Affordable Spanish Immersion Preschool?
Berkeley parents,
I am writing this to look for some advice and support. We are family of three (low-middle class) and I started to apply for preschools since Last September but the waiting is killing me. I found a couple co-op Spanish immersion pre schools, but we only got into one and the other one was going to be challenging due to my work schedule. Then, I applied two Berkeley ones with Spanish background and they assured me an spot but they haven't confirmed me yet, even though the start day is in less than 8 weeks. Have you experienced something like that? Some parents suggested to apply to another ones just in case but I would love that my LO have some Spanish background but here in Berkeley find one for our budget is challenging and limited. I also applied for Head Start and the YMCA impact program but we don't qualified, it seems that for family of 3 we need to make 24k per year(I was told that) but WHO lives with that budget in the Bay Area. I also went to Bananas, very helpful NGO, but we don't qualified either. It seems that as a bilingual working class family , we are just in the middle, and this has been very challenging for us and I would love my LO experience a good time in school. Any recommendations or advice would be well received. Thank you for reading this.
Parent Replies
I recommend looking into part-time preschool options. My family could only afford part-time. My kids transitioned well when they started Kindergarten. I see Mi Mundo Preschool in South Berkeley offers 3-5 days. Also look into TK at the Spanish immersion school offered by Berkeley Unified for when you child is 4 years old.
The preschool application process is difficult and frustrating, even for people with resources. As an example, Aquatic Park Preschool (not an inexpensive school) happily takes your "waitlist fee" and then never contacts you again, leaving you to wonder if you will ever get a spot.
I had very good experiences with the Kidslands in Berkeley. They are Spanish immersion, provide lunch and snacks, are very affordable, super flexible with start/end enrollment, and usually have spaces available. They provide preschool education to kids until kindergarten age. There are several Kidslands in Berkeley, but they are all run independently: Channing, Haskell, Dwight.
I have heard any personal testimonials from multiple parents whose kids attend(ed) Kidsland Channing (https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/recommend/preschool/kidsland-cha…) who all told me how good the preschool education is, that their kids were not only prepared for kindergarten, but also advanced as compared to others in their K classes. I met several parents whose kids went on to K from Kidsland Channing, as well as two sets of parents who sent each of their 3 kids to Kidsland Channing, so there are robust testimonials for their preschool prep.
Good luck!
The process can take a long time, and sometimes spots open up after the school year has started. I will say the co-op system has been good for our family--very educational and supportive. Depending on how old your child is and what you're looking for, Skytown Co-op in East Richmond off Arlington could be good. They do have spots in both the toddler program, 18 mos-2.5 yrs and the preschool classroom 2.5-5 yrs. The toddler teacher is bilingual and many of the parents who help out are as well. They also offer 3-5 days a week with 3 days of afterschool care as well. Pretty affordable as well. Best of luck!