4 ms·

Hello, American parent here. In non-COVID times, there are endless summer programs of all variety to provide childcare for kids during summer months. This is no

Hello, American parent here. In non-COVID times, there are endless summer programs of all variety to provide childcare for kids during summer months. This is not the case during Thanksgiving / Winter Holiday and depending on where you are, Spring Break. As an American parent, COVID has been rough. I love spending my time with my kids, but there’s also an endless debate of “am I going to take time off work today to properly raise my children, plop them in front a screen when that’s the last thing their young brains need, or try and parent and work simultaneously while simultaneously failing at both?” If you want to work full time, and your partner wants to work full time too, there’s lots of childcare solutions to supplement school during non-COVID times. Without those options, it’s just a continuous unstable compromise with work, partner, sending your kid to school vs online learning, etc. —- I can’t explain the pay thing with teachers vs doctors. I don’t understand how my wife, a healthcare provider, was able to deliver a baby at a private, well-equipped clinic in Kenya for a total cost of $300 USD while having to pay >$6000 USD out-of-pocket after insurance for an uncomplicated birth of her own a few years later in a US hospital. Just the way capital, normal supply and demand, mixed with lobbying has distorted things over time I guess. I also don’t really understand why people send their kids to private school instead of just putting that same monetary support directly into the public school system. Anyway, these are totally separate issues from the cultural reliance on schools as childcare providers.

BadCookie 5y ago
I send my kid to private school to get an average class size of about 8 kids. If instead I sent him to public school and donated my tuition checks to the school, my son would have a class size of >20, and I have no idea where my money would be spent. On some level, I’m a little ashamed of sending my kid to a better school than most kids get, but I’m giving you an honest answer.
- bradlys 5y ago
  The other aspect is that private schools are self-selecting first and selective second. Your kid either needs to be well behaved or fiendishly rich (enough to offset their problems with benefits for everyone). This isn’t the case in public - as it takes everyone as they are. The reasons I’ve considered private school for my future children after talking to friends/parents who have put theirs in private has less to do with the quality of education but more to do with the peers they’ll have. They’ll likely be around decently behaved peers and I’ll be able to shape the discussion of how the school is run - whereas that’s not the case at public schools at all. Having come from such poor schools where we couldn’t even afford five days a week education and only went 3-4 days/week, I know my kids will get an exceptional education compared to what I got - but I want them to have a good social life too and maybe that’ll work at a public school but maybe it’ll work at a private instead.
  - pnutjam 5y ago
    You'd be surprised how much parents can shape things, especially if they have time and money (mostly money).
- IggleSniggle 5y ago
  Much appreciate you taking the time to provide an honest answer. I went through that thought process too. You make the best choice you can for your child. I believe the research that says that, having a more diverse environment (for all senses of the word “diverse”) results in better learning outcomes. I’m sure that diverse classrooms are common in some private schools and not others, and that you also get access to a different kind of diversity. I also believe the research that says that, after you account for socioeconomic background, public schools are high performing for kids from families with means. Private schools can select their student body in a way that lets them market a unified accomplishment of their students. Public schools must accept all students regardless of their circumstances, which makes their results appear worse in aggregate. I also believe in supporting our public institutions. I’m not trying to create an argument with your sincere response, just providing my own rational for not sending my kids to private school even though we can afford to. I do this to address my feeling of doubt in the same way that you did this to address your feeling of guilt.
  - BadCookie 5y ago
    We were advised by a couple of professionals that our son would do better in a smaller class environment (ADHD, etc.). If I had a totally typical kid, I might’ve made the same choice as you—for whatever that is worth.
texasbigdata 5y ago
GDP per capita in Kenya is 30-50x lower than USA. The provider and the facility are probably a large part of the total cost. Wages and land price are loosely correlated. Doesn’t seem outlandish (without knowing your insurance covered) a 20x difference would occur.
herbst 5y ago
Don't get me wrong, but where I am from parents simply don't work full-time when they have children they have to care about. Why even have kids if you don't plan on having time for them?
- IggleSniggle 5y ago
  I think that what you’re describing is a healthy way to do things. Impossible to answer your “why” question in anything close to a concise or complete way. Why would anyone have kids? I adore my children and don’t want a life without them, but I also can’t provide any good rational reason to have children.

BadCookie 5y ago

I send my kid to private school to get an average class size of about 8 kids. If instead I sent him to public school and donated my tuition checks to the school, my son would have a class size of >20, and I have no idea where my money would be spent. On some level, I’m a little ashamed of sending my kid to a better school than most kids get, but I’m giving you an honest answer.

bradlys 5y ago
The other aspect is that private schools are self-selecting first and selective second. Your kid either needs to be well behaved or fiendishly rich (enough to offset their problems with benefits for everyone). This isn’t the case in public - as it takes everyone as they are. The reasons I’ve considered private school for my future children after talking to friends/parents who have put theirs in private has less to do with the quality of education but more to do with the peers they’ll have. They’ll likely be around decently behaved peers and I’ll be able to shape the discussion of how the school is run - whereas that’s not the case at public schools at all. Having come from such poor schools where we couldn’t even afford five days a week education and only went 3-4 days/week, I know my kids will get an exceptional education compared to what I got - but I want them to have a good social life too and maybe that’ll work at a public school but maybe it’ll work at a private instead.
- pnutjam 5y ago
  You'd be surprised how much parents can shape things, especially if they have time and money (mostly money).
IggleSniggle 5y ago
Much appreciate you taking the time to provide an honest answer. I went through that thought process too. You make the best choice you can for your child. I believe the research that says that, having a more diverse environment (for all senses of the word “diverse”) results in better learning outcomes. I’m sure that diverse classrooms are common in some private schools and not others, and that you also get access to a different kind of diversity. I also believe the research that says that, after you account for socioeconomic background, public schools are high performing for kids from families with means. Private schools can select their student body in a way that lets them market a unified accomplishment of their students. Public schools must accept all students regardless of their circumstances, which makes their results appear worse in aggregate. I also believe in supporting our public institutions. I’m not trying to create an argument with your sincere response, just providing my own rational for not sending my kids to private school even though we can afford to. I do this to address my feeling of doubt in the same way that you did this to address your feeling of guilt.
- BadCookie 5y ago
  We were advised by a couple of professionals that our son would do better in a smaller class environment (ADHD, etc.). If I had a totally typical kid, I might’ve made the same choice as you—for whatever that is worth.

texasbigdata 5y ago

GDP per capita in Kenya is 30-50x lower than USA. The provider and the facility are probably a large part of the total cost. Wages and land price are loosely correlated. Doesn’t seem outlandish (without knowing your insurance covered) a 20x difference would occur.

herbst 5y ago

Don't get me wrong, but where I am from parents simply don't work full-time when they have children they have to care about. Why even have kids if you don't plan on having time for them?

IggleSniggle 5y ago
I think that what you’re describing is a healthy way to do things. Impossible to answer your “why” question in anything close to a concise or complete way. Why would anyone have kids? I adore my children and don’t want a life without them, but I also can’t provide any good rational reason to have children.