I understand your conflict, and know that you can wait a whole year more to enroll her in any program. Especially with this whole no child left behind, it is important to be sure they are ready for school. I recently heard that any child turning 5 during the summer should seriously consider waiting another year. SO feel no rush.
Also, I can totally undersatnd your feelings. I started this year homeschooling, became pregnant with a third, and could not cope with it all. Enrolled my son in public school, found it appalling and after three months pulled him adn am now homeschooling again. Yes it was alot of changes, but I am a firm believer in changing what is not working. I am so commited to homeschooling now, and so is my son. It is also important to make sure that they the child understand their role in homeschooling and be commited to it. We have a signed commitment that he will try even if he does not want to do it, and he understands that I am the teacher and he is the student.
Are there any programs where you are that have stuff going on for her. We have alot of great programs here that have class days and field trips, programs that give you money etc.
I know she says she wants to go to school, because it seems so fun, and mayby she will like it, but you need to decide what is important to you for her education. My vision is to raise my children to be loving compassionate and free thinkers. So I know that we need homeschool and time to be outdoors and learn in the element.
A wonderfull read to inspire you "Dumbing Us Down" by John Taylor Gatto if you take your childs education and this decision seriously then take the time to read this book
Also check out the Oak Meadow curriculum, we use this as a base and then grow off of it in an unschooling format too. I have heard from so many people that when they switched to Oak meadow the fun came back. We have always used it and we are having a blast.
Good luck...oh and another thing I once read which rings in my ears is "If you can homeschool, do it" so if you are feeling it remeber you are the mama and you know how to give your kids what they need.
Oh and one more thing. Hell yeah it is hard, and those hard days are hard. But those amazing times full of inspiration are wonderfull. When we are having a bad day...we go to the beach. You get what I mean it does not have to be a regimented thing. learning happens all around us.
Blessings,
Rachel
p.s. sorry for my misspellings I am typing fast

In California we have charter schools, which are part of the school district, funded publicly, but are run independently. There are different kinds of charter schools. We have always had our 12 year old daughter in a private or charter parent participation school. This has allowed her to be in an organized program with small class sizes and heavy parent participation. We know her classmates and we know their parents. A credentialed teacher leads the class, but is aided by parents. We work together within the classroom, and with fund raising, extra curricular activities, and administration. Learning is creative and students work in small groups. Discipline is less of a problem than regular public school since there are parents all over the campus and everyone knows everyone. The downside is it requires a time commitment from the parents- two to three hours a week. Doesn't work for families without some flexibility in their schedules. I wish our eight year old daughter, who is in special education, could have been in a program like this. If you can afford a private school like this or find a publicly funded one, I would recommend it. I believe most of the parents in our school had issues with public schools when they were children and are seeking better for their kids.

Since birth, I was determined to homeschool my now 6 1/2 year old boy... being a single mom with a relatively small support system (we moved away from our home town when he was 5), and having heard the well meaning advice from family friends and strangers alike... at the last miniute I caved and enrolled him in public school. It's been really up and down for us, and not truly feeling satisfied with my choice, I'm facing the same decision again for next year !!!
My point is that you should listen to your intuition, follow your heart and be brave! The school experience has been a good thing for us, and if she really wants to go, I would honor that, knowing that if it doesn't work out, you can always change your mind. Kindergarten seems pretty harmless anyway.....

I've had some time to think about this. Why not look into Montesouri (spelling?) schools or see if there are Charter or Waldorf schools in your area. If there are, those could provide some good options. Private schools are also a good option, but can be pricey. The good news is a lot of them offer scholarship programs for families that can't afford them. It's worth looking into as an option. Being a military family, we're thinking of sending my daughter to the school on base because she'll get help from her classmates on dealing with her dad being in Iraq. The problem is I don't want her programed with all the "I love my country so much that I'm willing to enlist and fight Abu tu Jeet when I'm older! Bring on those towel heads! I'm ready for anything!" Okay, I know it's not that bad, but I don't want her starting to believe that every war that the US Army fights in is right and just. I don't want her thinking that the war in Iraq is preserving her rights as an American. Neither her father nor I believe that, so why would we want to pass that on to her? It's one thing to want her to understand that her dad is doing her job, but there's a lot of brainwashing that goes on in schools on military bases, at least from what I've heard. It could be great support, or it could tear her away from her family because our beliefs are so far from those of the people around her. I'm planning on homeschooling her, even though all her friends will be starting school together. I'm also going to look into our other options. It's not an easy decision to make, but sometimes you just have to let your child do what they want. The best you can do for her is help her understand why you're making the decision you are so that she doesn't feel like Mommy is just being mean to her and not letting her go to school when all her friends are. It's a rough choice, but maybe after a little while of school she'll see that it's not all the fun it's supposed to be (a lot has changed and now even kindergarteners are no longer taught through play...many schools keep them at a desk all day long) and she may decide to learn from home. Just make sure you supplement her education with your own beliefs and moral values. If you keep a strong connection with your child she may just find that she'd rather do other things than get in trouble. For example, I never drank until I was 19. I never smoked until I was 18, pot before even cigarettes. I hadn't had sex until I was 19. I've known other kids who have good relationships with their parents that have said the same. It's a tricky balance, but not all kids will learn bad habits. Just because you did doesn't mean she will, and if you explain it to her right, she won't make your mistakes. Just by the fact that you're concerned about that and thinking about what's truly best for your child is proof of that. There are many reasons to home school beyond picking up bad habits and getting into trouble. If home schooling turns out to be wrong for her (not every child will thrive if home schooled) then she'll get by. One way or another, it can't hurt to let her try public schools. If she thrives, let her stay. If it starts causing her problems, giving her a bad attitude, or just about anything else that would cause you concern, try bringing up homeschooling again. Also, you can tell her that she'll try six months of public school (or a year, or however long you choose) and then six months of home schooling. Then she can decide which she likes better. Just follow her decision when she finally makes it, at least until middle school or jr. high. There's nothing wrong with letting her try it and experience it, that way she knows exactly what she's missing and won't feel like you never gave her a chance at "normal" life. Okay, I'm babbling now, but you get the idea.