Making the hard choice: Choosing the right School

By: Jessica Byrd

Ok, so I’ve been having an on-going debate with myself about what is most important when deciding on a school for my children. My daughter is turning three this year, and my son is turning two. My daughter has been in daycare now for about a year and a half. Since she is getting older, I want to put her in a school this is curriculum based, and remove her from a daycare atmosphere. I have looked into numerous  pre-k programs and run across the same debates; public, private or charter, diverse, predominantly white or predominately black. These are some of the concerns that cross my mind and of all of them, the main debate is race. Yes, I am openly admitting that this a strong decision that I am on the fence about. As an African-American I went to predominantly black schools, until I went to Michigan State. I went to great schools, and as I look back race wasn’t something that really resonated with me as a child. Suddenly, today it is the new talk of the town and even schools are stereotyped by their race classification. When I talk to other parents, every parent openly admits that they want their children to be in a diverse school. I don’t remember this being a big deal when I was younger, I just remember going to school with people that looked like me, and it was ok.

Now the Millennial parents are bombarded with all kinds of misconceptions, stereotypes, and divided school systems. We are told predominately African-American schools are falling behind, and predominately white schools are scoring better. Not to mention we will soon have a divided Detroit Public School District, now we have EAA schools , and charters schools are popping up on every corner. As I am still in search for a good Pre-K, and Kindergarten school here are the things that will help me with my final decision:

1. The teachers education and their credentials. I have visited several schools where the teachers for pre-k seem a little young. Yes, I believe some young teachers are very wise, and well-equipped to teach, however my comfort level is for my children’s teacher to be a little seasoned. In addition, I believe the teacher’s educational background is important if you’re my child’s primary source of learning.

2.       The school’s curriculum. Each school has a different curriculum and if it doesn’t for

         pre-k then it is not the right choice for me. I want to be able to know what my child will

         be learning. This way I am able to teach my children at home, and I am aware of what

         my children knows and doesn’t know.

3.       The environment. At first I felt into this mindset that I want my children to be in a diverse

         school, but now I stand strong on the belief that I don’t care if the children are white, black, blue or pink. I want my children around an excellent learning environment, where learning is their first priority. Another key factor to their environment is the classmates' parents. I want a school where the parents are heavily involved. This means the school has some sort of parent community or organizations that meet on a regular basis.

4.  Extra-curriculuar activities. What kind of extracurricular activities does the school offer?

    This is also important because I believe when you start a child off in extra curricular activities early, it opens their exposure.

5. The school’s scorecard. I am an avid online person, and there are a number of schools

   score cards online that shows the schools ratings. One I’ve recently looked at is   https://www.excellentschoolsdetroit.org . Also, MetroParent just released their Big Book Of Schools that gives a complete listing of charter, public, and private schools by different counties.

I will keep you guys updated on the different schools I’ve visited and the verdict on the school I decide for pre-k!!

This weekend was busy for me. Graduations, Bridal showers, and baby showers. None the less I had time to snap some pictures with my loves.

Jessica M. Byrd is the parent of a two and one year old. 

She is the founder of Metro Detroit Mom's Club and believes 

every mother should live a life on purpose!