Before you start sifting through college acceptance letters, visiting campuses, and applying for student loans, your first experience with finding the right school for your child begins in pre-K, kindergarten, and elementary schools. While the stakes might not be as high as choosing the perfect college, it sets a good foundation for your child’s future.
The right school should be many things, primarily with a focus on quality education, but there is a lot that goes into your decision-making. Here you will find some of the important questions that you should be asking as a parent to ensure that the education and experience your child will receive is one that helps them grow.
Faculty-to-Student Ratio
This isn’t just a question to ask for prospective college students, it’s one that parents should consider when choosing a primary school for their child. A good faculty-to-student ratio depends on many factors, some out of your control, like budget, but there are plenty of reasons why you’d want plenty of teachers at your child’s school. The first reason is that, not only do more teachers (and support staff) allow for a veritable selection of teaching methods, but it also helps children find support staff to help them during busy times, especially for children with special education needs.
Specialized Care Programs
If you’re a busy parent and need a school to provide all-around care, then look into whether they offer specialized care programs. These programs are often after-school/before-school daycare or full-day school. The folks at https://elcacenters.com/ explained that specialized care programs can help nurture childhood development and provide a full package of possibilities for parents. This helps with your life and helps them become accustomed to their environment better which nurtures stronger learning.
Extracurricular Activities Offered
Extracurricular activities should be a staple of any school, but often, many are lacking in this regard. It may be those before or after school care programs, summer camp opportunities, or sports activities, but your child needs the best from their education which means providing them with all of the resources they need to grow. Any good school for your child should have a good mix of extracurriculars that will allow them to expand their socialization and learn new skills in their development.
Curriculum Strength
The actual education of your child in the traditional sense of the curriculum is the one question many parents focus on, and it makes sense, you want your child learning as much as they can and in ways that actually work. Teaching children about relevant knowledge in emerging fields within STEM programs, preparing them for more difficult challenges once they reach middle school and beyond, and giving them top tier learning modules that will give them an advantage is something all parents need. A strong curriculum is also highly relevant to teaching standards of contemporary education, so ask questions about their commitment to providing up-to-date material as well.
Behavior Policies
Discipline is a mixed bag for many parents as behavior policies vary from household to household. Some parents prefer stricter disciplinary action to help children learn right from wrong, while other parents prefer a more case-by-case basis that pertains to the child’s needs and refrains from scolding or punishing as the discipline strategy. It’s good to know what kind of policy they have towards discipline because it may be something that will help or hinder your child’s growth. This is a problem that can hamper the development of a child and impact their learning, so evaluate a school on this as well.
Approach to Learning Styles
Curriculum strength is one aspect of education, the other is how the material is being taught. A hands-on approach works for child A, while a more theory-based learning practice will work better for child B. It can be hard to find a school that manages to focus on the individual needs of children, but a good point can be made when circling back to the first question about faculty and student ratios. Smaller class sizes allow for teaching to be flexible for all learning styles and will help your child adapt well to the curriculum and retain more knowledge this way.
We often think of college as the time to start vetting schools for our children, but it should begin well before that. Instead of plucking your kid into the nearest school, do some research and inquire into the services and education they offer, so your child can begin their academic search from a young age.
