My Preschool Dilemma

Dear friends,

I need your help. I know you are all faithful Catholics, and many of you homeschool. I need to know whether I should send my 3-year old to preschool or if I can get by at home, supplemented with some "social" activities. Briefly I'll list the pros and cons as I see them...however I am not locked into one or another mindset just yet:

PRESCHOOL

Pros:

1. We have a really good, orthodox Catholic preschool program we can send him to.

2. The program is raved about by all the young moms at our parish whose children attend.

3. Preschool seems to offer children an "edge"--they're ready to sit, to listen, and to behave by the time they go to full-day school.


Cons:

1. The school is across town--two days a week I'd have to drive an hour and a half with my littlest one and not much turnaround in between.

2. The program, while affordable for us, is not cheap (volunteer time required, and no child care for my littlest one).

3. It seems terribly regimented--uniforms required. I worry that schools (even Catholic ones) are focused more on turning out cookie-cutter citizens who won't disrupt the class, rather than developing each child's talents.


HOMESCHOOL

Pros:

1. Saves time--I can fit activities for him around my schedule...no drive, no volunteer hours.

2. Good trial run for "real" homeschooling. I mean, if I screw up preschool, I'll know I'm in trouble.

3. Activities are available as "socialization" situations--library and recreation center are close by and inexpensive.

Cons:

1. My son loves being around other children and seems to need structure.

2. I can't duplicate the outstanding religious formation available at the school.

3. I don't feel that teaching comes naturally to me.

I need to make a decision on this, because the classes are small and they are enrolling now. If I don't jump for it in the next week or so, we could miss the boat. Is it worth it?