Charter Pre-school or Private Pre-school???

I'm not sure of Texas. In Florida you have the vpk program that actually pays for some preschool. Definitely a pre-school over a day care setting. let that little brain get some activity. I took my daughter to a church pre school and it was the best thing I did. She made good friends and learned quite a bit. Be prepared though.. When my daughter started kindergarden she was so far ahead she was completely board for the first few months.

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Hey there I., I am not in mesquite, but there is an incredible service called child care resource & referal. Don't be turned off by the "child care" part it is for infants through school age kiddos. They can help you identify qualified pre-k programs that meet your budget. A child development specialist guides you through the process and will even do all of the leg work for you for only $10. If you are interested, here is the website. I wish I had done this years ago. I have used them for in-a-pinch child care and after school care and have been very happy with results. Hope you try them out and get the same level of results:) EDIT: OH as an FYI I only pay 160 a week for my kids private pre-k in FW.
http://campfirefw.org/CampFire/Families/FindChildCare/Sea...

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You should be able to find a two to three day a week private preschool around you. Most run about two hundred a month. They might be termed Mother's Day Out but all are run as a preschool with lessons and free play etc. Over here in the Keller area I know a preschool day care program runs around one-seventy a week at a day care like Primrose so your two grand seems VERY high.

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I live in Granbury, but my son goes to a local church two days a week from 9-230 and we only pay 125.00 per month for him! He loves it and has learned so much from going there. It is really affordable too. I would look into some kind of program like this, as the kids get the social interaction and learning from it without having to pay out the rear for it!!
HTH

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2K a week?? That sounds like daycare not Pre-school. Pre-school is usually only a few hours a day....

The private preschool my children are in (christian based) is only 3 days a week (just turned 4) and for 1/2 a day and is only a couple hundred dollars a month. The private (Catholic K-8 school) they will be going to for K is $5,400 then you can do fundraisers to get your obligation down to $3,600. Not sure if that helps!!

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my son (actually all three of my boys) went to pre school at church, they were all ready for kindergarden when the time came. they currently go to a charter school now which is a good opportunity for us but they would have been ready for kinder, regardless of where they went to school.

in addition to this you mentioned that you are trying to teach her to read, which shows that you are willing to advocate for your daughter and will help her with any gaps she may or may not have in her educations. If you are worried that your child may not be ready for Kinder if she goes to a basic preschool program see if you can get an appointment with one of the kinder teachers at the school she will be attending, and ask them for some guide lines about what they will need to know entering Kindergarden and you can work form there to be sure she is learning what she needs to be prepared.

personally we went with the less expensive route because that was what we could afford, and we don't regret our choice nor do we feel that we missed out on anything, and yes our children are quite bright, and have all excelled in their own areas at school, one is a reader, one is a math whiz and the last still has to find his place but so far his Kinder teacher said that he entered school already reading where he needs to be when he finishes Kindergarden...

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Schools are suffering as a result of the economy. I know our district has open enrollment. I pay tuition for my child to go to Pre-K because we don't qualify either. It's cheaper than child care. You might look into it.

When she was younger, she went to a church program two days a week that was awesome. With a mid September birthday, she's already completed that so it was either do the 4 year old class again or start public school.

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Google: Mesquite Preschool Church

and see what you find. There are a lot of preschools that are usually 3 days a week for 4 year olds...that are thru the churches. There are often options to do 1/2 days or full days. I have had wonderful experience with these programs and all 3 of my kids. I encourage you to try full day for at leas part of the days b/c it allows your child to eat lunch with the group and it is more like kindergarten will be the folloiwng year. The church schools are not nearly as expensive as you mentioned. And they are not day cares b/c they are not offered full work day or 5 days a week. The full day is 9-2 versus 1/2 day of 9-12. They are great for stimulating little minds and socializing...and the Christian environment is positive as well. Good luck in finding several, touring, and then getting in...sometimes that is hard!

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I recommend checking out the church programs. With both of my sons, I actually just did a Mother's Day Out program at our church for three days a week. I looked at church programs that were actually called pre-school. Most of them were more expensive (not $2000) than the Mother's Day Out programs and were for a shorter amount of time, like 9 -12, instead of 9-2. My kids were very bright and already way ahead on learning numbers, letters, etc. They just needed the socialization, which they got in Mother's Day Out. Most any decent Mother's Day Out program does some kind of teaching with kids over age three. I don't know anything about charter pre-schools.

Just a note, when you say you are trying to teach her to read, what do you mean exactly? Most schools teach phonics and that is very important. My older son started reading on his own at age four, but what he was doing was sight reading. Since he could already read very well when he started K, he didn't really work on the phonics like he should have. This has had a negative effect on his long term reading. Reading before Kindergarten is not really necessary or helpful in the long run. One of the best things you can do is just read to her, then ask her questions about the story. This helps to teach comprehension. Talk to her and help to improve her verbal skills. A good Mother's Day Out program will help her to be independent from you, get along with other kids and have a schedule. Help her to see learning as fun and she will do well!