As I hold onto her a little tighter over the next 7 months, I have to start school prep now. Actually, I had to start prepping in October when school tours started (eek!). Thank goodness for Los Angeles moms who have been through it already, otherwise I would have had zero idea I had to apply for one million schools (we are actually only looking at 10).
And while most schools prefer you don't bring children, my kids have had the oppurtunity to tour a few with me. We, however, are looking for different things as we tour these potential schools.
Things I Look For When Touring Elementary Schools
vs.
What My 4 Year Old Looks For
What Mommy Looks For:
1. Mission Statement and School Philosophy
2. PBL (Project Based Learning) vs. other teaching methods
3. Amount of Homework
4. Amount of Testing or if mandatory
5. Enrichment classes (dance, theatre, art, pe, robotics, coding, archery, etc.)
6. Language courses offered and which language(s)
7. After School and Before school care and it's cost
8. Commute time (current favorite school could be up to 1.5 hours in our horrendous L.A. traffic)
9. Teacher/Kid ratio
10. Inclusive Education
11. Special needs or gifted programs available
12. PTA and Parent Involvement
13. Technology - Macs or PCs, how many days in the week are they in the lab
14. Overall classroom appearance
15. Garden crops and Farm animals
16. Campus Safety
`7. The other parents on the tour - do I want to hang out with them for the next 6+ years?
18. Principal's attitude and enthusiasm
19. Diversity
20. How much outside playtime
21. Lottery program available
What Kenley Looks For:
1.Playground Awesomeness
Hopefully we'll find/get into a school that not only reaches all of Mommy and K's requirements, but also a school that is a good fit for our family.
Note: We do have a designated home school we are zoned for, but I still want to make sure I find the perfect one for us.
