It is a BIG Deal!

How to pick the right school for your child and family.

By: Denise Marti

Let’s calculate: 6 to 8 hours a day, times 180 days a year,  times 13 years = A Big Deal. 

As parents we want what is best for our kids. But unlike choosing new sneakers or which vacation to go on, choosing the school your child will attend is huge. It will shape your child and be a major pillar in the development of who your child becomes.

Here are some ways to ensure you have put the time and effort into making the right choice. 

Research 

Read the school’s literature, website, and social media.  Ask around: specifically what people like best and one thing they’d like to improve about the school their child attends. See if anyone has heard of programs that fit what you are looking for in a school.  

Resonate

Be very clear on the top three things that attract you to the school – write them down.  This will be what resonates with you about their messaging and what you can return to to see if it is really happening.  

Experience 

Do a tour, open-house or on-line presentation about the school.  Look to see if the essence of the mission statement is being promoted by those you talk to as well as the top three things that were important to you.  Ask some questions and see how important those things seem to be to the school culture. 

Visualize

Picture dropping off your child at the school: What feelings do you hope they have?  What capabilities are you wanting them to develop? How is their character going to grow? 

Child Visit 

Have your child visit. Talk to the teachers, observe the way people interact with one another. Be aware that different times of the day exhibit different behaviors. Transitions can be a little messy; drop off or pick up can be hard for some kids; try to get a sense of what the majority of the day would feel like. 

Reflect

Ask your child about their experience.  What did they like? What was new to them? What did they learn about? Were they able to connect with other kids? Were they able to connect with the adults? Did they have any hard moments? If so, how did they handle it? How did others handle it? 

Revisit 

Is the school open to your child coming for another visit? It’s hard to see meaningful connections with one visit and to feel comfortable with a new environment.

Look back at your three things that attracted you:  Do you see evidence of them?  Has your opinion changed?  Do you feel at peace that your child will develop in all areas of their life by joining this community? 

Dig Deeper

Does the school offer parent workshops you can attend, Parent Ambassadors who will share, or any other way for parents to learn more about the community?  

The time you put into making the choice is minimal to the time you and your child will spend living with that choice. 

It seems like a lot, but you can do it.