I have the paying for kindergarten blues
Last year we paid for our son to attend a local preschool. Even with tuition we were always paying for something - cupcakes, book drives, fundraisers, class parties, supplies and more. It was with relief that I signed him up to attend a public kindergarten. What a savings, right?
Wrong!
School hasn’t even been in session a week, yet we’re inundated with requests for money. In six days my son has come home with an envelope to order school portraits, a request to purchase a “Just Say No to Drugs” t-shirt, a request to walk for whatever cause we’re walking for this week…or an envelope to sponsor some of the teachers and an order form for books.
Lordy.
I understand the book sales and even the portraits, but am I going to receive a request for money every single day? And it’s not just kindergarten, either. Soccer starts this weekend and in addition to the Parks & Rec fee we had to buy shin guards and cleats. If we want to join any of the other fall activities through parks and rec, we’ll have to pay for these as well. Granted, these programs are cheaper than going to one of the private programs and even cheaper than the Y, but between activities and kindergarten I think I’m going bankrupt.
Did I mention my son is only five years old. Five years old! How much will I have to put out when he’s 10?
Related Stories
POSTED IN: General
16 opinions for I have the paying for kindergarten blues
Jan
Sep 12, 2007 at 7:48 pm
Just say no. If you don’t start now it will be harder as he grows older.
CreativeMom
Sep 12, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Oh, honey, I hear you. The biggest cost for me this year is back to school supplies. I remember picking up a pack of pencils and three spiral notebooks.
This year, we spent over $150 on supplies for just our 2nd and 5th grade kids. Two sizes of washable markers, dry erase markers, erasers, red pens, blue pens, protractors, calculators, crayons, colored pencils, loose paper, notebook paper, folders, journals, stickers, art supplies, art boxes, paints, and more. AND of course the list includes items for the school such as Ziploc baggies, Kleenex, disinfectant and cleaning supplies. We had to buy our supplies over a 6 week period to afford them and still got a note from the teachers when we didn’t have them the first day of school!
They must realize the hardship this creates for some families. It’s insane!
Jennifer
Sep 13, 2007 at 12:48 am
That’s not cool. It seems like schools have gotten way worse with the $ requests as time goes on. In my day (not to sound 80) but in my day this stuff was not so prevalent. We had a book sale now and then but even a lot of sports were pretty cheap. I think homeschooling may be a bit cheaper so I’m lucky but I pay for classes too (soccer, gymnastics, sign language, etc).
DramaMama
Sep 13, 2007 at 7:04 am
As a former teacher, I agree with you that the requests for supplies were outrageous. However, also as a former teacher, I want to remind everyone that this issue goes deeper. Why are the schools asking for YOU to provide the supplies? Why don’t they order them from their suppliers, in bulk, where they can probably get them dirt cheap? From my experience I can say that schools are always trying to ‘cut costs’ where they can. Sometimes it’s worth it, sometimes it’s not. Everyone has different opinions on that. I tend to get mad when the football or basketball team has new uniforms and then we as teachers couldn’t even get a pen. I’m not knocking sports, they have benefits too, but at times I could feel justified in my anger. Anyways, not trying to make excuses for the schools, just trying to point out that it might go further than just the teacher. Thanks for listening!
Jill
Sep 13, 2007 at 7:37 am
There ARE ways to make it easier on the belt -
-For the fundraising catalogs that come in, send in two or three dollars with a note that you wish the money to go directly into the fundraising account rather than buy items - the school makes money and you don’t end up with junk.
-For photos, only buy 1-2 sheets. The packages are a ripoff.
-Only buy shirts that are applicable to your child - I think a no to drugs shirt for a 5 year old is a bit idiotic - unless this really is a problem in your neighborhood. :)
-We bought most of our back to school supplies last year on the clearance from back to school - our district publishes the list and they never change. Just don’t tell the kid where they are stored, or they might raid you of all your glue sticks!
-The book order is where I’m more lenient. The books in the orders are much cheaper than the stores and the classroom gets books from my order too.
Just wait till the kiddo is old enough for boy/girl scouts and band. That is a WHOLE other level of expense in addition to sports!
Heather
Sep 13, 2007 at 8:13 am
I agree - say no now to the ones you can and as time goes on it gets *a lot* easier to toss the requests in the trash.
We had a pretty similar school list to CreativeMom though all of the supplies go straight to the classroom (the lists specifically state not to label anything with your child’s name). We’re only in our third week of school and two of our three teachers have already sent requests home for more supplies. I told my daughters we sent in our share and them some, we’re done. Let the parents who relied on us to supply it pitch in. That’s one of the very few school issues that really burns me up. (CM - we also had to break it up over a period of time over the summer just to afford it all - it’s ridiculous!)
Marye
Sep 13, 2007 at 8:55 am
yikes. Schools here are bad. They do not have books int he highschool class room but have to print everything off the internet..BUT they have managed to build a HUGE football stadium and professional style training area for the athletes complete with indoor pool and track, weight room etc.
I do homeschool, but when we have to get lessons that I can’t teach I try to barter with someone.
Susanna a.k.a. Cheap Like Me
Sep 13, 2007 at 10:57 am
Ugh. In many of our schools here (in Colorado) and I know in California too, parent donations also pay for classroom assistants, librarians, P.E. teachers and books. So much for “public” school.
I keep saying that I can’t believe one of the office supply chains doesn’t step up and say they’ll pay for a huge number of the school supplies for a district — in exchange for parent and teacher/administrator loyalty. If they can sell 12 pencils for 1 cent, they could give them away!
Lauren
Sep 13, 2007 at 12:50 pm
It’s only just begun!Private or public, kindergarten or high school- I’ve been there! Chuckle when you can and disregard the notes, and pay- when you have to.
Kathleen Grace
Sep 13, 2007 at 2:00 pm
As a matter of fact it will indeed seem like you are hit up for money every day. I remember when my girls started school and the expectation that they were going to sell useless, overpriced junk to all the friends, relatives and neighbors for whatever cause was on the list this month. I just said no from the beginning. It’s crazy to have to deal with that when you pay taxes already for an education. Schools need to cut back on some of the extras or find better ways to make ends meet. I wish they would just allow people to give five bucks to the cause of the moment and dispense with selling the overpriced junk.
Susan
Sep 14, 2007 at 4:36 am
Schools have definately become more costly, whether they are public or private — I don’t think it is the fault of the school or community program, but rather that so many more things are not paid for by any level of government and the schools and teachers, or municipal recreational programs have to ask the individual for money.
Of course when it comes to buying the extra’s there are choices, equipment for sports can often be aquired through “swaps’ organized by the recreation department, school photos, are not a requirement — if you have your own camera take your own pictures — the school or a business comes and does take all the kids pictures, you just don’t have to buy them… The hardest part is telling your child that NO they don’t get this or you’re not signing them up for that, but after a while they understand that money doesn’t grow on trees and I think that is a VERY GOOD THING for a child to understand.
Dave
Sep 14, 2007 at 6:49 am
Quit your bitching! You decided to have kids, so deal with the consequences.
Jenn @ Frugal Upstate
Sep 14, 2007 at 7:39 pm
Our system isn’t so bad on the school supplies, but the school photos, book orders etc have already started. And I know that the “fundraiser” thing will come home soon.
Last year I just sent a note in with the fundraiser saying I personally wouldn’t participate in selling anything, but that I would give a donation of $10-but that if the “prizes” that the kids get for sales (!) were given out in class to please let me know so I could send something in to be “presented” to Princess . The principal actually called me to say that she respected that and to reassure me that the “prizes” were not given out in class but sent home in the sealed boxes with the orders.
But we’ve also started dance this year, and I’ve already told Princess we won’t be buying any pictures from dance. They cost almost $40 for the cheapest package. I’ll take her to Wally World and get her pictures taken for $10 in her recital costume (don’t even ask how much that costs)
Frugal Momma
Sep 17, 2007 at 5:11 am
We have already gotten the wrapping paper sales stuff for school-yikes.
OMG the presure they put on these kids. I will give a small cash donation in each envelope rather than buying stuff I really don’t need. My son keeps coming home each day is that he really needs to go and sell around the neighborhood so his teacher can win $200 for classroom supplies. I think I may go up to school and have them stop putting a guilt factor in the kids.
Sarah Lewis
Sep 17, 2007 at 2:40 pm
I love the creative solutions some of you have mentioned. I just read in “The Difference a Day Makes“:
While that doesn’t address the money issue entirely, at least no one ends up with piles of useless junk.
dawn f
Sep 19, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Hi we moved to Il from Calif and were surprised to find that there was a book fee on top of all the school supplies for each child. We say no to most of the school spirit shirts unless it is required for identification on field trips. We say no to the Market day stuff, gift wrap & magazine drives. I will buy giftcards aka scrip so the school will get a bit of money that way but it’s the medals/trophies for soccer for participation two a year it racks up after a while,plus soccer/dance pictures just say no & for the book orders I usually borrow those out of the library. It’s way too expensive and if they don’t learn early that you don’t pay for all of them it becomes a nightmare when they get older. In highschool the basic fee (before athletics) is 200.00 Middle school book fee 70. 20 for gym clothes 5 for lock for gym locker & pto fees which if you don’t pay you don’t get the student directory with names and addresses. At least I don’t have to pay the 150/ kid for CCD this year on top of it. Between the fees and the $15.00 yearbook for kindergarten please! I don’t think so! Good luck it only gets more expensive depending on where you live!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: