Making the decision to choose a personalized schooling experience for your child is an important first step. Although many additional steps will follow, your family will reap the rewards of committing to your research and finding the right location right for your child. Many factors go into what makes the perfect school for your situation. Before picking a charter school, it’s important to consider the needs of your child, but don’t forget about the needs of your family. It can be daunting looking for the right program, so here are six tips to know before picking a charter school:

What does your child need?

Every child is unique and you – the parent or guardian – know them best. It will be helpful to list the specific things that make your child who they are. Is your child an athletic protege? Scientifically gifted? Do they like an active and social learning environment or do they do better with a studious and quiet classroom? Are they interested in the arts? Do they like project-based activities or do they prefer paper-and-pencil assignments? Answering all of these questions will help narrow down your search for the perfect program. Charter schools Orange County offers programs ​​that are serious about delivering better learning opportunities compared to the traditional public school system. Both public school and charter schools are open to all children, do not require entrance exams, cannot charge tuition, and must participate in state testing and federal accountability programs. However, charter schools offer children much more flexibility in curriculum.

Consider which program is best for your family

Taking your whole family into consideration when looking into the right charter school is so important. Be honest with yourself about how much time you actually have to dedicate yourself to your child’s education. Choose an amount that is sustainable as you cannot be the one to let them down. Consider if you or your partner plan on homeschooling, if someone will be available every week day for several hours to not only supervise the work, but actually teach the material? If you don’t have much time, but still want a curated experience for your child, you’d likely be interested in hybrid charter school programs. For a hybrid program, ask yourself and your partner if you’ll be willing and able to work with your child on the home study days to complete assigned work. Also, think about if you’re only choosing the program because it’s offered on the right days, or do you truly embrace the philosophy of the program you’re interested in? Just because a program offers a desirable schedule doesn’t mean it will be the right fit for your child.

Do your research

Now that you’ve narrowed down what kind of program would work best for your child as well as your family, you can hit the world wide web in search of the right charter school in your area. Your research begins the second you visit a program’s website. Listen to your gut here and take note of your first impressions and potential questions. Many schools will include detailed descriptions of how learning occurs at the school. Read all the links available for each program possibility and if any catch your eye, read them with your child to see if it interests them as well. Press them on what catches their eye and what they would look forward to most in the program to get an even better sense on what kind of program would be best for your child.

Take a tour

If your child has taken interest in a worthy program, the next step in your selection process is to physically visit the school with your child and partner, if possible. Request to speak with the Principal of the charter school. Look through the textbooks your child will be assigned and read a few materials that will aid your child in learning various subjects. Again, first impressions here are vital so be sure to listen to your gut and attempt to pick up the “vibe” of the program. If your family is interested in a homeschooling program, request to speak with a homeschool director at the desired program, or ask to be put into contact with an existing homeschool family to discuss what they feel are the honest pros and cons of the school.

Discuss questions and concerns with charter school staff

Before leaving the charter school you decided to visit, be sure to gather the contact information of program directors so you know who to contact when questions arise. And it’s very likely that they will. Your child might even have a few spring up a few days after the initial visit. It’s important to address these questions to ensure your child is a key stakeholder in the charter school program decision. Without this feeling of inclusion, they could feel detached from the final school of choice which could lead to resentment further down the line.