Meet The Grauer School

The Grauer School, located in Encinitas, CA, is a private day school for grades 6-12 offering independent, compassionate, college preparatory education. According to their website: We work in an environment of academic excellence to help students develop as caring, compassionate, ethical individuals, aware of their responsibilities to local and global society. To accomplish our mission, we seek students who are able...

Meet The Gillispie School

Right in the heart of La Jolla, nestled underneath shade trees just a few steps down Girard Avenue from the hustle and bustle of La Jolla Village, sits The Gillispie School, an independent school for approximately 300 students from preschool through sixth grade. The school was founded on its current site in 1951 by Ada Gillispie, a philanthropist who cared deeply about the community’s children. The school has...

Evaluating Preschools

How do you evaluate preschools and gauge the quality of the programs? A good place to start is by searching for schools that meet standards set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Look for programs that follow these four guidelines. Preschools should focus on children. What type of opportunities does the school provide for children to interact with other children and...

With Preschool in Your Future…

by Mare Williams, Director of Aspirations School of Learning in Carlsbad, CA It’s the journey and not the destination, I keep reminding myself.  This statement rang true for a group of my parents recently when we enjoyed a discussion about the benefits of a junior kindergarten program versus a kindergarten program for their children. In consideration of this, many thoughts come to mind and as always, I let...

The Waiting (List) Game

You’ve applied to your private school – or schools – of choice and are anxiously awaiting letters from the admissions offices. Receiving a yes or no letter gives you a definitive answer. But what if your child is placed on a waitlist? What does that mean? We answer some common questions about how waitlists are used in the admissions process at private and independent schools. How do schools decide...