ok, i am 26 years old... been married for nearly 6 years & have a 20 month old son. 6 years ago i was accepted into a lpn program, but suddenly had to move to ohio (yuk!) so i could not attend the program. since then i have worked full time as a customer service manager at 2 different stores and have researched nursing school here in ohio, but had no support from the family here (my husband's family, mine are in another state).
we had our son in may, 2007 & i have to say he is the absolute best thing that has ever happened to me! i love my husband, and my son... more than anything! since then, we decided i would be a stay at home mom & care for our son full time. i have never objected... i love my life.
i did attempt to apply about a year ago for another lpn program, but because of lots of different factors (especially the lack of support from the in-laws) i quit thinking of it.
now - we live in a different area and are finally our own family! because of some recent financial issues (my husband was laid off in sep, worked in houston after hurricane ike, and is back as of thanksgiving) i decided now is the best time to finally go and get my lpn! lots of reasons... i have been trying to do this for more than 6 years... and should my husband be laid off again i can pick up shifts and make the same income level we need that he makes. (he is a lineman)
so, i applied and was accepted to brown mackie college to the pn program. i took the asset test & passed with flying colors (i was nervous about it!). and applied for financial aid. i was elegible for a small pell grant and a small amount of stafford loans. however it is not enough to cover it all (obviously)! we absolutely can not afford any more monthly payments right now. we have downsized as much as we can.
i am married, white and 26... there is nothing out there for me! it is so sad that if i were a single mom - i'd get my school all paid for, but because my husband and i value our marriage and refuse to leech off the government, there is nothing out there for me that i can find.
sorry, i don't mean to rant... i am just very frustrated! i am supposed to start on feb 2nd, but can't unless i can find additional funding!
ok... my question to you... does anyone know of one of three things... 1- a scholarship for nursing students - lpn program - and it doesn't matter if i'm married! 2- a grant 3- a guranteed approval student or personal loan... (we are obviously over extended right now and do not qualify for the sallie mae or chase private loan, with a mortgage, car pmt, cc pmts etc...)
i would more than appreciate any and all feedback. i am so very frustrated about all of this! i want to be a nurse so very much. it will allow me to truly help people, allow me to work part time and still be a full time mom & i'll make more than with a stupid retail job! i was in tears this evening i'm so aggrivated with all of this!
You obviously want to be a nurse very much and you will. My question is why not go for RN? You would make a lot more money and it might be more worth the debt getting through school gets you into. I can relate. I am pretty much living on school loans and credit cards. But I know it will be worth it and I will be able to pay it back. However, I am not sure I could do this with a 20 month old at home. Actually, I know I couldn't. I am about to begin my last semester of an RN program and have two kids at home ages 9 and 10. They have sacrificed a lot of mom for me to do this but I feel it has also been good for them. Luckily for me they are good boys and can be pretty independent when I need them to be. You just can't tell a 20 month old, "Honey I need to study right now, please be quiet and give me some space."
Whatever you choose to do, whenever the time is right for you, I wish you the best. You are very young. You have lots of time to do this, trust me. I am 39 and would have loved to do this when I was younger but we can only do so much at once.
I can not get a job at a hospital to pay for my schooling - as I am not interested at this time in having a full time job. I need to be home with my son. (I lost both of my parents when I was 13, neither were ever home with me and I do not remember much about them). Being a SAHM is the most important thing to me, although I want to get my LPN so I can #1 - serve my community #2 - can pick up shifts should we get into the same situation we are in right now (although not likely as my hubby is getting on with the power company which is a career move) #3 - to have something just for me, outside the home!
Second - I don't qualify for any personal loans. I have tried - believe me! When I started college right after high school I had more money than brains and had to file bankruptcy. I learned my lesson, the hard way - and am STILL paying for it!
We have cut absolutely everything in our budget we can. We are down to bare necessities (internet is included in our phone plan and we have to have our phones because of hubby's career).
The idea of doing a LPN program is that it is 15 months. The first few months are only part time and would only be gone from home basically during my son's nap. After that, when classes get more intense and clinicals start, hubby will have a job again and we can afford private in-home childcare. I grew up in daycare - won't do that to my son. Getting a job now would defeat the purpose of doing a 15 month program.
And finally... I have spent many hours in the school, with my advisor and financial aid. We don't qualify for any more based on our income for 2007 (which was ALOT more than 2008, it included my full time income for half the year and hubby's full time income all year). We did submit a 'Professional Judgment' to the school and I was approved for an additional small amount to my Pell Grant.
That still leaves me about $3500 short... just to START classes...
Any other suggestions? Does anyone out there know of any Grants or Scholarships I can apply for? OR - a Personal or Student Loan I can apply for that is more forgiving than the traditional loans?
Like one of the previous posters mentioned, It will be more beneficial for you to switch to a PUBLIC school. at a public school, you would qualify for the government aid that most of us qualified for, regardless of you being married. You have some pretty good advice in this forum, I would look into it if I were you.
ok - a couple of things...."no prereq's" and the "math/anatomys" integrated into the "applied" nursing curriculum"....know what that means?? it means if you go on to the rn, the bridge programs you spoke about you won't be qualified for because you won't have the qualified college standard english, math, and sciences (anat/phys or not) "applied" means experience based, not academically based. nothing wrong with that - i have quite a few "applied" courses myself, but you also have to have the us college accepted standard for eng, math, sci, etc. for it to count at any other educational institution....
in the programs i am researching in my area they do transfer to the local university for the rn program. everything does transfer & they focus on teaching towards the bridge from lpn to rn in the lpn program. these are the us college standards for all of the basic courses. those were some of my very first questions for them.
and $24,000?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? for 15 mos?!?!?!?!?!? this is exactly what i was talking about.....do the math!!
i agree... but the college i was looking into that costs the 24k for 15 months is an accredited college - not a trade school. believe me, i have done the math - that's why i was freaking out so much! and for the community college route - as i have said before... there are none in my area... i've looked!
yes books and nursing "trinkets" (i.e. stethoscope, shoes, uniforms, etc) are of additional cost, but it ain't no $38,000!!!!!!!!!! and there are lots and lots of ways around the "advertised" price for all that as you said about books on ebay.....
about wia - i can't remember all the circumstances you stated you were in - but i went through wia too - they are in bed with the tech schools - they push for certificate programs that cost triple what a 2 yr college and some 4 yr colleges do - you end up with just that - a certificate and nothing else....the other glaring thing is w.i.a. stands for workforce investment act. it is for displaced (i.e. laid off, plant shutdown, etc) workers - maybe you said it, were you laid off/lose your job somehow? the wia program in my area was/is so bad that i was put off enough to go through all the channels and ended up speaking with the director of the program in columbus - they treated me horribly, refused to consider to pay a 1/3 of what they were pushing on me at the community college, etc. etc. etc.......it was so bad the director offered to send me to the local university (4 yr) at their cost.....unfortunately i gave up by then, started working 2 jobs and was already half way thru the surg tech program.....my point is, don't expect more from wia - if you qualify, you will be pushed into a certificate program - and if what you say is true (you want to give back and be an rn eventually) - i think i and everyone else has illustrated that a hard, fast, unecessarily expensive program isn't the way to go......
ok, the wia program is not in bed with the trade schools. yes, they help with those, but also with the universities and cc's in ohio. the woman i spoke with is in no way-shape-or form pushing certificate programs... she offers what i want and answers questions i have. i know that the wia stands for work force investment act, it is also for stay at home mom's who want to get back into the workforce. praise god for programs like this to help those who have been laid off, or people who want to get back in there. the person i have been working with in stark county is amazingly wonderful! she is certainly out for the student's best interest... not for the institute. i do want to be an rn eventually - but not now. and honestly... i am getting really tired of people telling me that my choice to do my lpn first is a dumb one and i would be better off doing my rn now. there are reasons i am doing things this way. i have looked at all of the possibilities and this is what i have chosen and no one is going to change my mind. and, if i qualify for the wia scholarship and get the lpn program paid for... it is not much cost to me at all!
maybe you can take a step back, slow down, and do the math......if you don't and end up in the eveyln wood speed lpn program, i think you'll be in big debt, find yourself in a program that will demand that you spend 10-12 hrs a day in class/clinicals/lab "or else" they'll take away the program and make you pay for it anyway....most of those schools depend upon that and it is a huge part of their profit - drop outs - and typically it doesn't matter why you drop out - they are going to take your money, kick you out of the program and worse, you signed a contract saying you agreed....you may find yourself in a program that they make impossible to keep up with even if you were living at home with mommy and daddy with nothing else to do........
btw - dropping out is not an option, so i won't have to pay anything back. and - i am a married woman with a child and going back with parents (even though mine are both deceied).
i say find that local community college that offers real degrees, has child care options (mine does) and their livlihood doesn't depend upon fast certificate programs.....i think you'll find you'll get a better education, end up with triple the options when you're done and not have to feel like you have to keep up with an unreasonable schedule "or else." you're going to save a ton of money and be a better nurse in the long run....
again, i've done the research and can find no community colleges in my area. i have chosen to do a certificate program. after that i can do some adn work online. as far as the education, i have done the research and looked at the state board of nursing and nclex pass rates for each school - and i am making my decision based on that. as far as being a better nurse in the long run - i'm sorry... that sounds kindof insulting to me! i can be a great nurse as a certificate holding lpn!
how would you feel if you took the trade/tech school route, were pushed beyond any reasonable bounds (12-16 hrs a day required "or else"), paying $400 per hour and found out that your "professor's" ink wasn't dry yet on their associates degree dipolma and they had a year maybe two professional experience??
btw - the course schedule is no where near 12-16 hours! the course work is 8 hours a day... no more! again - the school that was way expensive - is a college!!!!! not a trade school!!!!! and, all of the teachers hold high degrees (in the programs i am looking into) and the nursing courses are taught by rn's or bsrn's who have been nurses both as teachers and on the floor for many years!
granted, i feel good about my skills and education and feel competent in the o.r. however - that doesn't make me qualified to teach - that should be a crime!!!! believe me - maybe that's the other questions you should start asking at the lpn school - if they're ligit, they shouldn't be offended at all when you ask to see the creditials of the teaching staff.....it's a totally reasonable question to ask!!
they didn't seem offended at all when i did ask for the teacher's credentials!
give it some thought - check out the local colleges and universities before you sign some contract with a tech/trade school - and do the math!!
i have thought, i have done research and i have done the math!!!
good luck......sorry i'm on such a rant - i just had to get my niece out of a situation like this.....it's such a scam i can't even tell you......notice how many nursing schools have popped up in the last 4 yrs or so??? my area alone went from 2 nursing programs at colleges/universities to 12 nursing/allied health "colleges" trade/tech schools....all in the last 3 yrs.....2 were just shut down because it was discovered that they weren't certified by anyone....so 400-500 innocent kids that are in deep debt are now being told their "certificates"/"licenses" aren't valid......
again, i have done the research and the programs have been around for a while (more than a couple years) and are accredited by the ohio state board of nursing!
good luck!
thanks for the concern... but please try & be more kind. this is a career choice i have been looking into for nearly 7 years. i have done research and spent alot of time looking into the programs and talking to people who teach the programs, who administer the programs, who have graduated from the programs and who have hired nurses from the programs. please respect my decision to become a good lpn at this stage in my life. it is the choice my husband and i have made, and it will not be changed. god bless!
you obviously want to be a nurse very much and you will. my question is why not go for rn? you would make a lot more money and it might be more worth the debt getting through school gets you into. i can relate. i am pretty much living on school loans and credit cards. but i know it will be worth it and i will be able to pay it back. however, i am not sure i could do this with a 20 month old at home. actually, i know i couldn't. i am about to begin my last semester of an rn program and have two kids at home ages 9 and 10. they have sacrificed a lot of mom for me to do this but i feel it has also been good for them. luckily for me they are good boys and can be pretty independent when i need them to be. you just can't tell a 20 month old, "honey i need to study right now, please be quiet and give me some space."
whatever you choose to do, whenever the time is right for you, i wish you the best. you are very young. you have lots of time to do this, trust me. i am 39 and would have loved to do this when i was younger but we can only do so much at once.
good luck!
i appreciate your comment and will gladly explain my decision.
the lpn program is 11 months. i am a stay at home mom to my 20 month old son. it is my very deepest desire to be home with him... but also want to serve our god and my community to be a nurse. we would also like to have another baby fairly soon. however, don't want to have to take time off of school when it is time to have the baby.
the program i am looking at now starts in august. that puts me graduating in june/july. if we plan to have our baby born say, october or so... that would be perfect!
i also plan on working a couple days a week, and volunteering. i would like to go on for my rn - but alot of the bridge work i can do online, which will allow me to stay home most of the time.
also, with my husband's career (he is a lineman) there is always a chance of us re-locating. i can commit to a 1yr program and hopefully he will be on with the power company very soon, from that time we will be here at least 5 years for him to get his degree in power transmission & distribution and we can move anywhere! (can you tell i'm excited!)
so, i know rn's make more money, but my decision is not soely based on the income potential... it is also based on my current family situation and the way we want to plan our family dynamic.
like one of the previous posters mentioned, it will be more beneficial for you to switch to a public school. at a public school, you would qualify for the government aid that most of us qualified for, regardless of you being married. you have some pretty good advice in this forum, i would look into it if i were you.
thank you for that. i am currently looking at 3 public programs, 2 of which i am leaning towards & 1 has over 90% nclex pass rates. with that... i am hopefully going to be qualify for some federal aid - according to one person i have spoke with, possibly the entire program paid in full! how exciting!!!
thank you for that. i am currently looking at 3 public programs, 2 of which i am leaning towards & 1 has over 90% nclex pass rates. with that... i am hopefully going to be qualify for some federal aid - according to one person i have spoke with, possibly the entire program paid in full! how exciting!!!
thats good to hear. i wish you the best of luck on your journey. keep us posted on your progress and your decision.
Wow, I was a bit offended about the "leeching off the government" comment, am I the only one? I am a single mother (have been for 12 years now) and have always worked full-time. At times I even had 2 and 3 jobs. I never applied for food stamps, welfare, WIC, ADC or any other "government leeching" programs. I am now going part-time this semester and have not worked part-time since I was in high school. Rather than "leech" off the government, I chose to get a roommate to help with bills and help run my daughter around while I'm in school and still working. The one time I did ask the state for some help (during a financial crisis) I was turned down and told I made too much money.
I do get Pell Grants, I admit it. But I don't consider it "leeching off the government" at all. I consider it getting some help to make my life better for myself and my child. Trust me, I'd love to still be married but I am not. I was just a bit offended by that statement. Not all single moms leech off the government. Not all single moms have other people pays their bills or daycare providers or for the groceries in their cupboards and I feel that was an unfair statement for those of us single moms out there who have never used welfare a day in their lives.
Good luck to you and I hope you do find something to help out. Just like you, I have come up against dead ends when I needed some help financially. I truly believe if there's a will, there's a way. Best of luck to you.
ok, if you had read any of my other posts or responses you would realize that my intent is not to offend... but to gather information and opinions. here are some of my previous responses so you can have an idea... hopefully your mind will be changed about me. god bless!
i am terribly sorry if i offended you! i certainly didn't mean to. i just am so incredibly frustrated - i was at our local job & family services office last week, the case worker was insinuating that my husband and i should divorce, so we would qualify for medicaid for my son & myself - and to make sure to get pregnant right away again so we would qualify for more! i was outraged!!!
here we are... have paid our taxes and into the state system, but during this short time, while my wonderful husband is 'between jobs' we don't even qualify for health benefits through the state! and to have the actual case worker suggest we should 'co inhabit' - ridicules! then there are the people out there (certainly not you i am sure!) who take advantage of the government's programs, sit on their butts having babies... doing nothing but leaching from those of us who are paying into this system! (sorry... another rant)
no, no... i totally understand, and admire you single mom's out there who are doing all you can to make sure your and your children's lives are cared for! i don't know how you do it alone!!! praise god your kids have you!
there has to be something out there!!!
i'm so glad! i am here to make friends... not enemies! can you please pm me with the site you used to find your scholarships? you are absolutely right, every little bit helps!
and - just a side note... my husband has been awesome since he's been home from the hurricane work. i was sick alot these past few weeks, i mean in bed sick... he completely took over & was an amazing father & hubby - even after being gone for 3 months! praise god for the man of my dreams!
thank you so much! i completely feel your pain! praise god for your husband! for putting his life on the line to protect & serve our streets! and thank you for allowing him to go and sacrificing your time together.
my husband is a lineman. his office is 30 - 60 feet in the air on poles! he was in houston after hurricane ike doing hurricane restoration work. since he is laid off right now... i figured that our income (unemployment) would help us qualify for some additional aid! but no!!!
i certainly didn't imply that your school is paid for because you are a single mom... i was just incredibly frustrated because of the incredibly stupid woman at the job & family services office that implied that i should be single - and there would be an unbelievable amount of money available to me! she made me feel disgusting - because i valued my marriage!
oh please - you completely misunderstood what i was trying to say!!! i am so very sorry if i offended anyone, that was certainly not my intention!!
i was highly irritated because of the meeting my husband and i had with a state case worker with job & family services. she was basically telling me to get divorced (but still live with my husband) so aid would open up for me. this way, i would qualify for state aid - food stamps, medicare and cash assistance - and - they would only go by my income (which would be zero, being a sahm) and have my school paid for. thus manipulating the system. i was outraged!!! and, those (like your mother, & god bless her!) who have worked their tails off and paid into the system get nothing in return!
what makes me infuriated is those people who do leach off the government... meaning those who are very capable of getting a job & sustaining themselves... that take advantage of it! then the ones of us who have been hard working, honest citizens all of our working careers, when something happens beyond our control - being laid off due to lack of work - there is zero aid available for us! taxes or no taxes... the point is that was then... this is now!
i am certainly not criticizing those people because they don't have a second income coming in or didn't make as much money as my family did last year. my family does not have a second income coming in either - and no one is better than anyone else because of the income brought in!!! again, my point is that what we made last year was then - last year!!! the situation we are in this year is the problem!!!!!
we sucked up our savings, first in having a baby 20 months ago, sinking money into our home and moving... all unavoidable circumstances. we have nothing else to invest! i don't understand why they can't go by current income!!!!!!!
again, i certainly did not mean to criticize anyone or hurt feelings! please forgive me if that is how it was taken!!! just very frustrated with my current situation and how the system sucks!
god bless!!!
thanks for the concern... but please try & be more kind. this is a career choice i have been looking into for nearly 7 years. i have done research and spent alot of time looking into the programs and talking to people who teach the programs, who administer the programs, who have graduated from the programs and who have hired nurses from the programs. please respect my decision to become a good lpn at this stage in my life. it is the choice my husband and i have made, and it will not be changed. god bless!
I've been following your posts for awhile. And (unlike some others) I HAVE read them all and have not found anything you said to be offensive!! I completely understand your frustration. And I also know that when people are venting in frustration they make generalized comments and not intend them to be offensive. I totally back you up on that!
I think you must be a wonderful mother! I love how you've constantly said you're not willing to sacrifice time with your children and you're not wanting to constantly be carting them off to daycare. You're awesome!!! I will be starting my first semester of nursing school on the 20th. I have two little girls (4 and 21 months) and my hubby works two jobs just trying to get us from one month to the next. We are completely paying for me to go to school with student loans (though my program is from a smaller college and not a private university). Since I went back to school a year ago, we have not had to leave our girls with anyone (except for an occasional time with my cousin's wife). We have worked out our schedules so that one of us is almost always with them. It makes it so much easier for me to focus at school when I know they're at home and taken care of. I completely understand your desire to do the same.
I wish I had some great advice for you. I remember your first post saying how you've already been accepted into this program which starts pretty soon. I know a lot of posters have advised you to hold off on going to school. If you're anything like me - you totally don't want to do that! Especially when you've already tried doing this so many times. When you work so hard for something and it's finally in reach - it's not easy to let go of that. So, I'm not going to tell you to drop your program and wait forever before being able to get accepted into another program (since you'll have to transfer all your classes, and possibly take extra ones). I'm just going to wish you the best of luck at being able to afford the one you've been accepted into. I hope that all these great people who suggested other financial options have found something that might work for you!!
Don't ever stop being such a great mom!!! And I'm sure your little ones will forgive you for the time you have to spend away from them. Someday all this stress will totally be worth it (I keep telling myself that and you should to)! Good luck!!!:selfbonk: And don't beat yourself up too much for whatever decision you decide to make! :)
"thanks for the concern... but please try & be more kind. this is a career choice i have been looking into for nearly 7 years. i have done research and spent alot of time looking into the programs and talking to people who teach the programs, who administer the programs, who have graduated from the programs and who have hired nurses from the programs. please respect my decision to become a good lpn at this stage in my life. it is the choice my husband and i have made, and it will not be changed. god bless!"
sincere apologies if you think me or anyone else was being "unkind." it's just reality. no one, certainly not me was or is critcizing your choices, what i and others were commenting on was your "outrage" at the price of the school you were looking at, the inability to get financial assistance and the self-imposed scheduling conflicts you have with your desire to be with your child.
a very wise person once told me that ..."if you have the sincere desire to accomplish something, you have to be willing to remove all the roadblocks you put up and not expect payment from others (financial or otherwise)..."
what that means is if you really want this, you'll find a way to do it on your own and look at any perks you get (i.e. financial aid, child care, etc) as just a bonus.....i've been down that path, and found a way to pay for my choices (not just financial) without help from anyone/anything in the equation. when i did earn a scholarship(s), a free book from someone, or a free meal, etc it was not only a huge bonus, it made me more appreciatative and determined to do well and give back whenever i could.....i hope you remember your experiences as you're going through them - there's a lot of people just like you that you could "pay it forward" to by giving them an expensive book you no longer need, a kind word when they get stuck in a class or just a simple cup of coffee...
life ain't easy and choices are sometimes hard - sometimes you have to sacrafice more than you would like to - which is all good as long as you keep your eye on the ball - it typically is worth it in the end....
no one, least of all me is "disrespecting" your decision(s) - i believe you were seeking advice, and some of it might be what you don't want to hear - but take it in the context and spirit with which it was given - it's just that - advice - if you choose to not follow it that's your choice - by soliciting many different opinions, you'll get a wide spectrum with which to consider - you don't have to follow it nor defend the choice(s) you've already made ...remember that if you ask for advice then become defensive and criticize what you ask for, you'll eventually not receive the guidance you seek....
you have chosen a "tough row to hoe" and are doing what a lot people do - chasing their goals while maintaining their lives - it's not easy and not everyone takes the same path - they do what works for them - you have very obviously chosen your path - you don't have to defend it or explain it - go do it! the paths that others have taken and shared with you aren't wrong or unkind to you personally because it doesn't work for you. people are only sharing the wisdom of making mistakes along the way and trying to "pay it forward" by adverting someone else from having to learn the hard way too.....
by the way, my "day job" i.e. what pays for school and life is working in transmission and distribution for my local electric company - your husband, a lineman, doesn't have an easy road himself - i'm sure he needs your support as much as your child - adding to your already full plate......using your time wisely will be the biggest battle at accomplishing your goals...
and just a word from someone that has had to struggle and make tough choices (like everyone else) too - my "wise friend" also told me that i shouldn't ask the question if i don't want to hear the answer - i (like everyone else) have had to learn that the hard way a few times too....it's good advice and i wish you a smooth road to reaching your goals....
I'll be honest, you are getting ready to make the biggest financial mistake of your life if you are going to pay $24K for a 15 month LPN program.
Accredited or not....there are too many schools in any given area to have to pay that kind of highway robbery.
Even if you got loans, you would NEVER be able to pay that back b/c you won't be making enough money as an LPN and I am sure you haven't priced private in-home daycare lately...oh, to be able to afford such a luxury. I could buy another house for what a private childcare costs.
$24k for a LPN program is a RIP OFF.
Take the pre-reqs part time, go to a public RN school. That is a SMART financial decision. I understand that you "want this right now"...but be smart about it. Don't drain your savings for it...you'll never be able to put that money back...have you assessed what you'll be making as an LPN in your area? Don't go by what you hear or salary.com...CALL the nurse recruiter...you will be shocked at how low the pay can get in some areas.
In some areas, like mine, LPN's can't hardly get a job at a hospital anymore. They are working to get the ones they have to RN status and are not hiring anymore...not all places, but in some, this is a reality.
Your son won't be taking those "long naps" much longer. You aren't really factoring that in. In about 6 more months he is going to express a very strong desire to play with other children and he is going to be more active. The naps will get shorter and shorter and he will become much more difficult to get down. Right now he is at the age where he wears himself out so much....a few more months and he'll be fighting those naps.
When I put my children in daycare, they LOVED it. I found a very high-quality learning academy in my area. My kids were the only ones that cried at pick up rather than drop off. They had so much fun. Keep it to part-time for the social interaction...no one says you have to leave them in 40 hours a week!
Daycare isn't what it is when you were younger...you can't really compare the two. They get the social interaction, along with following rules, and pre-school was an EASY transition for them. They were the kids that said, "Mom, ok, ok, I'm fine, just go!" while the others were crying a river.
i'll be honest, you are getting ready to make the biggest financial mistake of your life if you are going to pay $24k for a 15 month lpn program.
accredited or not....there are too many schools in any given area to have to pay that kind of highway robbery.
and as i stated earlier, i looked for such programs but could not find them... until recently!
even if you got loans, you would never be able to pay that back b/c you won't be making enough money as an lpn and i am sure you haven't priced private in-home daycare lately...oh, to be able to afford such a luxury. i could buy another house for what a private childcare costs.
luxury??? for me, it's the only option. and for your information - i have checked the cost and you just have to know where to look!!! it is going to cost me about 2/3 less for my private - in home person than for some daycare that is going to try & force things down my child's throat. i'm sorry... but to have 'lesson plans' for 6 month olds is ridicules! btw - i really don't appreciate the insult!
$24k for a lpn program is a rip off. - you think i don"t know that???
take the pre-reqs part time, go to a public rn school. that is a smart financial decision. i understand that you "want this right now"...but be smart about it. don't drain your savings for it...you'll never be able to put that money back...have you assessed what you'll be making as an lpn in your area? don't go by what you hear or salary.com...call the nurse recruiter...you will be shocked at how low the pay can get in some areas.
again - for the hundredth time - it is not all about the money and income potential!!! i know that in most cases rn's make more. and for you to insuate that i am not smart because of my decision??? i was previously a loan officer for a mortgage brokwer - i know about credit and debt ratio!!! and yes - i have researched what lpn's make in my area and it is pleanty for me at present!
in some areas, like mine, lpn's can't hardly get a job at a hospital anymore. they are working to get the ones they have to rn status and are not hiring anymore...not all places, but in some, this is a reality.
i know the reality, i've done my research!
your son won't be taking those "long naps" much longer. you aren't really factoring that in. in about 6 more months he is going to express a very strong desire to play with other children and he is going to be more active. the naps will get shorter and shorter and he will become much more difficult to get down. right now he is at the age where he wears himself out so much....a few more months and he'll be fighting those naps.
believe me, i know my son! he doesn't take those 'long naps' all the time - but this is what he has been doing since he was about 7 months old. he does get to play with other children. he isn't so sheltered that he has no exposure at all. he goes to the nursery at church and has different functions every week. and believe me, he is active! as far as being more difficult to get down... na... it's all in how you do it and if you stay consistant!
when i put my children in daycare, they loved it. i found a very high-quality learning academy in my area. my kids were the only ones that cried at pick up rather than drop off. they had so much fun. keep it to part-time for the social interaction...no one says you have to leave them in 40 hours a week!
believe me, i have no issue with parents who need to use the daycare route. however, i do have a problem with the 'learning academies'. i think it is utterly rediculus to force a 2 & 3 year old to read or do math!!! and no, i have no problem with public school as that is probably where my children will go. it's all about forcing the kids & letting them naturaly learn on their own pace. (and no i am not one of these people who believe the schools will corrupt my kids or i am so much better than them.)
daycare isn't what it is when you were younger...you can't really compare the two. they get the social interaction, along with following rules, and pre-school was an easy transition for them. they were the kids that said, "mom, ok, ok, i'm fine, just go!" while the others were crying a river.
i know daycare isn't the same. the ones i have worked in are worse! my point by that was that i spent 40+ hours a week in daycare away from my parents... i won't do that to my children. i understand the social interaction and rules and as far as pre-school... even with me being a sahm he has never had any issues with me leaving him with other people. he gets enough interaction that it has never been an issue, nor do i think it ever will be.
nurse2b2010
190 Posts
Yes, stay away!!!! :smackingf