Donna Metler wrote:

There is one specific school which, over the last few years, has been highly
recommended by quite a few people who have met DD as the perfect school for
her. It's a very well known, very academic private girls school with strong
fine arts and foreign language programs, wonderful facilities and staff,
and, well, basically _I'D_ love to go back and take some of the classes
they've offered. It truly sounds like a wonderful situation for a very
gifted little girl who loves science, music, and foreign languages.

But it's expensive. Very expensive. Even the application and testing fees to
apply are close to $1000. And while they have financial aid, I doubt
seriously that we're poor or photogenic enough to qualify.

Honestly, I think it's a very personal decision.
What kind of work schedule would you have? Would it be
compatible with her school schedule, or would you need
before or after care? In all likelihood, it would definitely
eat into your availability (time and energy) to enroll her in
after school enrichment activities. Now, if the dream school
provides enough real support during the day, the extracurriculars
might be less necessary.
Another factor to consider is how difficult it would
be to get her into the dream school later. If you don't enter
in kindy, is it harder to get in? Would she be at a big
disadvantage (academically, socially, etc.)? Do you have to
make this decision now, or is it a decision that could wait
until you have evidence that less expensive options aren't
going to do the job?
A caveat: check out the school carefully yourself.
Many things that look great, or even *are* great for other
kids, don't suit the needs of your kid. The devil's in the
details, so check them out carefully before you make any
big lifestyle-altering changes.
I don't think that it's inherently good or bad to
choose working full-time in order to provide a better
education. Even if you can definitely determine that
the more expensive school is really worth the investment,
the option of being more available yourself to engage in
enrichment activities is usually a viable one (though it
too involves some expenditures, depending on what
enrichments you choose). I think you have to really ask
yourself what suits your personality, your daughter's
personality, and your family's lifestyle.

Best wishes,
Ericka