In my previous blogs, I have been discussing the different choices in preschool for your child. Yesterday I discussed choosing a Montessori preschool for your child. Montessori preschools can be an excellent choice for beginning learners in a preschool setting. Most official Montessori schools do cost more than a typical preschool, so that is something to keep in mind as well. Today, I am going to discuss yet another choice for you to keep in mind, a preschool that takes place in a church.
We send our son to a Christian church preschool and have been more than pleased with it. First, it is much cheaper than sending him to a large nationwide chain of preschools (I will discuss this tomorrow, stay tuned! )and it is cheaper than the Montessori based preschools in our area. Price for us is a big issue since I am no longer teaching full-time and don’t have that income coming in for our family. So, budget-wise for us, a church preschool was the best choice.
If you remember reading in another of my blogs, we moved to our city not too long before my son, who was then three, was to start preschool. We got lucky and he was able to get into a great preschool shortly after we moved here. I was pleased mostly because I had my heart set on a Christian based preschool and was happy that one had an opening.
So, is a church preschool right for you and your child? Our son attends preschool through a local Lutheran church in our city. It is Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. May I add that we are not Lutheran and we have never been affiliated in any way with a church that is a Missouri Synod church. However, we wanted a preschool that taught our son about Christian beliefs and the basics about Jesus. I didn’t care one way or the other exactly what denomination the church was, but if you do care, then you must see if there is a church preschool in your area with a denomination you are looking for.
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a church preschool: often times children who are members of the actual church get a discount when attending the preschool that is a part of that church. We are not members of the church my son attends preschool through; therefore we do not get a discount. However, please know that you do not have to attend the church just to enroll your child in that preschool. I am not aware of any Christian preschools that limit enrollment to only members of the church the preschool is a part of. We actually go to a church that is non-denominational and across town from the church preschool my son attends, this isn’t an issue at all with the preschool or with us.
Is a Christian church preschool right for you? If you wish to have your child learn academics and learn about Jesus, then this type of preschool may be right for you. If you aren’t comfortable with someone teaching your child the stories of Jesus, then perhaps a Christian church preschool isn’t the right choice. The price is right for our family, it is quite affordable, and the lessons our son is learning are wonderful. We are pleased with our Christian church preschool, because it is a good fit for what we want for our child. These types of preschools aren’t right for everyone. The choice is up to you and what is best for your family.