As any parent of a child with special needs knows, children with learning differences process things uniquely. For some students, a traditional classroom may work well for them. However, some special needs students may find it easier to learn in an atmosphere more tailored to them.

Public schools aren’t always able to provide great opportunities for special education, so private schools developed specifically for special needs students can be a great option. Sending a child to private school can seem overwhelming, but it’s a strong option to consider especially where special needs are concerned.

The first thing to know is that federal law requires public school districts to look ...

Although public schools and charter schools are both tuition-free, their educational offerings can look quite different. For some special needs students, a charter school may be a better fit than a traditional public school. However, this may not always be true. Below are some questions to ask when considering a charter school for a special needs student.

1. Why was this school formed? Charter schools are unique in that they are founded by a community group. This can include parents, community leaders, teachers, school districts, or municipalities. The group creates a charter that is submitted to authorizers (a state board of education or educational agency, for example), and if approved, a cha...

With the tumultuous nature of the last sixteen months, educators are saying it’s inevitable that students will find they’ve experienced some learning loss. While we can’t change the past, we should prepare our students to deal with this reality.

Preparing to make up for learning loss is about more than encouraging educational pursuits over the summer. For students to succeed in the upcoming school year, they need to be reminded that there’s going to be things they don’t already know — and that’s okay.

Feeling “behind” can be very stressful for people of all ages. By acknowledging the learning loss that has been almost universally experien...

Many high school students, parents, and educators have spent the last year or so worried about what they’ve been missing. And with all that’s happened, It’s easy to see why people are concerned about students being behind.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that summer is designed to be a time for students to recuperate after a school year. Even with high schoolers, activities should still give them the opportunity to be kids and explore their interests and passions. Below are a few summer activities for high schoolers that will help combat learning loss and encourage them to be their best selves!

1. Summer reading challenge! If you read our blog for middle schoolers,...

Especially for middle school students, learning loss after almost a year and a half of education during a pandemic has been a huge concern. And it’s true that our middle schoolers have struggled a lot during COVID-19. However, combating learning loss in these students doesn’t have to look like practice pages from a textbook or online summer school.

Below are some practical, positive activities for middle school age students to do over the summer, all designed to help them grow and further their education.

1. Summer reading challenge! Many libraries, schools, and other organizations offer structured summer reading challenges for students. Consider getting your child involved in one o...

Summer can be stressful when it comes to dealing with concerns about keeping kids busy while school is out. This summer, that’s probably going to be even more true. There’s lots of conversations about learning loss and how to make up after almost a year and a half of COVID education.

However, especially for young learners, making up for learning loss doesn’t look like what we might think. Below are a few great summer ideas that can build pre-Kindergarten and elementary school age kids up after a couple tough years of education.

1. Get outside and get physical! At this age, children learn with their bodies and their senses. Exposing them to a variety of elements and places help...

Earth Day. It rolls around every April and yet we never seem to be entirely certain why. Some schools might take April 22 to learn fun facts about the environment or even plant a tree. But Earth Day is much more than that, and it’s important for parents to take note.

April 22 was declared Earth Day in 1970 by a Wisconsin senator. Since then, it has served as an annual reminder of the importance of being environmentally conscious. As more research is done into climate change, environmentally-caused illness, and natural disasters, people are tuning in more and more to the way we treat our Earth. And no one should be tuning in more than those who are raising the next generation.

Teaching ...

Parenting can be exhausting at times for everyone, but it can be especially draining for introverts. Being an introvert is defined by recharging during alone time, and that’s hard to snag while caring for children.

Constant questions, conversations, and activities leave little room for privacy. And that’s not even taking into consideration talking to other adults like teachers or other parents.

Read on for a few tips on parenting while introverted!

• Set clear boundaries with your children. Obviously most of the time you have to be present for your kids. But when you can, find the time that you can set out for yourself. Create clear and consistent rules with your children about ...

It's 10 pm on a Wednesday, and no matter what you do, your grade schooler is refusing to go to sleep. You've tried coddling, bribing, sternness, and it's resulted in a screaming match, tears, and your kid is still not in bed. And this isn't the first time.

This situation probably sounds familiar to a lot of parents. Issues are inevitable when raising children. Sometimes dealing with them takes a little help. This is where parent coaching comes in.

Parent coaching is an up-and-coming way to examine parenting strategies and receive assistance. A parent coach is not necessarily a therapist or health professional, but they offer unique advice to parents seeking new perspectives.

Beacause they...

We’ve all heard it said a million different ways: relationships are a vital part of life. According to one of the longest-ever studies of human behavior (it started at Harvard in 1938 and still continues to this day!), relationships that bring us joy help us to be healthier, live longer, and find more success. Neglecting human connection is detrimental, plain and simple.

For parents, this may ring especially true. Sometimes parenting can feel very isolating. Think of a stay-at-home parent who speaks to no one but their toddlers all day. Or maybe a young parent whose coworkers are all single and childless and don’t want to hear “kid stories” every day.

This often beco...