maybe some of the older classrooms so that one or more pre-k classes could be added to the schools. The city got creative with the problem they had in placing the Ross School. Why can’t they get creative quickly to solve this problem too? I don’t know that 4 year olds need school. But they do need socializing and security and a nice way to enter school to be ready to learn for kindergarten. Maybe the city could fund small groups of families who want to join together to hire a teacher to teach pre-k at a family’s home.

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-943 Anonymous Sat, 31 May 2008 13:10:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-943 Is everyone planning on heading to the borough offices on June 23rd? <br/><br/>I heard there was an outside company who came in for the selection process . Has anyone heard about this? I just don't understand why high tax payers have so fewer Pre-k options than the lower tax payers. We are all working just the same. Is everyone planning on heading to the borough offices on June 23rd?

I heard there was an outside company who came in for the selection process . Has anyone heard about this? I just don’t understand why high tax payers have so fewer Pre-k options than the lower tax payers. We are all working just the same.

]]> By: maggiemae http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-942 maggiemae Sat, 31 May 2008 11:38:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-942 http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/PreK/default.htm<br/><br/>Here is the link to the DOE FAQ page. There is an email address on it.<br/><br/>http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/NewStudents/BEO+Contact+Information.htm<br/><br/>Here is a page with phone #s for Borough Enrollment Offices. They can give you info.<br/><br/>I'm in District 15. The office I called was very helpful. <br/><br/>Good luck! http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/PreK/default.htm

Here is the link to the DOE FAQ page. There is an email address on it.

http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/NewStudents/BEO+Contact+Information.htm

Here is a page with phone #s for Borough Enrollment Offices. They can give you info.

I’m in District 15. The office I called was very helpful.

Good luck!

]]> By: Bronx_shrink http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-941 Bronx_shrink Sat, 31 May 2008 11:19:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-941 For the person who had a Q about vouchers:<br/><br/>They are for use at many day care centers around the city as well as with individual day care providers and group family day care (e.g. two or more providers offering child care from their home). In fact, I currently use a group family day care provider because at $150/week, that was my least expensive option. 12 grand a year? Are you kidding me? The $150 a week is killing our budget! And yes, my daughter can continue at her day care (not an elite private pre-k, I might add) if public school pre-k does not work out. Sadly, we really can't afford to keep her there for much longer. I'm sorry you're so angry and think that I'm someone who should be a target. I'm just a struggling "middle class" parent trying to make ends meet and trying to think of ways that this can be resolved. Can you offer another solution? Also, FYI vouchers come from money budgeted to the Administration for Children's Services, not the DOE (someone please correct me if I am mistaken on this). For the person who had a Q about vouchers:

They are for use at many day care centers around the city as well as with individual day care providers and group family day care (e.g. two or more providers offering child care from their home). In fact, I currently use a group family day care provider because at $150/week, that was my least expensive option. 12 grand a year? Are you kidding me? The $150 a week is killing our budget! And yes, my daughter can continue at her day care (not an elite private pre-k, I might add) if public school pre-k does not work out. Sadly, we really can’t afford to keep her there for much longer. I’m sorry you’re so angry and think that I’m someone who should be a target. I’m just a struggling “middle class” parent trying to make ends meet and trying to think of ways that this can be resolved. Can you offer another solution? Also, FYI vouchers come from money budgeted to the Administration for Children’s Services, not the DOE (someone please correct me if I am mistaken on this).

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-939 Anonymous Sat, 31 May 2008 05:18:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-939 I agree with Denise and Anonymous at 10:21 PM - the process needs to revert to the schools at this point and basically be redone. The DOE went too far with centralization and they made things worse rather better. How can we get the DOE to a fair solution? I agree with Denise and Anonymous at 10:21 PM - the process needs to revert to the schools at this point and basically be redone. The DOE went too far with centralization and they made things worse rather better. How can we get the DOE to a fair solution?

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-938 Anonymous Sat, 31 May 2008 02:57:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-938 I have not yet received a letter for my sone either. But I call to the school that I pick both school told me that they don't have my son name on it. What should I do now? Where can he go? I have not yet received a letter for my sone either. But I call to the school that I pick both school told me that they don’t have my son name on it. What should I do now? Where can he go?

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-937 Anonymous Sat, 31 May 2008 02:21:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-937 I agree with 'Denise in Brooklyn' - the schools need to take over this one and clean up DOE's mess.<br/>DOE needs to stop ALL registration ASAP. <br/>In my child's school (PS10 in Brooklyn), OSEPO has called them and told them to stop all pre-registration for out-of-zone kids without siblings. Is that enough, though, I wonder?<br/><br/>In my opinion centralizing the admissions process was always a bad idea. The unfairness factor came from the first-come first-serve frenzy as described by 'Denise in Brooklyn'. I'm all for streamlining and making it fair for the parents, bypassing the different deadlines that each school had before. Mandating a streamlined timeline for all schools: deadlines for applications and acceptance letters etc. is the way to go, but the schools need to still have the authority to admit their own students. Otherwise when problems crop up, as they always will, they grow to such enormous proportions as is evidenced in this case of the "Pre-K Mess of 2008". <br/><br/>Let's hope there will be no "Kindergarten Mess of 2009"!!<br/><br/>-mother of a rejected pre-K'er with sibling I agree with ‘Denise in Brooklyn’ - the schools need to take over this one and clean up DOE’s mess.
DOE needs to stop ALL registration ASAP.
In my child’s school (PS10 in Brooklyn), OSEPO has called them and told them to stop all pre-registration for out-of-zone kids without siblings. Is that enough, though, I wonder?

In my opinion centralizing the admissions process was always a bad idea. The unfairness factor came from the first-come first-serve frenzy as described by ‘Denise in Brooklyn’. I’m all for streamlining and making it fair for the parents, bypassing the different deadlines that each school had before. Mandating a streamlined timeline for all schools: deadlines for applications and acceptance letters etc. is the way to go, but the schools need to still have the authority to admit their own students. Otherwise when problems crop up, as they always will, they grow to such enormous proportions as is evidenced in this case of the “Pre-K Mess of 2008″.

Let’s hope there will be no “Kindergarten Mess of 2009″!!

-mother of a rejected pre-K’er with sibling

]]> By: Anonymous http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-934 Anonymous Sat, 31 May 2008 01:46:00 +0000 http://insideschools.org/blog/2008/05/30/post-your-pre-k-solutions-here/#comment-934 Where does anyone think one would be able to use "vouchers for private schools"? It's not like there are any spaces available at this point. Or is that a suggestion from someone who has a private school spot already on hold but was hoping to drop it for a free spot in the public school, and now is mad they have to pony up the 12 grand after all? Ridiculous waste of tax payers money, when the DOE is already slashing school budgets. Where does anyone think one would be able to use “vouchers for private schools”? It’s not like there are any spaces available at this point. Or is that a suggestion from someone who has a private school spot already on hold but was hoping to drop it for a free spot in the public school, and now is mad they have to pony up the 12 grand after all? Ridiculous waste of tax payers money, when the DOE is already slashing school budgets.

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