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Health & Fitness

Is a Charter School Right for Your Child?

They don't cost anything extra, and they don't have to follow the district's curriculum as rigidly as other schools.

Lately I’ve been researching charter schools -- lots and lots of research -- and when I talk about what I’ve been doing with my friends, they seem to all have the same questions.

I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means, but I want to share what I’ve learned so that other parents can benefit. 

Here are some answers to some FAQs I’ve encountered:

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1. What’s a charter school? Does it cost anything?

Wikipedia defines charter schools as: A publicly funded independent school established by teachers, parents or community groups under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority.

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Since charter schools are public schools, they don’t have tuitions like private schools.

There might be small fees that are different from those of regular public school. For example one area charter will have a monthly “technology fee” of $30 per month to cover computer use and the T1 line. 

2. Why are you considering a charter school?

Typically, charter schools have small classes, and though they usually follow state standards -- beware if they don’t! -- teachers are allowed and encouraged to go outside of the box to teach the curriculum.

Additionally, charters are able to incorporate extra programs such as music, art and foreign languages that regular public schools might not supply due to budget cuts. 

3. Sounds great! How do I sign up?

Whoa, wait a minute. Though charters sound great on paper, I wouldn’t recommend anyone enrolling their children in one without a lot of research.

Each charter school has its own pros and cons, and just because your neighbor’s child is thriving in the one down the street, it doesn’t mean the same school is right for your child. 

First of all, read the charter’s website thoroughly -- I am surprised by how many parents skip that step. Also, read the parent handbook if they have one – that’s usually online too.

There’s one very academic charter in the area that a lot of parents I know absolutely love. However, after I read the parent handbook, I knew for a fact that it wasn’t right for my child or my family, for that matter.   

Talk to parents whose kids go there and see what they like about it.  Make sure you also talk to parents who used to go there and find out why they left. The reasons they left might be negatives to them but positives to you. You just never know.

Of course, tour the school, but then ask if you can sit in on a class. Here’s a tip:  Sit in on your child’s current grade, even if you’re thinking of the school for the following year. That way, you can compare what the children are learning there to what your own child is learning in her current school.

Also, some charters are so popular they have a lottery system and waiting lists hundreds of names long. Some charters require a certain number of hours of parent participation, while others don’t. Some have more fundraising events than others. 

Other questions to ask: What are your teacher qualifications? How do you make sure teachers follow the charter school’s teaching philosophy? If this is just a K-8 school, how are your students prepared for regular high school? 

 4. What are some of the charters in the area?

 Here is a list, but it's by no means a comprehensive one:

River Springs Charter, , Temecula Prep, Context Middle School, the Keegan Academy and Julian Charter.

If you know of others, please feel free to share in the comment section of this blog. 

The great thing about our area is that we have so many choices. Our regular public schools are among the best in Riverside County, we’re home to many great private schools and more charters are opening every year. 

Picking the right school out of all these choices might be overwhelming, but you really can’t go wrong, since I don’t think there’s a “bad” school anywhere in the bunch.

If worse comes to worse and the school you chose ends up not being a good fit, there are plenty of other fantastic options nearby. Aren’t we lucky we live here? 

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