Education Advice

“Been homeschooling a 6-year old and 8-year old for one hour and 11 minutes,” Shonda Rhimes wrote on Twitter at the start of quarantine. “Teachers deserve to make a billion dollars a year. Or a week.” And that was on March 16—now more than a month in the past, although to many parents struggling to adapt to the demands of remote learning, it feels, much, MUCH longer. We hope these tips and words of advice sourced from the PSP community will

A week of remote learning has come and gone, leaving a city full of exhausted parents and restless kids in its wake. Homeschooling is a daunting prospect at any time, and especially when you’ve got about 100,000 other things on your mind—from quarantine concerns to caring for sick loved ones to managing your own work-from-home schedule or coping with sudden unemployment. We hope these top tips from Katharine Hill, M.S., M.A.T., will offer some

Each year, Park Slope Parents members contribute their reviews for their kids’ daycares, preschools, and pre-k facilities to help fellow families who are considering where to enroll their children. If you’re in the thick of the research and application process, read on for members’ answers to the question: “What advice would you give to people who are researching and choosing a program for their kids?”

Looking for more support on everything

Park Slope Parents has more than a dozen PSP Guides—comprehensive resources compiled from crowdsourced and expert wisdom to help you through all stages of the parenting journey.

The PSP Guides Library is available at a reduced price to PSP members, and non-members can also purchase guides for a small fee. If you're a parent in Brooklyn who wants access to all of the guides at reduced cost, plus dozens of forums tailored to your parenting

Each year, Park Slope Parents members contribute their reviews for their kids’ daycares, preschools, and pre-k facilities to help fellow families who are considering where to enroll their children. If you’re in the thick of the research and application process, read on for members’ answers to the question: “What advice would you give to people who are researching and choosing a program for their kids?”

Looking for more support on everything

According to the NYC DOE, classrooms with Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) services include students with IEPs and students without IEPs. No more than 12 (or 40 percent) of the students in the class can have IEPs.

There are two teachers—a general education teacher and a special education teacher. The teachers work together to adapt materials and modify instruction to make sure the entire class can participate.

If your child has been placed in an

The kindergarten application process can be daunting. Park Slope Parents is here to guide the way, with input from special guest and NYC school expert Joyce Szuflita—“the borough’s long-established doyenne of the business”—of NYC School Help.

Summer went by in the blink of an eye, and our kids are once again sequestered behind their screens. As we navigate another semester of remote (and hybrid) learning, our resourceful PSP members have offered up some life hacks to make your days run a little smoother.

Our Park Slope Parents groups have been talking through sending kids back to childcare. Discussions have centered upon how to deal with separation anxiety after so many months of close contact, precautions childcare facilities are taking, and how to prepare your child for reentry. We even had a webinar with a Manhattan-based childcare facility, Vivvi, about the transition back. Read on for key takeaways!

Packing for college can be a daunting task. Here's a master list of stuff to bring, refined over the past three years by PSP's resident rising college senior!

Not yet a member of PSP? It's never too late—we're here from you from the expectant months to the college years and beyond. Join us here!

Deena Maerowitz, Principal, College and Graduate School Advising at The Bertram Group, joined Park Slope Parents for a webinar on College Admissions 101: What, When & How. Read on for wisdom from Deena—and to connect with other families going through the college process through our PSP Tweens & Teens Group, join Park Slope Parents today!

Park Slope Parents hosted a Coping Webinar with Dr. Nanika Coor on managing the transition to school (whatever that looks like)for our kids. Here are some notes and resources that came out of her webinar.

Dr. Coor started with a reminder to hold space for ourselves and for what we have been through over the past five months; it’s a lot. There’s more to come, but being mindful of what we’ve endured and how we’ve been successful so far (even if it

Kind words and practical advice for parents whose kids would rather do anything than go to school in the morning.

As one PSP Member writes: "my son is starting Kindergarten this fall after having been in a preschool / day care that took care of all of his meals every day. He's used to having hot, healthy meals which basically consist of rice / noodles and a protein and a vegetable (like a stir fry type of thing). Now I have to start making him lunch and I'm not sure where to start..." 

Read what some of our members are saying about homeschooling...

The difference between preschools and daycares has become increasingly blurred. There is now a lot of similarities in programing, structure, and childcare. Many preschools mirror play based learning typical of daycares. Vice versa, daycares now offer more educational structure. Throw Pre-K into the mix, and it can get even more confusing - especially in Park Slope where early child care centers line the city’s blocks.

Here, PSP breaks it down

An interesting thread in response to school report cards.

Separation anxiety is natural—but if your preschooler is turning on the waterworks at drop-off, could that mean their school isn’t a good fit? Read member experiences and advice below.

Not yet a member of Park Slope Parents? Join us to find solidarity from your new support group!

Below are notes from a PSP Webinar from July 2020: Is Homeschooling Right for You?

Welcome to the wild ride called college applications. Below are resources that Park Slope Parents members have found helpful in the journey through planning, touring, applying to and accepting offers from colleges. It can be an emotional time, so make sure you have joined the PSP College Discussion group. We will get you and your kids to the end of this rollercoaster intact.

Click to learn more and join Park Slope Parents!

Tips for going back to school and how to combat that crazy feeling.

Credit: Brandy Shaul

Now is the time to put everything in place to make the transtion to the new school year run smoothly. That's why we're reblogging Eleanor Traubman's tips for an organized autumn.

Here are Eleanor Traubman’s top ten tips for staying cool and collected when the lazy days of summer give way to the panic of the new School year.

The first day of school is coming up in the next few weeks. With that comes first-day-of-school jitters. Your child may be nervous; heck, you may be nervous. Big changes are afoot, and they can be scary for the whole family, but PSP is here to help!