Why is Choosing a School So Hard?

Updating and sorting through the multiple schools in our 2021-2022 School Choice Guide was overwhelming, and this is from someone who already had a school for her kids. From day one my family has loved our choice, yet I couldn’t help second-guessing everything while reading all the summaries and objectives and facilities and various experiences they could have had in the massive number of school profiles we host on our site. My family also had an advantage walking into school choice in Beijing because we knew the approach that works great for our oldest, but how could we choose a school for our 3-year-old without totally screwing up his childhood development?

It’s no secret that early childhood is key in a child’s overall life, and media blasts us with notions of how our children should be learning. “Early childhood development (ECD) is now considered a time which lays the foundation for an individual’s future overall health, happiness, success, and social behavior, according to the Central Asia Institute. “The years of zero to three can be a time of great opportunity – or a missed chance to give a person their best chance at life.”

No one wants to be that parent who didn’t give their kid a better life, but that’s what every advertisement for schools and toys screams at us. If they don’t know their alphabet by age two, they’re behind. If they don’t speak in complete sentences by age three, you must have missed that millisecond when they were ripe for learning. If they aren’t correcting your math by four then forget it, pack up your parenting gear, you just failed.

So how can we throw off the guilt monsters and make a clear choice for our kids, that will keep everyone happy for all of their days? That’s not going to happen merely poring over the 100+ page magazine, although it works as a great foundation. And no one wants to go through the whole process of choosing a school, enrollment, paying for and getting uniforms, getting their kids used to the whole idea, only to realize you made a horrible mistake and do it all over again. Third culture kids have it hard enough with transitions; school seems like the one place we can make it easy for them.

This is one of the reasons why we host the Jingkids International School Expo (JISE) every year, and why we modified this Apr 17 event to tailor it towards parents who need to make those decisions early. Maybe you’re having trouble deciding on a kindergarten, or you just can’t fathom the leap from ECE to primary. Either way, we’re here to help all day long on Apr 17, from 10am – 5.30pm, for free at the Jiarui Culture Center.

Jingkids selected 50 of the top international schools in Beijing to host a booth at this conference, held all day on Saturday, Apr 17. Here you get to really talk to every school representative and ask the hard questions. You get to feel the vibe of the school and collect awesome swag. You don’t feel rushed by the immediacy of the school tour or the sweet little eyes of other students starting at you. You’re able to quickly compare notes from one school to another and return for follow-up questions. Most importantly, you can do all these things at your own pace and with you in the customer role.

Is your program play-based, student-driven, or is there a clear curriculum and outcomes for each year?
If my child’s birthday is in the first week of school, are they able to be in the older age grouping or do they need to stay in the younger classroom?
Do children nap during the school day? For how long? What if they’ve dropped their naps?
Do students have access to the school library?
Is there Mandarin instruction or is it immersion? What is the experience like for children who don’t know Mandarin yet?
Do they have PE, Art, or Music, classes?
Are there after-school classes or after-school care available on campus?
How much interaction do students have with older students?
How are intimate situations like potty use regulated?
Do parents have an opportunity to participate in school activities? What are the expectations of hours volunteered and possibilities?
How often do parents meet with the teachers?
What is the primary method of communication between parents and teachers?
What happens in the event of temporary closure due to Covid or otherwise? How is e-learning set up and is it optional or mandatory?
What has the school learned from its experience with e-learning for these grade levels?

If you had trouble answering any of the questions above, it’s time for an education refresher course. So head over to the QR code on this poster to register for this event for free!