If you're a parent considering a private education for your child, you can find a plethora of information about schools simply by visiting their websites and reading through admissions materials. However, nothing can be more valuable during this process than physically visiting the school and the personal interactions that you have with the teachers, students, and parents of the school.

To help ensure that you are choosing the right school to give your child the best private education possible, we recommend walking through this checklist as you tour the school:

• 1) The school has a positive reputation in the community.
• 2) The mission and philosophy of the school align with my child's interests, needs, and passions.
• 3) The school will be flexible in working with our family.
• 4) The school fosters an environment for students to want to become lifelong learners.
• 5) The students at the school are friendly and seem enthusiastic about what they're learning.
• 6) The teachers and staff are experienced and take the personal development of students to heart.
• 7) The school offers a safe and secure environment, and these security measures are evident just from visiting the school.
• 8) Graduates seem to excel once they leave the school, whether it be admission to a respected private high school or scholarships to college.​

​Generally speaking, children under the age of 14 are a greatly underutilized volunteer resource. There is so much that can be gained from youth taking an active role in helping our community, which is why our private school finds every opportunity to expose our students to volunteer opportunities.

Here are just a few of the ways that volunteering can positively impact our youth:

• By volunteering at least one hour each week, youth are 50 percent less likely to consume alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or become pregnant.
• Youth that volunteer are more likely to do well in school and graduate.
• Youth that take on volunteer roles learn valuable life lessons such as how to respect others, how to work with different types of people, and leadership skills.

There's no question that there is a direct link between community service and academic gain for our youth. It provides students with the ideal opportunity to apply what they've learned in the classroom to real human needs. Working as a volunteer can also help students to develop better problem solving skills and gain a sense of self-accomplishment.

​We've talked in great detail about the benefits that involvement in extracurricular activities can have on your child. Not only can they help to develop a more engaged student, but they also teach valuable life lessons such as teamwork and self-esteem.

However, if you over-schedule your child with too many extracurricular activities, the benefits can quickly diminish. Unfortunately, parents experience an enormous amount of pressure these days to get their children involved with everything under the sun.

Is your child involved with too many extracurricular activities? Here are some of the most common signs to confirm this:

• While your child is involved in multiple extracurricular activities, he or she is not putting forth his or her best effort in any of them.
• Homework time is suffering simply because your child does not have enough hours in the day to complete it satisfactory.
• Your child is dealing with some behavioral issues due to exhaustion.
• You have very few opportunities where you can spend time together as a family.

​Each year the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is mandated to release a report on the state of education in the United States. The latest report was just released on May 26th and offered several eye-catching findings in regards to the private education sector.

The Connection Between Private Schools and Academic Achievement
Another key takeaway from this annual report is the direct correlation between private education and academic achievement. According to the report, a higher percentage (85 percent) of private school students had taken more advanced mathematics classes such as Algebra II and Trigonometry than students enrolled in public schools. The same could be said for science classes as private school students were more likely to have taken at least one credit in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics than public school students.

​With school officially out for the summer, some parents are feeling a little unsure about how they will keep their children entertained and engaged in learning over the next few months.

Here are 5 great parenting tips that will keep you proactively prepared and help your kids to have a fun-filled summer:

1. Ask for their input when making plans.
If you want your kids to cooperate, it can help to ask for their input when planning out their day. For example, if you need to make a trip to the grocery store and bring the kids along, ask if they would prefer to go to the pool before or after the trip to the grocery store. Also, consider giving them some of the responsibility of locating some of the items on your shopping list. Allowing your children to make contributions and decisions can help to empower them and minimize their urge to misbehave. Always reward good behavior with positive praise, and if possible, an occasional little treat like their favorite snack, ice cream or their choice of a movie.