4 Things to Remember When Choosing the Best School for Your Child

The right school for your kid can make all the difference in their overall success both in the academe and in life.

Investing in education is one of the most important favors that we can do for our children. The good news is that today there are many school options for them down the street, whether we want them to attend a public or private one, or go homeschooling. On the other side of the coin, this abundance of options typically leaves us parents in a state of perplexity over how to find the most optimal environment fit for our kids’ needs and their learning process. It’s a tough call.

With all the best intentions in the world—like allowing our mini-mes to feel happy and comfortable in a school ecosystem that brings out the best in them—we might be tempted to take charge and jump in head-first. Let’s hang around a bit, though. Before sporadically deciding onto where to enroll our kids, here are four reminders to help guide us in the selection process.

1. Create a list of school options with your child.

If you were to buy a home appliance, you would most probably want to talk to friends and family for information and recommendations. Similarly, when met with lots of school options, you make phone calls, collect materials online, and look for reports in the local newspaper to get a hold of what schools have to offer. While doing so, you might as well take down notes on which of them have a strong academic curriculum, flexible and holistic approaches to learning, excellent performance relative to other school options, and supportive behavior and discipline policy. 

This way, whether your child is an independent learner who learns best at his own pace, or one who is more adaptable to a structured teaching style, the two of you can keep tabs of your negotiables and non-negotiables.

2. Visit school campuses with your child.

Sure, you want to pick the school that looks good on paper, with all the positive notes and carefully curated photos plastered on their websites, brochures, and leaflets. Be wary, however, because words and pictures aren’t everything. You have to go see it yourself and take advantage of campus tours. 

And when you do, ask if you can have a look at an actual classroom setting so you see teachers in action. Some academic institutions may not have the latest and most advanced facilities, but they might have well-trained educators that make learning experiences rewarding for both students and parents. So, go ahead, take your child with you, and make sure the school is a welcoming place, even for kids with learning and thinking differences.

3. Provide guidance and support.

For some children, dream schools are a huge factor in their decision making and in setting a standard for their choices. They will most likely get a knot in the pit of their stomach and feel devastated if they don’t get in—which is totally normal for people who are enthusiastic about their dreams. Listen, and understand where they’re coming from. We all experienced this at some point in our lives, didn’t we?

So, when trimming down options, discuss with your kid all the pros and cons. It’s vital that you give them a safe space to share their fears and frustrations, especially when enrollment to that dream school didn’t happen.

4. Prepare financially as soon as possible.

Once you have made the choice for your child’s primary and secondary schooling, you better think ahead. Time flies by so fast that in the blink of an eye your mini-me is all grown up preparing for college—the next big educational investment. With the rising inflation, tuition and other fees can cost a fortune. It pays to prepare as early as today, allowing you to sustain your child’s educational plan.

You can save up on your own, or you can get AIA Philippines’ Future Scholar, a financial safeguard with guaranteed cash payouts that help fund your child’s tertiary education. With Future Scholar, building your child’s education funds can start today. Then, you can cash it out after five years, or wait until your kid reaches the age of 17—either way, you’re confident your highschooler will be able to get the college education that you both have always envisioned. Should anything untoward happen to you before you can even withdraw the savings, you can rest assured that your teen remains entitled to it.

“We know that the pandemic and the volatile economy have made everyone insecure about their savings. As a parent myself, I understand every parent’s desire to ensure that there are guaranteed benefits intended for their child’s future,” said Tennyson Paras, AIA Philippines’ Head of Products. “And this is what we had in mind when our Products Team designed AIA Future Scholar. We wanted to make sure that no matter what happens, a healthier, longer and better life awaits our children.”

Achieve that level of peace of mind with AIA Philippines. Visit their website if you want to know more about AIA Future Scholar, and guarantee the savings for your child’s future needs.