A good education is the key to any child’s future success, so parents are always invested in finding the best day schools for them. For a K-12 education, this means finding the finest elementary, middle, and high schools, and some are private schools, while most are public schools. Children aged three to five can be enrolled at the best preschools in the area, and these too may be either public or private. When a family moves to a new city or county, or when the child first becomes old enough to start their education, this is when the parents will look for the best private schools, or perhaps the top rated public ones. The advantages of attending private schools are numerous, and private schools make up 25% of all American schools. Still, while the advantages of attending private schools are enticing, a well funded and top rated public school may a good option for parents who cannot afford private school tuition fees.
Finding a Good Preschool
It is not mandatory for American children to attend preschool or similar pre-K programs, but this option is highly popular all the same. From 1990 to 2000 in particular, the rate of preschool attendance grew rapidly, and by now, over half of all American children aged three to five are enrolled in pre-K programs of some sort. Around 87% of all children aged five are enrolled, in fact. A preschool is more than a daycare center; it is an academic setting where the young students will learn how to learn, get used to following teacher directions, and meet their peers (and take part in extracurricular activities). All of this can easily prepare a young student for elementary school. Private preschools are privately funded and run, hence the name, and they do charge tuition. But in exchange, the school will be well funded and have expert staff on hand, to provide a top-tier education for the students.
Parents can look for preschools online if they do not already have a personal reference to use, and they can enter a phrase such as “top preschools near me San Diego CA” or “best private schools in Miami FL” and find a whole list of results. The parents may specify whether they want to find public or private preschools (or both), and even enter their ZIP code to find local results in a large city. The parents may then compile a short list of candidate schools, and tour them in person to evaluate them fairly. At a preschool, the parents can look into the school’s level of funding and meet the staff, and review the credentials of the teachers working there. If the parents like what they see, they can return with their child and check that their child feels comfortable there and gets along with the staff. After all, a child must feel comfortable at any school where they are enrolled. The family can tour any number of preschools this way until they choose one, and enroll their child there.
Public and Private Schools
For a K-12 education, parents can use a fairly similar process to find local schools for their child, and some are private and others are public. What are some advantages of attending private schools? For one thing, private schools are generously and privately funded, and they tend to have expert and experienced staff and teachers. For high school students, the advantages of attending private schools extend to college counseling, and private high school students often go on to college and are well-prepared for it. Also, private school teachers report much lower incidence rates of student apathy or a lack of parental involvement than public school teachers do.
Still, while public schools vary widely in their funding and quality, parents who don’t send their children to private school can look carefully among the public school options, and find the best-rated ones that have good funding. A top tier public school might be nearly as good as a private one in some cases, and they don’t charge tuition. And no matter the school type, the parents are urged to visit them in person to evaluate them, and they can bring along their child, who may want a school with particular clubs or programs to offer.
