A child’s education is the key to their future, so all parents are greatly invested in sending their children to the best schools in the area. When a child becomes old enough for preschool or kindergarten, or when the family moves to a new city or county, the parents will look online to find the best private grade schools or private preschools for a quality private education. Not all children get a private education, but those who do may get a head start on their peers. Even so, a private education is not mandatory for success, and many parents may simply look for the best-rated public schools in their area. What is the difference between a private education and going to public school? And either way, how can parents narrow down the field to find the best schools for their young ones?
Finding Preschools
Going to preschool is not mandatory in the U.S., but all the same, more American parents than ever are sending their children aged three to five to preschool. At preschool, a young student may get used to an academic atmosphere, learn how to learn, and get used to following directions from adults who are not their parents. This can give a child a head start on their education, and so parents may look up the best preschools around with the Internet. If the parents don’t already have a personal reference or experience with local preschools, going online will help.
The clients may enter a phrase such as “best preschools near me” and specify whether they want to find public or private ones, and specify their city name or even their ZIP code to keep the results local. Such as “best pre-K in Miami” or “top rated private preschools San Diego CA” and see what comes up. The parents may strike out preschools that aren’t suitable for some reason, and make a list of promising candidates. Now, the family may tour these promising preschools in person, where they can get a fair impression of what each school is like. There, the parents may look into a given school’s level of funding, as well as review the credentials of each teacher working there. The parents may also check if their child feels comfortable there and gets along with the staff. Overall, the family may repeat this process any number of times until they find the best school of the type they want, and enroll their child there.
Elementary and Middle Schools
Something similar can be done to find elementary, middle, and high school for an older child. A K-12 education is certainly required, so parents may want to get a head start on this search before a school year starts. And as with a preschool search, looking online is often the best route, especially if the family just moved. The parents may specify their city name and ZIP code to find local results, and they can also look for schools that are either private or public, as desired. A search might look like “best public middle schools Chicago IL” or “top rated private elementary schools Miami FL” and see some results.
The family will tour the most promising schools, and the prospective student can explain why they did or did not like a particular school. The child can also describe what sort of programs or features they want a school to have, such as a swim team, marching band, art programs, a debate team, or more. The parents may consult the staff, and the child may join in, too, and see if they get along with everyone there.
Most American schools are public; that is, federally owned, run, and funded. They charge no tuition, and their quality may vary somewhat (so touring them is very important). Meanwhile, some schools are privately funded and run, and even set their own education curriculum. While these schools charge tuition each year, they boast top-tier teachers and staff, and are well funded. Private high schools also include robust college counseling services, and that, combined with teacher quality, means that most private school grads go on to college. Parents who can afford this may seriously consider this option and weigh it when looking for a school for their child.
