Friday, March 7, 2008

School Already?

Ok.. so Sugarplum is only going to be 3 in May and we have plenty of time, but I'm starting to take a look at the school programs in our area. I found a program for K-6 (which is working on becoming a K-8) which is a parent participation program. More like a charter or co-op but in a traditional elementary setting. So the classrooms are portable buildings on the campus of one of the elementary schools in our area.

Here's the things I really like:
Low ratio of adults to students - 20 kids per class, 2 parents and the teacher are in the class at all times
8-10 field trips a year
Weekly music and art
Physical Education
Other enrichment activities like cooking, gardening, sewing etc.
Hands-on and group learning rather than traditional "answer the questions at the end of the chapter" type study
Relatively low cost (They're asking $350 this year)
Full day Kindergarten

We went to an open house last night - which seemed fantastic. My hubsand is a little concerned about Sugarplum being able to transition out of this style of learning to a more traditional "book study" philosophy. I wonder about that too.

So I'm turning to you in blogland for opinions.

Have you participated in a parent co-op or charter program?
What did you like about it?
What didn't you like about it?
Would you do it again?
How well did your child succeed or not succeed?
How well did your child transition to a more "traditional" teaching style in higher grades?