My 3 year old has gone to a private nursery that leads onto a private school next year since he was 18 months old. The missis and I are skint because of it, we also moved closer to the school, again doubling our rent. We haven't had a big holiday in 2 years and don't really spoil ourselves with many nights out etc but we think education is the most important thing we could offer our son. Of course it's pretentious and the other parents drive Bentleys etc but my missis and I both have normal working class upbringings. This I think leads him to be grounded somewhat by us. He at the moment is streets ahead of any 3/4 year old I know and is mistaken for a 5 year old due to his vocabulary and ability to write already! Money well spent in my opinion![/quot
At that age smart kids will catch up in no time kids who have been taught and coached before school, coming from about 5 generations of teachers and academics we studiously avoided any reading for our daughter before kindergarten - some kids who had been taught early started the year 15 reading levels ahead , 8 months later the 2 or 3 really smart kids in the class had caught up.
Before 7 years old, kids (especially boys) need to learn through play, exploring, interaction, trying too much classroom learning early can be detrimental.
In australia a lot more people are privately educated but 9 of the 10 top academic schools in NSW are state schools.
It is also proven through research that s state educated student with identical grades to a private educated student will achieve higher marks at university than their private school compatriot. That said the students getting good grades will likely have come through good state schools.