How Much Do You Spend on Education?

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2003
How Much Do You Spend on Education?
7
Tue, 12-14-2004 - 8:52am

There's a Gov't figure that says middle class & upper middle class households spend only $260/yr. on education expenses (total) on children ages 4-14.


(clothes & transportation are separate).


But don't school supplies & classroom activity expenses = more than $260!!?


Plus, sports gear, fees, etc.??


how many people really send their kids to public school & on the bus & don't have to pay more than $260/yr. on all school related expenses/tuition/etc.?


i know we'll spend a lot more -- closer to $5K.

 Katrina
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 12-15-2004 - 7:54am

Kelsey and Corey are in 3rd and 4th grade. I paid $98 or TUition plus a $10 art fee for each of them. Thats $216--not including their supplies--I spent around $25 total for thier supplies--Plus $6 on their assignment notebook. None of this includes money thru the year that they ask for--weekly reader papers, pizza parties..field trips.... Oh and don't forget Lunches: They charge $1.50per day and then x that by 2.

I guess its not that bad.

angela

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2004
Wed, 12-15-2004 - 11:43am
I don't know about the amount.I think it really depends on the school and the rules of the state.
Some schools ask you supply the kid with all items and some schools have it there for them when school starts.





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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Wed, 12-15-2004 - 4:01pm

Hey Katrina! Not sure where those government numbers came from but I am sure they are based on the public schools. I agree with Mel that it depends on a lot of factors....

In our personal case, the cost depends on us and our choice of education....Not everyone has a choice.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2003
Wed, 12-15-2004 - 6:53pm

sorry to seem surprised - i just didn't know public school was that inexpensive.


it's great to learn that many public school districts provide the supplies! :)


i think in our district you have to buy a special bookbag & pay fees for art class & music class or something.


i always figured i could not have a child if i couldn't send him/her to some sort of private schooling b/c my aunts worked in the public schools & i knew they were just too inadequate/dangerous/etc. here.


it's a sacrifice to me b/c

 Katrina
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-05-2004
Wed, 12-15-2004 - 7:14pm

We are pretty lucky because we live in a very good area for public education and it seems pretty competative too.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-24-2003
Thu, 12-16-2004 - 10:36am

hi, yes, in the metropolitan area- looong wait lists (more than a couple yrs).


& v. expensive.


our neighbors pay $17,000.00 for kindergarten for their only child! shocking to me.


but i went to private school & want to offer equal opportunities to my child as i had myself.


i think costs have not kept up w/ income like the news always says.


middle class families used to have more take-home $ after basic expenses than we do today.


but on the bright side, we have a broader society & more active economy (i think).


:-)

 Katrina
Avatar for anprdp
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Thu, 12-16-2004 - 4:23pm

Well I advocate a parent's choice, but it seems to me you need to move. $17,000 for a year of kindergarden is ridiculous. There is no crayon art work or special alphabet they can teach my child for that. We live in a fairly large city in Alabama (not New York by any means) but it still has every convience I could think of. The major amount of income flowing around our town stems from NASA and a government base that is located here. The job pool is okay and the public schools (if you are in the right side of town) are fairly competitive and even when I was in the highschool my children will attend, it was featured in Red Book magazine as rated as one of the top highschools in the nation.

The problem I am facing atm is with new legislation recently passed by Congress and the President, I have lost my partial Pell Grant that was helping me pay for my education. Right now it won't impact as largely due to the fact I am in a community college and the next fall's tutiton will cost me about 1250 plus book costs. When I transfer though, I will start paying around 3500 for a semester plus books, fees, and other staples needed for my major. So the cost of education never ends, but is kindergarden really worth 17k ??
There are several private schools around here (mostly religion oriented with one exception a school named Randolph and that school is for the elite of elite families). I am not specifying you move here, but I would want more choices than you are being given. If that means you need to move then I advise it. I am sure I won't stay here the rest of my life as my major (nursing) is in high demand through out the country and I will look for the best possible place for me to be, which is likely to be Arizona atm. But when kindergarden costs more than a year of college, there is a major problem. Just my 2 cents.

Angelia
Mother of 2 boys
L&D nursing student