School, school, school

We just realized this week that we had not mentioned here, except in passing, that Levynn has been attending Lakeview YMCA's Kiddie Kollege - a preschool program - two days a week. She loves it, and Mom and Dad are relieved that we were able to find such an opportunity after pulling her out of Thomas Jefferson Preschool in Louisville.

While we're at it, Levynn and Lincoln also have been taking swimming lessons at the YMCA, which is within walking distance of our house. We hadn't mentioned that intentionally because we were waiting to be able to post swimming photos, which we won't be allowed to take until the last class (for privacy reasons).

Levynn already has been registered for the next session of Kiddie Kollege, and she also will take a ballet class. She actually was given a choice between ballet and several sports, and she picked the former. She should be a seasoned pro now!

The most important item on the agenda, however, is finding a school for Levynn to attend in September. We were late to the game - yes, the game - which became clear when we learned the facts of the preschool system in Chicago. We figured private schools would be out of reach, but then we learned that Chicago Public Schools will charge more than $9,000 for full-day, five-days-a-week preschool during the 2008-09 year. CPS also offers so-called Preschool For All, a free, half-day, five-days-a-week program. But competition for spots is fierce - after all, how many people are willing to pay that kind of money? - and parents were encouraged to apply in December. We discovered that in February.

Fortunately, just this week, Levynn was guaranteed a spot at a school in Lakeview. It's called Louis J. Agassiz Elementary School Fine and Performing Arts Center. It's not our "neighborhood school," so it's not within walking distance, but it's not far from here. We had to accept the spot within 24 hours or lose it, however, and we had yet to see the school. But Dad went on a tour on Friday and was very impressed. The preschool kids were happy and engaged, their classrooms were bursting with activity centers and artwork (it is an arts magnet school, after all), and the school as a whole looked safe. Mom and Levynn still have to see it, of course, but Dad would send his little girl there in a heartbeat.