WHAT IS A BRIDGE K?

         What is a bridge K class? This is a good question. The challenge for every parent is to enroll their child at the right time in the right school. With different cut off dates in both public and private schools the idea of a bridge K came about in a number of schools. You can look at GreatSChools and the California Association of Independent Schools for which schools offer a bridge K program. The more important questions is what grade your child should enter in the fall. Know your child and his/her developmental age in: language, gross and fine motor skills, social and cognitive aptitudes. Also, be aware of your own cultural and academic objectives for him/her. Your child's chronological age is relevant but so is their developmental age. Hopefully they are overall in synch. Should you need further assistance in determining your child's readiness for school, let me know. I am an Admissions Consultant in the East Bay.

PARENT ASKING ABOUT STARTING KINDERGARTEN EARLY

       To the parent who is wondering about starting their child in K early. First off let's define what you mean by early. Most private school have a cut off of September 1 and some up to December 1. Public schools are changing their cut off dates from Dec 2 to September 2 by 2013. More important than cut off age is your child's overall developmental. Does their developmental age match their chronological age in language, gross and fine motor, cognitive and social skills? if so, then they are ready for K. Should you need assistance in determining your child's school readiness let me know. I am an educational consultant trained with the Gesell Institute of Human Development at Yale. They have developed a very specific assessment for school readiness which I've used hundreds of times for the purpose of supporting parents to decide whether or not their child was ready for K.

PARENT ASKING ABOUT PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE BAY AREA

There are a myriad of private schools in Berkeley: Private, parochial, bilingual, Montessori and the list goes on. For details on each school go to Great Schools and read about each of the schools, what grade levels they serve, type of curriculum, student teacher ratio, extra curricular, and so on. Set up a tour or sign up for an informational event to meet the administrators and school staff.

Observe a class in session if the school lets you. Most importantly, know your child and your own cultural and academic expectations. There are a number of excellent schools in the bay, but excellent will not work if it is not the right fit for your child. Finding the right fit makes all the difference for academic success. Take your time and do your research; speak to other parents that have children in those schools. Your commute school should also be considered especially if you are looking at K-8 or a K-12.

Good luck!