Help deciding on early school path K-5+

Our first kid is starting kindergarten in the Fall, and we're having trouble deciding where to send them. We were hoping to get some other folks' thoughts on pros/cons, or what kinds of questions we should be asking ourselves/schools/teachers, to help guide our decision.

We're looking at:

1. A Waldorf-inspired charter school; K-8
2. A two-way immersive Spanish language program; K-8
3. A 'regular' public school kindergarten.

For number 1, we have a grandparent that is a big advocate for the Waldorf system, with a few other grandkids that went to a different, private Waldorf school. We really like a lot of what we've seen with this charter school; a private education experience without the cost, hand-work and practical skills like cooking and sewing, trying to keep some of the magic of being a kid, confidence building and public speaking. The teacher also moves with their class through the grade levels, which strikes me as an incredible opportunity for the teacher to build a very strong and personal relationship with each student, truly getting to know their strengths and weaknesses, 'hitting the ground running' each year.

For downsides, due to the small size of this charter school, they only have 1 class per grade level, so unfortunately, that means that if our kid clashes with this teacher for whatever reason, our only option is to find another school. We've also heard that reading is very much NOT a priority until much later under the Waldorf system, and our kid LOVES to read. Not sure if that's really a problem or not; they'd probably be a few years ahead of normal kindergarten reading anyways, and it's not like we're NOT gonna keep reading at home, but that Waldorf philosophy really struck us as odd (In case it's not obvious, we parents are voracious readers ourselves...).

For number 2, it is a program which starts with 90% of the day done in Spanish, with plenty of contextual clues and gestures, etc. to help kids understand. This balance shifts gradually year by year, until it is roughly 50% Spanish and 50% English by around Grade 5. Being fluent in English and Spanish is a huge advantage here, and learning language that young seems to come waaay easier than later in life. The exposure to different culture would be invaluable as well.

For downsides, it sounds like a pretty intense experience. The teachers warn that the kids often come home exhausted at first, that they might not want to talk about their day due to needing to 'recharge' first. The school itself isn't quite as nice, definitely more crowded. The program is in its 5th year, so the grade 6-8 part is planned at a local Middle School, but hasn't been 'battle-tested'.

Number 3 is the public school we're zoned for. It's a newer facility, backs up to one of our favorite parks, and would be about a 15 minute walk through quiet neighborhoods or a 5 minute drive. Otherwise, just... a regular school.

What are some good ways to work through making this decision with my partner? Any red flags that jump out to anyone based on this limited info?

Submitted May 21, 2024 at 01:43PM by AustinJ78 https://ift.tt/ZVhkfLr