A Tip from 2008: Alternative Schools

Hello Triple B Members,

In a follow-up regarding an article about the difficulty of gaining admission to schools in Chicago, I wanted to let you know that there are always other options. Last week, I was invited to visit the Bucktown Charter School of Chicago. It was not a name I had heard of before, yet I was thoroughly impressed by what I saw.

While they don't offer preschool, they do offer programs from
Kindergarten through eighth grade. I watched the children work on their
reading with an innovative computer program, create a play in the music
room, and work on their mathematics skills. Students work in small groups
on different topics and seemed to be very engaged and interested in their
activities. In addition, each class has access to their own laptops.

A charter school is a school that is funded by the state, but that is
actually run by the charter program. Thus, they are not subject to the
same behavioral rules and are subjected to the charter system standards
rather than to be governed by those of the state. In addition, they are
also expected to be at or to exceed the test scores of the public school
system.

What I found to be truly interesting was that while this is not a school
that you might hear about, their tests scores are extremely competitive with those of Drummond Elementary (which was mentioned in the
article in the Chicago Tribune). In fact, Drummond was mentioned in the
article as being as difficult to gain admission to as Harvard. My point; there are other compatible schools out
there. They may not always be the ones that are creating a buzz around
the city, but there are certainly other good schools that you should be
researching as other options.

Remember that preschool is just that. It is not the end of the world or
your child's education if you do not get into your school of choice.
There are many other options that can prepare your child for school,
including Preschool Prep programs, which we offer right here at Bubbles.
The most important thing is to find a happy place where your child
can socialize, a place where they can learn how to get along with
their peers and create friendships, and a place where they can gain
independence as they separate from their parents.