I mentioned in an older post that I will be working pt and hopefully homeschooling LO. I currently watch children at home during the week and work in a spa on Saturdays. I would like to get my LPN so that in the future I work the 2nd shift a few nights a week and keep the Saturday gig. I would not watch kids anymore. I have worked in healthcare in the past and know that this would be a smart move.
My conflict is the going to school part. The practical nursing course is 10 months full time. It would be very hard to afford child care for that year. I'm starting to think that my only option would be to put LO in public kindergarten, get the course done that year. And start homeschooling LO for first grade. Getting my nursing degree would be a very smart move for myself and my family regardless of our decision to homeschool. I love watching kids but I just can't do it forever....I need benefits and retirement.
what would you do? Do you think it would be really unfair to put him in kindergarten? Would it really be all that different from a year or two of preschool before starting something new?
thanks!
Re: WWHSD?
im only considering public school kindergarten so that I can get a year of free childcare so that I can finish my schooling...if I didn't need it we would be doing it at home.
My state Kindergarten is not compulsory per say but school is required by age 6 so technically my child turned 6 in December and needed to be in some sort of school.
Let me add that I do not homeschool so all of my comments take with a grain of salt. Do you have friends that homeschool? I would be just as concerned about joining a homeschool group as trying to keep friends in public schools. My son took a homeschooling art class this year because he was in half day Kindergarten. What I found was that most homeschoolers homeschool their kids to shelter them in some way or another and looked at me skeptically. Also most homeschool groups only meet turning the day when regular school is in so you would not be able to participate when he is not in school so it would be hard to participate until first grade.
Well then I think you have your answer. You pretty much have to do the public K if you need free childcare, right?
DD2 | June 2011
DS1 | Oct 2013
ADD3 | Oct 2014 (April 2001)
DS2 | June 2016
DS3 | Dec 2018
Due with baby blob August 2021
no I wish, I would go back sooner if that was the case. I think it will all be ok...I was feeling weird about the idea of sending him for a year and then pulling him out. But it will lead to more financial stability and more money for homeschooling fun, so it will be worth it
Technically public school isn't "free." You are paying for it with your taxes! Just stay a little involved if you can... you won't feel as bad as you think you will. I will tell you that my parents pulled me out after the 2nd grade to start HSing me and my younger sis and I did end up with depression by the 4th grade... it was bc I really had no friends in the HSing community that were my age and I missed the kids I had been around for three years. But doing just Kindergarten shouldn't be too much of an issue. Just make sure when you start homeschooling that your LO makes friends.