October 2026 Newsletter

Happy Fall!

This fall, we have been busy meeting with new clients and hosting a series of educational panels: Navigating the Private School Process, SSAT Parent Workshop and The Journey After Preschool. We want to thank all of the admission directors, educators and psychologists who shared their experience and knowledge. 

In our city, we are fortunate to have fantastic public, private, charter, and specialized schools available to your family. As educational consultants who have been in the field for more than 75 years combined, we know there is not a perfect school. The words compromise and choice must be a part of your vocabulary as you research and explore.

Key Considerations When Evaluating Schools 

• A child’s strengths, interests, academic readiness, and social emotional development
• Your practical priorities like location, financial considerations, support, and above all the community and culture.
• School curriculum and academic philosophy
• As educational consultants we assess the learning style of the child and understand each school’s program for support and challenge. We can connect you to specialists when needed.
• We also listen to your assessments of your visits, discuss options and next steps, knowing the different application processes for different schools, testing requirements and deadlines to help you manage the entire process no matter what school you are considering. 

Our goal is to help you make a thoughtful and informed decision, grounded in your child’s needs. 

What Makes a Good Preschool?

1. Structure and Routine: Helping a child learn to listen, communicate and acclimate. 
2. Engaging Learning: Providing purposeful play, imagination and encouraging exploration through experimentation using song, stories and conversation. 
3. Independence: Practicing routines by waiting in line, washing hands, eating snacks and practicing gross and fine motor activities.
4. Social Emotional Growth: Building these skills by exploring their feelings, friendships, learning to play together and working together in collaborative play. 

As a wonderful educator said in our recent preschool panel, there are 4 domains that must be covered in a preschool curriculum: social emotional, cognitive, motor and of course, academics. 

What makes a Strong Elementary School? 

1. Dedicated Teachers: Reading and phonics are key but more importantly the teachers help children reach their potential. They encourage students to be curious and creative and provide each child with extra instruction or challenge a child to go further. 
2. Active Learning: Whether it is math or social studies, our children must build upon their learning, master the subject through experimentation, writing, thinking, problem solving, and investigation.
3. Fostering Curiosity: Elementary schools must foster curiosity of  learning and love of learning through many paths. Children learn differently and excellent teachers identify and build individual paths.
4. STEAM: Support and enrichment through STEAM coupled with collaborative thinking is important. 
5. Assessment & Intervention: Methods of assessment are also important to help identify concerns and consider intervention. 

Key Factors in Evaluating a Middle School:

1. Understanding Development: Children are constantly changing in the middle school years. There is more division of growth and some kids grow at a faster rate and develop a sense of more independence earlier. There is a wider gap in many areas because of the complexity of this age of adolescence. 
2. Executive Functioning: We need trusted teachers who truly understand the needs of this age, particularly executive functioning skills, organization, studying and time management.
3. Academic Foundation: Students need a strong academic foundation to analyze, debate, process, and explain their reasoning. Development of these skills through specified practice may include homework or projects. 
4. Holistic Support: Confidence must be built and growth encouraged, through opportunities like arts or athletics. The middle school years are important for developing interests but children may also need the attention of an adult to notice when they are falling behind, feeling ill equipped or feeling isolated. Even though they are growing and developing independence, at this age, children still need strong teachers and adults to help them through the middle school journey of putting all the pieces together. 

Middle schoolers need attention and want help but don’t always know how to advocate, study, or take responsibility for their actions. Help is still needed. 

Educational consultants like us are here to help you with your concerns, plans and your educational journey. We go beyond just giving you a checklist and a list of schools. We care about you and your family.

A special thank you to our fellow educators, who make our work possible. And of course, to you, our parents! 

Barbara, Betsy, Fontaine and Margo