We all know kids start kindergarten at age 5.  So choosing a school should happen the year before kindergarten…right?  Unfortunately the ‘when to start’ question is complicated and depends a lot on your risk tolerance.  Here are some different scenarios:

If you are planning to attend your neighborhood public school, then there are no requirements or paperwork to fill out before your child is 4 years old.  The only complication in this situation is that some parents take advantage of pre-K programs at their local elementary school, such as “Bright Futures.”

One parent whose children attended the Bright Futures program at Bache-Martin told me:  “The Bright Futures program gave us the opportunity to connect with other parents and really invest in our neighborhood.  We learned a lot about the school before we had to make our kindergarten decision.  Bright Futures is separate from Bache, but it gives you a head start on understanding the school.”

Applications for private school start the fall before your child would enroll – a full year before kindergarten.  What complicates the private school option is that Continue reading →