Private Schools Can Give Students Advantages That Will Serve Them Throughout Life
If you have a child, you might be considering private school. The best private schooling provides rigorous academics and opportunities that might not be available in the public school system. In order to compare private schools, you should look at the best private school websites and consider the schools in your area. You’ll want to determine your budget as well as your priorities for your child’s education. This will help you determine which school is a good fit. Many schools are also single-gender programs. So if you have a son, you’ll want to stick with boys private schools near me while doing your search.
If you want to find the best rated private schools near me, you’ll need to look at reviews online. You’ll also need to visit the school and talk to the faculty there. By getting both inside and outside information on the school, you can decide if it is a good fit for your child. From there, you can begin the application process while knowing you’re making the right choice for your child’s education.
Education is that one experience we all have in common. Although our experiences were all different, they are what unites us in a country of concerned adults wanting the best educational opportunities for our children. Because we have such diverse experiences is perhaps why the importance of education is near the top of every city, state, and national concern.
Readiness Is When They Do It
Many parents with the means to provide their children with the best educational opportunities have long realized the importance of private schools. With budgets that are far removed from the heavy hands and red pens of government entities, private schools have a history of providing the very best services and the very best settings for the youngest children.
While popular, and sometimes free, educational experiences are available through many other avenues, private schools are filled with parents who believe that investing in the educational future of their children does not involve looking at a price tag.
It is difficult to ignore this mindset. Private schools have a lengthy record of providing quality teachers in beautiful settings that provide the most academically rich classrooms. Children who attend private preschools are often the same children who attend private schools all of the time until high school graduation. And, many of these private high schools showcase impressive lists of colleges where their graduates attend.
While the expensive private label is what some parents look for when making educational choices for their children, other parents set different priorities. Whether the final decision is an expensive private setting or an affordable public one, these parents consider other factors when they are making the initial academic choices for their family.
One example of parents who look at a wider variety of options is the group of families who select unique educational settings like Montessori classrooms for their children. These parents still focus on childhood readiness and preparation, but they may take a more relaxed approach to what the country currently considers “readiness.” In a strong nod to Dr. Maria Montessori’s overlying theory of “following the child,” these parents believe that a properly prepared environment will allow children to determine their own readiness.
Few Argue the Benefits of Preschool
In a nation where mandatory preschool is on the political agenda, most Americans realize capturing a child’s internal readiness is key. Studies show, for example, children who have an educational preschool experience see additional benefits over their classmates who do not. Some studies indicate these advantages extend until fourth grade; some studies indicate these advantages never go away and extend clear past high school
While it may be difficult to measure just how long preschool readiness advantages extend, it is difficult to ignore the need for today’s children to get the best academic start available. For many parents, this best start is found in private schools with excellent teacher to student ratios. For instance, 36% of private schools average student-teacher ratios of ten students to one teacher. Some have even lower ratios. Public schools indicate only 10% of their classrooms match the ten to one ratio. And while teacher to student ratio is not the only measuring stick, it is a significant indicator for early childhood educational success.
Choosing the Best Preschool Takes Careful Consideration
Most educators advise parents that selecting a preschool takes more than just looking at teacher to student ratios. In fact, at some preschool settings, even those that are expensive and private, the low ratio can be misleading. The number of “teachers” in the building can include every adult, including office staff, meal preparation staff and outside investors who occasionally visit.
Other indicators parents should consider when selecting a preschool include:
- What educational approach does the school take?
- How clean and safe is the facility?
- What kind of certification do the classroom teachers have?
- Does the school provide meals?
- How much access to children have to outdoor spaces?
Everything from classroom ratios to outdoor spaces are important. Current research, for example, indicates that only 20% of homes have parks within a half-mile radius. Schools with a focus on outdoor activities insure parents that they consider the needs of the whole child. If your child is soon to become part of the 5 million in America who attend some kind of prekindergarten classrooms, make sure you are finding a good preschool.