Just dive in! You can do it!

This is something that keeps me up at night:  where will my kids go to school? Finding and considering the options are intimidating and nerve-racking but I know I am not alone.  However daunting the process is, it doesn’t mean I’m going to bury my head in the sand.  Deep breath……exhale…..dive in!

Even if your kids are too young to start public school next fall, you might start the process now. I took my first school tour when my oldest was 10 months. Yes, I know!  But, the more time you have to research, the more informed you are when it comes to those real deadlines.

Joyce Szuflita, our School Expert, suggests taking these steps:

1. Find your school zone. To find out what school zone you live in call 311 with your address or go to the DOE’s website and “find a school” by address.
2. Be aware of deadlines. Dates for public kindergarten pre-application (Feb. 1 to March 12) and for application for the prek lottery (application period begins March 1) are online .  PreK directories will be available online on March 1.
3. Tour schools. If the school you are interested in has a website, you should check their calendar or admissions pages for tour dates, or just call the Parent Coordinator listed on the staff page or under the school’s information at insideschools.org . Some schools need you to RSVP for a spot and some just invite you to show up. Most tours are given at around 9am through March.

These are my (Karen’s) additional tips for keeping yourself informed:

1. Collect information. Sign up for Joyce’s free email newsletter that lists tours, school scuttlebutt and school websites. I feel so much better knowing Joyce is gathering information, distilling and deciphering it for me. In addition, sign up for Inside Schools free newsletter and keep up to date on deadlines and DOE decisions. Join the Brooklyn School Search Yahoo group where parents exchange and discuss school information:
2. Attend a talk. To help get an insider’s view about the process for applying for preK and K, attend one of Joyce’s talks:  “Intro to Public School: PreK and Kindergarten”. For the locations and dates visit Joyce’s website.
3. Hire an expert. If you need help, I would highly suggest Joyce, founder of NYC School Help. Of course, I am a bit biased, but I only asked her to come on the blog as an Expert once I attended her talks and had a private consult with her. Her services are invaluable in guiding you through the application process, selecting the right schools to apply to and learning about ones that you might not have known about.

My hope is that we can all float through this process, unscathed and happy with the decisions we made!

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