Seeing how a quality education is important for any child’s future success, it is easy to see why parents are always asking themselves about what to know about day schools, and they will look for the best private schools and public schools alike for their children. This includes not only elementary, middle, and high schools, but also day schools for younger children: preschool. So, what to know about day schools? There are are a number of factors to juggle, and these vary from online searches to visiting a school in person to consulting the child who will become a student soon. Looking for a good school is quite important, yes, but it does not have to be overwhelming. When new parents wonder “what to know about day schools?”, they can follow a relatively simple step by step guide to get started.
Looking for Preschools
While attending preschool is not mandatory for American children, this is still popular all the same, and more children today are attending pre-K programs than ever before. From 1990 to 2000 in particular, the rate of preschool attendance grew rapidly, and this was true for American households of all backgrounds. Today, over half of all children aged three to five are attending preschools, to get a head start on their education. A preschool is more than a day care center; it is a focused and dedicated academic setting for young students, who will learn how to learn, get used to following the directions of teachers, and learn to get along with their peers. Some preschools are private ones, and others are public.
To find these preschools, such as when the family moves to a new city or county, the parents may look online to find them, if they do not already have a personal reference to use. Searching for preschools will involve specific phrases in the search, such as the family’s ZIP code or town/city name, looking for the “best” or “top rated” preschools, and specifying whether public or private preschools are preferred. Such as “top public preschools in San Diego CA”. Doing this will bring up a whole list of results, and the parents can eliminate schools that are too far or those that aren’t accepting new students. The family may then tour the rest of them in person.
Visiting preschools is important, and at the school, the parents may meet and consult the staff to review each teacher’s credentials. The parents can also look into the school’s level of funding and see what sort of educational programs the school offers, too. The parents can also double check that their child feels comfortable and relaxed there, and gets along with the staff. If the child does feel at ease, that may be an encouraging sign. The family can visit a number of preschools this way, and perhaps some more than once, until they determine which is the best for their child, and enroll them there. Private preschools do charge tuition, but in exchange, they are robustly (and privately) funded and usually boast expert teachers and many programs for the young students. Parents who can afford this may consider that option carefully.
Other Schools
Meanwhile, attending K-12 schools is certainly mandatory, and parents sending their child to elementary school for the first time may wonder what to know about day schools. Overall, finding elementary, middle, and high schools follows a similar process as finding preschools, such as an online search to find promising schools in the area of the correct type. The family can tour those schools and get a fair impression of each one, and the prospective student can tell their parents later why they did or did not like a particular school. The prospective student can also tell their parents what sort of clubs or activities they would like a school to have, such as a swim team, marching band, football team, arts programs, and the like. Around 25% of K-12 schools are private ones, which are privately funded and charge tuition. Like private preschools, they offer expert staff and strong funding, and private school teachers report much lower incidence rates of student apathy than public school teachers do.
