The Picky Parent Guide is a resource that can help prepare parents to find the best learning environment for their child. The guide shares a lot of information for families, and we think the following lists are interesting.

Below you will find two lists from Picky Parent Guide that show signs of a great and not-so-great school fit.   

Signs of a Great Fit between School and Child

• Your child is eager to go to school (or preschool or day care)
• Your child acts energized and happy at the end of the school day
• The pace of learning in core subjects is, overall, about right for your child: challenging but achievable
• You see tremendous progress in your child’s overall development-academic, physical, social and emotional-throughout each school year
• Your child feels that his or her abilities and interests are appreciated at school
• Your child is achieving and performing academically (“cognitively” in younger years) at the level of which he or she is capable
• Your child has friends and acquaintances who like and accept him or her at school
• School work and friends are important, but not all-consuming, parts of your child’s life

Signs of a Not-So-Great Fit between School and Child

• Well into the school year, your child is hesitant, or even adamantly opposed to going to school (and other stressful events in your child’s life can’t explain these feelings)
• Your child is not just tired, but worn down and unhappy at the end of most school days
• Your child has made little progress in the past year, either academically, socially, emotionally or physically
• Your child often says “school is boring”
• Your child is not performing as well academically as you think he or she can
• Your child expresses little interest in what he or she is learning at school
• Your child often says that teachers or other kids do not understand or like him or her
• Your child doesn’t seem to have any close friends or friendly acquaintances at school
• Your child shows symptoms of stress only when school’s in session (e.g., sleeplessness, fatigue, excessive clinginess and whining, new nervous habits, regressing to younger behaviors)

Have you found a great school fit for your child? What signs did you notice that helped you know it is a great fit?