糖心原创

If you are new to the school where your child has just been accepted, you may think that the school functions like a well-oiled machine with little help from outside. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your help and support as a parent are essential and, indeed, expected. In 2026, parent involvement remains especially important as schools manage student wellness needs, technology integration, enrollment pressures, and rising operating costs. Let's look at some ways in which we parents can contribute time, talent and treasure to our children's schools.

1. Support your school financially.

Depending on where you live and what your schedule is like, supporting the school financially may be all that you can do. If you have the means to make a significant gift, then contact the development office to see how best to use your munificence. Leadership gifts are critical to any school's fundraising success. In any case, give what you can. Gifts from parents are an important source of funding for most private schools.

In 2026, many schools also offer online giving portals, recurring donation options, and targeted campaigns for financial aid, security, technology, and student wellness initiatives. Parents who want more background on school finances can review 糖心原创 Endowments and Tuition Explained and Navigating 糖心原创 Finances: A Parent's Guide.

2. Be a class parent.

Primary schools, in particular, will appreciate help with all sorts of things. You will be worth your weight in gold if you are the kind

When our daughters went to preschool back in the '70s in Garden City, New York, we took them in for an interview, and that was about it. The children were toilet-trained and pretty well socialized. To the best of my knowledge, there were no formal assessments of their cognitive skills and so on. As far as their mother and I were concerned, our daughters were gifted children. We never had any formal assessment of our suspicions until the girls were much older, at which point testing confirmed that they were indeed gifted.

Is your child gifted or bright?

There is a difference. For a detailed explanation of the differences, read .

Preschool admissions assessments have changed in the 21st century. Preschools want to know what your child knows and what she is capable of at age two. So, against that backdrop, let's look at some of the more common ways preschools assess their very young applicants. And, perhaps even more important, from our point of view as parents, let's try to understand why such testing is necessary.

Common Assessment Tools

• The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test is commonly known as Olsat. This test is popular in New York City, where it is a requirement for admission into programs for gifted children. The OLSAT traces its roots back to a test developed by Dr. Arthur Sinton Otis, known as Army Alpha, administered to U.S. Army recruits in World War I.

• Another test that you

Cindy Springsteen writes about teens for the Long Island Examiner. I asked her about the challenges facing teens and their parents in the 21st century within the context of sending them off to private school. Here are her answers. ~ Robert Kennedy

RK: Does sending your teens off to private school help protect them from drinking and other forms of substance abuse? Your reasons?

CS: No, I do not think sending your teens to a private school is going to protect them from the dangers of drinking and other forms of abuse. Teens are teens, and just because they are in a private school, they will still be exposed to everything available to them in the public schools. In some cases, it is said that private school teens come from families with money and could more easily purchase bad things. This is a personal opinion.

RK: Cindy, I agree that teens are teens.

Whether they go to private or public school, they will be exposed to all sorts of opportunities to drink. The difference, however, with private school is that if they are caught, the consequences will be serious and swift. I know of an instance at one of my daughters' schools where a couple of seniors decided to sneak a drink on campus a few days before graduation. They were caught and were not permitted to attend graduation.

RK: Let's look at another serious issue.

"Honey! They want me to run the Berlin office. It's a great promotion. They want us there in two months." After congratulating your wife on her thrilling new assignment, reality sets in as you wonder what you will do about your children's education. Will they be able to attend a school with classes taught in English? Will the curriculum follow American standards or foreign ones?

Relax. Your wife's overseas assignment has many perks, one of which is that her employer will pay for your children's educational expenses at a private school while you are abroad. Your children will be taught in English to international standards. Of course, if you prefer to have them attend schools where they will be taught in a foreign language, that will be an option. Most expats keep things simple and have their children attend international schools with classes mostly in English. Let's explore what's involved in educating your children overseas.

International Schools

You can find international schools in almost every major city outside the United States. International schools offer instruction in English and the usual kind of college preparatory curriculum you would expect to find in an American high school, public or private. International schools offer Advanced Placement courses and International Baccalaureate programs.

This video offers us a glimpse of what the Berlin Brandenburg International School offers.

You will find so-called American schools in many major cities with many Americans. These schools will make your children feel like they have never

You worked harder than you ever thought you possibly could. Your teachers demanded excellence. Your best. There were many times when you doubted your own abilities to make it. In the end, they knew what they were doing. They also knew what you were capable of. They helped lay that solid foundation for success in later life.

Your coaches refined your game. Showed you tips and tricks which made you more competitive. All without losing sight of good sportsmanship and the benefits of regular exercise and physical activity.

But most importantly, you graduated from your school with the best thing of all: a network of friends and classmates which will be yours for life.

Now it's time to consider how to give something back to that amazing school which nurtured you. Don't worry that your gift will be too small to matter. Give what you can.

Five Ways to Support Your School

1. Annual Giving

   Annual giving is the foundation of most private schools' fundraising efforts. Typically graduates, or alumni/alumnae as they are called, are encouraged to make a gift every year in support of their school. It's the same concept as the gift you make to support your public radio station or other charity. The gifts range from small amounts to $5,000, $10,000 or more depending on the graduate's financial strength and capabilities. Parents and grandparents are often asked to support the school in this way as well. This has a certain appeal to families which have