Saved by the Bell? Not likely..

School is a necessary part of our future and success, we've been told this over and over again, since before we knew what college even was. So why then is such an important rite of passage costing American families and arm and a leg? Per child? With tuition going up, how are the youths of America supposed to survive the college years without graduation buried in debt?

There area few tips I've gathered on how to save money on schooling, from K-12, and beyond in college. Starting from the beginning is preschool/daycare. Preschool is a great way to get your child used to the routine of schooling on a daily basis, learning to respect authority other than their parents, and socializing with other children their own age. The problem with preschool is that it comes at a price. You can save some money by not enrolling your child into a selective preschool with higher "tuition", such as St. Francis or other religious preschools. These tend to cost more, and for a 4 year old who won't remember preschool for the most part, is it really worth it? Stick to the larger chains of daycare, like Minnieland or KinderCare, and you'll likely save hundreds if not thousands over hte years, depending on the number of kids you have.

When it comes to Elementary and Middle School, my opinion is simple: enroll your children in public schools. Public schools are free, first of all. The school system for Prince William County are great, with a lot of money going into them from the government and the the typically middle/upper-middle families in this area. Schools like Ashland Elementary have such strong parent teacher organizations and grants from the government for the multitude of military and government families attending this school, that it really is a wonderful wonderland for kids. The middle schools in this area, notable Benton and Saunders, are made up of the same children from the same districts, and are a continuation of the excellence you'll find in the public elementary schools. Why parents enroll their children in private grade schools is beyond me. They are basically paying college tuition prices for schooling that won't even appear on and transcripts sent to colleges.

Bottom line? Colleges can't see what fancy pre-school or grade school you went to, and they don't care. All they want is diversity, good test scores, extra-curricular activities, and a promising future grad student. So parents, please, stop spending thousands on private schooling and use that money to pay for ridiculous tuition prices instead.