Reply to Local Level IV vs. Center

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Reply to "Local Level IV vs. Center"

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[quote=Anonymous]You know your school, the teachers and possibly, the cohort of kids who plan to stay (reach out to other parents!). Talk to parents of older kids who went the center route -- find out what their experience is. Look at after-school and enrichment programs, at your own schedule, and how important such programs are for your family, the length of the commute to a center (and your kid's interest in other extracurricular activities).

Also look at the center -- where does it recruit from, how cohesive is the parent organization, what do you do when your kid's BFF ends up being across town? If you have more than one, what happens if only one kid is identified -- are you willing to be an active parent in two schools?

Then figure out how those experiences would jive with your kid... there is no one-size-fits -all.

My kid has a hard time with transitions, and she deeply values some afternoon playtime. I would likely NOT send her to a center, given the option. But that is also because I know and like our home school and they tend to produce large batches of AAP kids each year. So the advantage of a center definitely does not outweigh the loss of continuity in our situation. Without such a strong home school, we would be in a bind, as she definitely needs the faster pace in an AAP program.

Other situations may well be different. Important issue -- don;t take some opinion as a one-size-fits all, figure out your own situation! Schools that have local Level IV tend to have a pretty involved parents community (which is how they got that program!) and enough smart kids to feed that program.

My personal opinion is that a local LIV is a great resource, and I would take it in a heartbeat -- unless I really disliked the home school and *needed* to get out of there. Elementary age kids will still benefit more from their local community than from being sent to a 'center', you have more say in the school management and every kid that stays brings additional resources to your home school.... [/quote]

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