Finding The Right School For Your Child
Posted on: 22 August 2018
When kids are ready for kindergarten, sending them to the local public school seems the logical option. In most areas, kids get a decent education, access to resources and a strong circle of friends, all for free! However, public school isn't necessarily the right choice for all children, and if parents have the means or opportunity, they might consider a different type of school they feel better fits their child's needs. Read on for an explanation of different specialized school types that might be available in your area.
Private School
Private schools are tuition-based schools that typically follow the same educational format as public schools. They might be affiliated with a church, which is attractive for some families. Some private schools boast smaller class sizes than public schools, often have better facilities and more resources than public schools because of parent funding, and private high schools often work to prepare students for the workload they'll face in college.
Homeschool Co-op
For parents who choose to homeschool their children but want to give them the benefit of a community of friends they see often, a homeschool co-op is a good option. A homeschool co-op often is made up of a group of homeschooling parents who agree to split educational responsibilities. Perhaps the kids get together three days a week and one parent agrees to teach reading one day, another agrees to teach math the next and a third agrees to guide the kids through an art project. This type of model both gives parents a break and allows kids to interact with a larger group of people than they would at home.
Waldorf School
A Waldorf school is a specialized school that focuses on the role of a child's imagination in learning. It is divided into three seven-year cycles, the first focused on being creative through play, the second on self-expression and developing social intelligence, and the third on developing critical thinking skills.
Montessori School
A school that embraces the Montessori method assumes that children are eager to learn if they're given the right tools. Montessori schools have mixed-age classrooms in which kids are given a variety of different activities to explore, and they are free to pursue their own interests.
Vocational-Technical Schools
Vocational-Technical schools are high schools that teach students a trade. Students who are not college bound can benefit from these programs because they graduate from high school with the skills to get a good-paying job. Students who know what they want to study in college also can benefit from a vocational-technical education because they'll start college with skills that might give them an advantage over their peers.
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