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Thinking about kindergarten. My boy will start next year. Our home school is Kensington Parkwood.
He has articulation problems and receives speech. It’s not severe and he’s 90% or more intelligible at this point. There are no other delays. But he’s very shy and has difficulty penetrating groups. Thinking about private just for the small class size. My ideas are Green Acres, harbor, Norwood, and possibly Bullis. Thoughts ? |
| Those schools are very different. Beyond small class sizes, what do you want in a school? How much structure (which is different from routine) do you think your child needs? |
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I’m honestly not sure. He’s not a behavior issue and I don’t know if structured vs less structured would be best at this point.
I guess I’m looking for a school that can help a shy kid make friends and will interfere with social dynamics as needed. |
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Hard no to Bullis. They are not SN friendly regardless of how mild.
Do you have an IEP? I’ve heard good things about Parkwood in general. |
Meant to add that things like social skill/lunch bunch supports can be added to IEP. |
| Apply to Maddux. |
| Look at Grace Episcopal Day School. |
| I recommend Green Acres. My son has graduated but we were really pleased with how the school supported him academically and emotionally over the years. We were drawn to the emphasis on learning through play and the focus on social and emotional development. The teachers we encountered were very kind and very tuned in to individual strengths and weaknesses. They were also very quick to address unkind behaviors. |
| OP, in any of the mainstream private schools mentioned above, it's highly dependent on the teachers and the kids in the class. A small school with small class size isn't always the solution. Take time to visit those schools. |
| Look at Harbor. Small class sizes and great teachers. |
Not Maddux if only speech issues. |
| My neighbor's kid went to Green Acres. She said it was very supportive of her kid with a lot of social anxiety. |
The op mentioned wanting to help this kid socially too. Maddux would be a perfect, nurturing school even if it’s “only speech.” |
| Look into Lowell School, too. Not in MoCo, in DC, but not far from some areas of MoCo. |
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OP here I’ve visited all of these (including Maddox , which is not the right fit for him). Lowell is too far.
Harbor looked great but I’d rather have a school he can stay until at least middle school. Norwood, green acres seem to be the top contenders. They are very different but I liked both and unsure which style would be the best fit. |