But kindergarten means a transition no matter what, right? I mean, there is no kindergarten where she currently has day care, is there?

Correct. But if we don't stay at the same school for kindergarten then we're making her do two transitions in a year instead of one.

Anyway, the financial benefit is threefold: It costs less overall; it covers five days a week instead of three; I'd be free to look for other work. All very significant. Plus lunch is covered there (not so at her current place).

And if it's an automatic in to this school for Kindergarten, that would eliminate a year of stressing about the school lottery. (Y'all remember what a bitch that was for placing Emmett. I'd rather forego that.)

It'd be a no-brainer if Matilda wasn't extremely bonded with her teachers and classmates. She's very happy being there in that environment.

And I'm reasonably certain that a transition will be difficult. She won't be happy about going five days a week. She won't be happy about new teachers and kids. She won't be happy with the new routine. I'm pretty sure we're talking about a solid month of crying about going to school if we change.

The outside, longshot negative is that she will simply be unhappy there for the coming year and yearn to go back. She does have that tendency a bit, as she still talks about going back to her original daycare and how much she misses her daycare provider there.

I'll take her with me to talk to them tomorrow and I hope she'll get a chance to mingle with the kids and meet the teacher. That might be a little bellweather.

Ugh, makes my stomach knot thinking about making a choice that I know is going to make her seriously unhappy and stressed out for a while.

I'll talk to Emmett's godmother tonight too and try to get her take. She's wise in these things.

I might try to get EM's input too, though she and Emmett just took off for Boston. Yo, Bostonians, if you see somebody that looks like Emmett this weekend, it could be him.

Oh, Sox, it`s gorgeous. Want!

EM's opinion is that we are idiots if we don't take it.

Hec, if it's any consolation, Emeline sometimes goes back to "I miss the gray house in California! I want to go back there and live!" or "I miss the pink house and I want to go back there to live!" or "I miss the brown house!" but then ten seconds later she's all, "I love this house! It's our best house ever and I don't like any other house in the world! Unless it's a castle."

Which is all to say that it seems that at this age, they "miss" everything that ever come before and they complain and wail about it, but it's fleeting. I think that if for your family it's best overall for her to switch schools, then it needs to be done. She will totally get over it. And, she may surprise you - I was TERRIFIED of Emeline's transition to kindergarten because Mrs. J was her bestest friend int he whole entire world. But after a couple of days with Mrs. P, Mrs. P can do no wrong.

Oh, Sox, it`s gorgeous. Want!

hee. it was fun to make! I might standardize some things (ie: not wing it) and then make a few and see where that gets me...

I do try to remember that I barely remember anything about my preschool years, and barely remember kindergarten.

This. I remember zero about preschool. I remember very very little about kindergarten, or even first grade, and then we moved. I think I remember more of the next few grades only because they were all in the same school, if that makes any sense.

It sounds like she'll be all unhappy, but she needs to suck it up--it's better for everyone else AND maybe her!

I kinda have to agree with EM. Not that y'all are ever idiots, and of course, I'm not the one that has to deal woth cranky girl. But y'all are strapped enough, it makes sense, and life is full of transitions and things that we don't necessarily love, but have to do, and I remember the nightmare you had getting Emmett into an elementary school.

Unless you have a horrid experience with the teacher tomorrow, do it. She's a great kid with great parents, and this is the school she'd going to go to anyway, right? Do it. There will be a transition period, but she will not remember it, and it will loosen the screws for y'all in time and money.

life is full of transitions and things that we don't necessarily love, but have to do

Exactly. It's not as if you're moving from a little house in the big woods to be a squatter on Indian territory or something.

I have exactly one memory of preschool: I was on the stage working, and my preschool geek buddy Darren finished before everybody else and got to go down to the play area first, where he got to play with the Lite Brite.
 
He was also the one programming the Apples in elementary school while we were all killing our Oregon Trail pioneers so we could leave gravestones. That guy grew up to be a succesful software developer.
 
I realize that is not helpful advice. But it does support everyone else`s suggestions that she likely won`t remember the trauma. Which won`t make it any easier while she`s going through it, but it sure looks like a good decision for the long run.

Also life is going to continue to get tougher. More and more stuff you we grew up having ways to get without money will only be available with money. Your college cost more than mine (in real dollars and as a percent of what you could earn). Her college will cost more than your unless the political direction this is nation is traveling changes. So an opportunity to get on a better financial footing is really important for her long term future too.