Feeling overwhelmed...again

I am doing some research trying to find a preschool for the girls to attend.  I'm not looking for much - just 2 days a week for maybe 3 hours each day.  Something to break up the week for them, a place that will slowly guide them towards getting use to a curriculum and schedule and school and all that stuff.  I called 5 schools today. 

The 1st school happened to be a magnet school.  They will only open 15 spots in the fall and then the children that applied are chosen by lottery.  That's out.

School #2 wants over $9,000 per school year per child.  That's out. 

School #3 wasn't extremely nice but said they could 'check and see if they might have 3 open spots for triplets in the upcoming school year."  Thanks.  I'll hold my breath waiting for your call.

School #4 is a Catholic school and seems to be reasonable in price.  Only $3,200 for a 2 day program.  They would attend 2 days from 7:50 - 11:15.  Lunch would cost more so I'd feed them at home.  It's only 32 weeks but at least they 'get in the program'.

School # 5 wants over $5,000 for their 3 day program.  That's out.

I guess I called 6 schools...cuz I'm waiting for 1 more school to call me back.  They didn't have a website so their tuition fees weren't listed.  They also didn't answer the phone and I had to leave a message.  Maybe their staff is actually caring for children and saving on the cost of tuition by letting the answering machine take messages rather than hiring a Yale graduate to direct my call and charging me 1/2 million dollars for my 'child's education'.  But who knows.

You would think I should say screw it and not worry about putting them in school.  I'm a stay at home mom anyway so what's the point?  Here's the point.  I can't offer them the things that a school can offer them.  I can teach them what they need to know - sure.  But I'm ONE PERSON.  And I'm not a toddler or preschooler.  They KNOW that when I'm 'pretending' to play - I'm pretending.  I'm not really in their little world.  When they play with other kids...they ARE in a different world.  My innocence is lost to that.  Every adults innocence is lost to that kind of play.  They NEED other kids.  They also need the curriculum.  I'm not about to set up 3 desks and have 'school' time during the day here.  This is HOME for them...not school. 

Ugh...just feeling so overwhelmed.  On one of the pages there is a preschool 'test' that kids can take.  My kids would fail.  Why?  Because they actually don't know all of their shapes.  They can't differentiate between sizes.  They can't count to 20 yet and they certainly can't point at 20 dots and count them all.   Light/heavy, wide/narrow, fewer/more...identify pennies, nickles, dimes and quarters...the answer is no to all of it. 

I know there are kids that go right to kindergarten and I'm sure they turn out just fine.  I just want my girls to have every advantage available to them to keep up or get ahead.  Doesn't every parent?