Education Advice
In this section you will find advice and tips about:
Looking for advice about Daycare or Preschool? Go HERE.
Remote Learning Strategies for Parents
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- Parent Category: Newsflashes
- Category: Newsflash, Education Advice
A week of remote learning has come and gone, leaving a city full of exhausted parents and restless kids in its wake. Homeschooling is a daunting prospect at any time, and especially when you’ve got about 100,000 other things on your mind—from quarantine concerns to caring for sick loved ones to managing your own work-from-home schedule or coping with sudden unemployment. We hope these top tips from Katharine Hill, M.S., M.A.T., will offer some solace as you head into Remote Learning Week Two.
Homeschooling during Coronavirus: Top Tips for Staying Sane
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- Parent Category: Newsflashes
- Category: Newsflash, Education Advice ( The Process)
“Been homeschooling a 6-year old and 8-year old for one hour and 11 minutes,” Shonda Rhimes wrote on Twitter at the start of quarantine. “Teachers deserve to make a billion dollars a year. Or a week.” And that was on March 16—now more than a month in the past, although to many parents struggling to adapt to the demands of remote learning, it feels, much, MUCH longer. We hope these tips and words of advice sourced from the PSP community will help you maintain your sanity, or at the very least, feel a little less alone during these baffling times.
To Red-Shirt or Not? Includes updates from 2013 policy change [Updated 2017]
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- Category: Advice - Childcare and Education, Education Advice ( The Process), Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
Returning to Childcare & Learning: Lessons
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- Category: Advice - Childcare and Education, Education Advice, Education Advice ( The Process)
Our Park Slope Parents groups have been talking through sending kids back to childcare. Discussions have centered upon how to deal with separation anxiety after so many months of close contact, precautions childcare facilities are taking, and how to prepare your child for reentry. We even had a webinar with a Manhattan-based childcare facility, Vivvi, about the transition back. Read on for key takeaways!
School Report Cards
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice
An interesting thread in response to school report cards.
Daycares, Preschools, and Pre-K: the Difference
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Preschool/ Daycare Advice, Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
The difference between preschools and daycares has become increasingly blurred. There is now a lot of similarities in programing, structure, and childcare. Many preschools mirror play based learning typical of daycares. Vice versa, daycares now offer more educational structure. Throw Pre-K into the mix, and it can get even more confusing - especially in Park Slope where early child care centers line the city’s blocks.
Here, PSP breaks it down for you.
Thinking about Homeschooling?
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice
Read what some of our members are saying about homeschooling...
Middle School Mayhem!
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Middle School Advice
Here is a list of websites, resources and schools to help start your process. Bookmark these sites and refer to them often.
January 2014 Kindergarten Admissions Update
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Education Advice ( The Process), Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
From NYC.gov:
If you live in New York City and your child is turning five years old in 2014, your child is eligible to attend Kindergarten in September 2014.
Below are important dates and resources to guide you through the application process.
Middle School Interview Questions
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Education Advice ( The Process), Tween Advice from Parents, Tween Resources, Middle School Advice
Based on member experiences & online sources, PSP found that typical interview questions include things about the school itself, what are the academic interests of the applicant, how they are involved with the community, what are their aspirations for the future & what interests they cultivate outside of school.
The Tradition of Out to Lunch at PS 321
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Tween Advice from Parents, Middle School Advice
PSP members talk about the benefits (and the few potential drawbacks) PS 321 of off-campus lunch.
School Lunch Ideas
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Eating
As one PSP Member wries: "my son is starting Kindergarten this fall after having been in a preschool / day care that took care of all of his meals every day. He's used to having hot, healthy meals which basically consist of rice / noodles and a protein and a vegetable (like a stir fry type of thing). Now I have to start making him lunch and I'm not sure where to start..."
Tips for Kids Who REALLY Don't Want to Go to School
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice
Kind words and practical advice for parents whose kids would rather do anything than go to school in the morning.
Managing Transition, Back-To-School During Covid: A PSP Coping Webinar
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Education Advice, Mental Health
Park Slope Parents hosted a Coping Webinar with Dr. Nanika Coor on managing the transition to school (whatever that looks like) for our kids. Here are some notes and resources that came out of her webinar.
Dr. Coor started with a reminder to hold space for ourselves and for what we have been through over the past five months; it’s a lot. There’s more to come, but being mindful of what we’ve endured and how we’ve been successful so far (even if it doesn’t always feel like it) can help us rebuild some of our depleted energy resources. So let’s talk about some of those things.
Middle School Applications
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Middle School Advice
Information about the middle school application process.
Prekindergarden & Kindergarten Application Process
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
Important links to Public School Pre-K, Kindergarten and First Grade information.
Saving For College
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Financial Advice
Tips on how to start saving for your child's college education.
Ready to Apply to High School?
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Joyce Szuflita, our own "Brooklyn School Lady" has important new information about starting the application process to High School.
Too Early For Back-to-School? Think again.
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Here are Eleanor Traubman’s top ten tips for staying cool and collected when the lazy days of summer give way to the panic of the new School year.
Greener Alternatives for Back to School
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
An eco-friendly shopping list of all those back to school must haves.
New (school) Year’s Resolutions
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Some resolutions to keep for the new school year... or at any time of the year for that matter!
Let's (Re)Do School Lunch
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
More ideas on what to give your kid to take for their school lunch.
Rezoning & Other News From District 15
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Joyce Szuflita, our own "Brooklyn School Lady" has important new information about the zoning of District 15
Ready or Not: Thinking About Middle School
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Middle School Advice
Tips and website relevant for your application to Middle School.
More on Mark Twain Middle School Admissions
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Middle School Advice
Joyce Szuflita, our own "Brooklyn School Lady" has important new information about applying to Mark Twain.
The Mark Twain admissions process has changed in the last couple years; information about it is still a little confusing.
How to ease a school transition for a child with special needs
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Special Needs Resources
Tips for transitioning your special needs child into a less (or more) restrictive school setting.
Elementary School Admissions
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
The NYC Department of Education website maps out all the steps to applying to Elementary School HERE.
Applying to Kindergarden or PreK? Check out the PSP page HERE.
Parent Experience of Holding a Child Back a Grade
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
From the parents who had their child held back - for development reasons, academic struggles or otherwise - the consensus is the pros outweighed any cons. Here are the voices of experience.
Back to School Serenely
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Tips for going back to school and how to combat that crazy feeling.
Credit: Brandy Shaul
Now is the time to put everything in place to make the transtion to the new school year run smoothly. That's why we're reblogging Eleanor Traubman's tips for an organized autumn.
Here are Eleanor Traubman’s top ten tips for staying cool and collected when the lazy days of summer give way to the panic of the new School year.
Tips for the First Day of School - Are You More Nervous than Your Child?
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process), Advice - Childcare and Education
The first day of school is coming up in the next few weeks. With that comes first-day-of-school jitters. Your child may be nervous; heck, you may be nervous. Big changes are afoot, and they can be scary for the whole family, but PSP is here to help!
Resources for the College-Bound Teen
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Welcome to the wild ride called college applications. Below are resources that Park Slope Parents members have found helpful in the journey through planning, touring, applying to and accepting offers from colleges. It can be an emotional time, so make sure you have joined the PSP College Discussion group. We will get you and your kids to the end of this rollercoaster intact.
Click to learn more and join Park Slope Parents!
Is Homeschooling Right for Your Family?
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Education Advice ( The Process)
Below are notes from a PSP Webinar from July 2020: Is Homeschooling Right for You?
What inspired you to start homeschooling, and what were some initial concerns? The idea to homeschool came from the Ortons’ eldest daughter, who found that her school wasn’t offering what she needed as a learner. At first, Erik and Emily were concerned about homeschooling in their small NYC apartment and about how much time and energy the undertaking would require, but they ultimately found that these issues faded away in practice.
What paperwork or permission is required to homeschool? There are four parts to homeschooling paperwork in New York:
Send a letter of intent to the NYC Office of Homeschooling
Create and submit an individualized home instruction plan (IHIP).
Submit quarterly reports on your IHIP progress.
Complete testing or narrative assessments.
Templates for all of the required documents can be downloaded free of charge on Erik and Emily’s website.
What does homeschooling look like on a day-to-day basis? Erik and Emily quickly learned that it wasn’t necessary to make their home look or feel like a classroom—rather, it just needed to be a place where learning was actively nurtured. They soon relaxed into a routine, which generally consisted of waking up together for reading and games before splitting off into solo learning time or collaborative learning (e.g., one child reading to another). As the kids grew older, they became increasingly independent learners, and the oldest three now largely manage their own learning, with Emily taking on a supervisory role.
What training or skills do I need to be my child’s “teacher”? New York State law does not require any specific credentials, and there’s no need for you to acquire special training before you start homeschooling. Erik and Emily consider the child to be the greatest teacher, letting their kids take the lead to pursue what they’re legitimately interested in. Modeling is also key, and by showing your children that you’re still in the learning mode as an adult, they’ll come to understand the value of curiosity, accepting mistakes, and learning by trial and error.
How does homeschooling fit with working from home? It depends on the realities of your job and the makeup of your family unit. Some families school their kids in the evenings or on weekends; some work early morning hours and then school their kids later in the morning. Erik and Emily have sometimes swapped shifts, meaning that one of them works in the morning, one works in the afternoon, and both work in the evening while the kids are having free time. It’s also important to note that homeschooling doesn’t mean you have to be teaching your child for seven hours each day. You may find that children can accomplish much more in a shorter period of time than they would in a traditional school setting, especially if they’re able to help instruct and mentor each other. As long as the learning gets done, it doesn’t have to line up with the timeframe dictated by traditional school.
Can I homeschool my older child if I also have a baby? Yes! Erik and Emily were initially worried about homeschooling with a baby, but they found that those became some of the most treasured times in their homeschooling journey. Babies don’t need to be doing flashcards or structured activities to grow developmentally and intellectually; simply being in the vicinity of older children who are focused on their studies teaches younger kids that they’re a part of a household that values learning.
What are some of your favorite things about homeschooling? Erik and Emily have found that homeschooling has played a huge role in bringing harmony into their home. They love having freedom from the school calendar, meaning that they can travel in the fall without being hampered by deadlines or traditional classroom hours. By encouraging customized learning while having a variety of adventures, they’ve been able to turn homeschooling into “world schooling.”
What are some of the challenges of homeschooling? One challenging aspect has been letting go of traditional paradigms—e.g., the school day must be seven hours long, or there must be X amount of homework. Given that Erik and Emily attended public school themselves, they’ve had to overcome the impulse to recreate school as they experienced it. That said, there are an infinite number of ways you can create a homeschooling experience that works for you, and it can be an exciting challenge to figure out what resonates with your family.
What are some of the benefits of traditional school that you miss for your kids? One gap that was more challenging to fill was extracurriculars and sports. You can request to have your kids continue participating in after-school activities at their old school, but your principal may not be amenable, in which case finding extracurriculars will take a little more footwork. However, there is no shortage of nonschool-based extracurricular programs and activities on offer in Brooklyn. Everything from youth choirs, orchestras, and bands to theatre programs, sports teams, and leadership clubs can be located nearby.
How do you manage screen time in the home? This is a question that can be renegotiated on an ongoing basis, considering the age of your kids and the shifting realities of the world. In general, the smaller the child, the less screen time is ideal. Erik and Emily like to have screens put away at the dinner table, before chores, and before bedtime. As a rule, they prefer screens to be used to create rather than to consume—e.g., using a screen to draw and bring to life animated characters is preferable to vegging out in front of an animated show.
How do you avoid isolation (in non-COVID times) and encourage social-emotional learning, especially for younger kids? The strongest foundation for social-emotional learning comes from having a loving and supportive family, which can certainly be demonstrated and reinforced through homeschooling. Beyond that, Brooklyn and NYC have a wealth of co-ops and organizations to help you and your child connect with other homeschooling families. Erik and Emily’s kids have enjoyed taking part in theatrical workshops for homeschoolers and taking part in educational co-op activities—one that stood out was visiting the places of work of various professionals, including a portrait painter and a neuroscientist, to learn about their work and gain skills in interacting with adults outside the family.
How do you deal with a homeschooler who tends to resist taking direction or listening to instructions? Though it may sound counterintuitive, it helps to let your kids take the lead as much as possible on their own learning. Children can only push back and create a power struggle if someone is pushing them, so Erik and Emily’s strategy has been to negotiate collaboratively with their kids to find a learning plan that all parties are comfortable with and excited about.
Is it difficult to homeschool in a small apartment? Homeschooling in a small apartment can actually be a benefit, as it makes it easier for parents to keep an eye on what everyone is up to and for kids to notice and get involved when their siblings are doing something exciting, like a science experiment. If everyone is focused on their own self-directed play or work, there’s not much of a noise issue, but it’s important to respect each other’s privacy and allow kids to take their work into their room if they need some time apart. For Erik and Emily, the biggest challenge involved with schooling in a small space is having to use the dining table for both working and eating!
Will homeschooling my kids make it harder for them to get into college? In a word, nope! Each college has their own requirements for homeschoolers, so you’ll need to check their websites and call their admissions offices. Depending on testing requirements at the schools where your kids are applying, they’ll likely need to self-study or work with a tutor to prepare for the SAT or ACT. But in general, colleges tend to like homeschoolers, as they’re used to managing their own time and self-directing their own education. There may be a few extra hoops to jump through for the specific schools in terms of showing grades and academic ability, but you don’t need to be concerned that colleges will discriminate against your homeschooler.
What’s your homeschooling philosophy? Emily describes her philosophy as child-led and interest-led; she looks for hands-on experiences and considers it her responsibility to invite her children to learn. Erik was inspired by a quote from Robert Massie’s book about Catherine the Great: Gradually, guided by her own curiosity she was acquiring a superior education. Your philosophy will be unique to you and your family. Emily advises that you write down your reasons for homeschooling when you first start, so that you can return to them later, remind yourself why you embarked on this journey, and remember to hold true to your principles.
Further reading and resources:
The Awesome Factory: Erik and Emily’s new website with online courses and resources
New York City Home Educators Alliance: A vibrant secular homeschooling community of about 700 families with lots to offer in terms of both academics and the arts
HomeschoolNYC: A site for families and educators
- Homeschool New York online forum: HSNY members share information about workshops, trips, classes, curricula, meet-ups, etc.
- New York Home Educators' Network: New York State homeschoolers past, present, and future, from seasoned veterans to newcomers
- Park Slope Playgroup: Includes homeschoolers, traditional schoolers, and alternative schoolers
- If you would like to purchase a two-month pass to view the video of the PSP Coping Webinar: Is Homeschooling Right For Your Family? please email
PSP recently welcomed Erik and Emily Orton to our webinar on homeschooling, where they shared some of the wisdom they’ve gathered over 13 years as homeschooling parents in NYC. Erik and Emily are co-founders of The Awesome Factory, co-authors of Seven at Sea—a memoir of their year living on a sailboat—and parents of five children aged 13–23, with the oldest having just graduated from college and the youngest homeschooling at her own pace with Down syndrome.
The Middle School Appeal Process
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Middle School Advice
Here, parents in the PSP Tweens group talk about the middle school appeal process...
Holding off on Kindergarten? Advice from the Brooklyn School Lady
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
School districts outside of NYC have earlier age cutoffs for kindergarten. Why can't NYC parents whose children have late fall birthdays request that their children wait a year to start school if they feel that their children aren't ready and they will be the youngest in the class?
2012-2013 Pre-Kindergarten Directory & Info Sessions
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- Parent Category: Education Advice
- Category: Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
2012-2013 Pre-Kindergarten Directory
The 2012-2013 Pre-Kindergarten Directory is now available online. The Directory includes a list of all public school and community-based organization (CBO) pre-kindergarten programs, and information about how to apply.
Preschool Deposit and Tuition
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- Parent Category: Advice - Childcare and Education
- Category: Preschool/ Daycare Advice, Kindergarden/ PreK Advice
Whether it's a layoff, a sweet PreK spot, a move, or a new job schedule, circumstances change. So what do you do when your chosen preschool isn't an option anymore - and you've already put down that killer deposit? Park Slope Parents members talk about their experiences with preschool tuition deposits and tuition.
Dealing with After School Guilt
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- Parent Category: Working Parents
- Category: Working Mother Topics, Education Advice ( The Process), Childcare Advice, Childcare and Working Parents
Parents talk about putting their children in after school programs, and how to help a kiddo who might feel lonely or left out because of it.
Make Up and Middle School
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- Parent Category: Parents of Tweens
- Category: Raising Tweens Tips, Tween Advice from Parents, Middle School Advice
A summary of another lively thread on the Tweens Group - this one is about when you should let your Middle Schooler wear make up - and is that even your decision to make?
Tweens: Never Too Early To Think About Those College Apps
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- Parent Category: Parents of Tweens
- Category: Raising Tweens Tips, Tween Advice from Parents, Tween Advice from Experts, Middle School Advice
Tips for tweens to (yep) start prepping for college admissions.
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