Mom Talk Q&A: Coping with Kindergarten Registration

Welcome to Mom Talk, a new weekly feature on Patch where we'll discuss your questions, concerns and triumphs related to parenting in Sonoma. Catch Mom Talk next week when it returns to its regular Wednesday time-slot.

We're inviting you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in our town. Worried about finding a good pediatrician? Can't get your teenager to drive safely? Share your concerns here and we'll talk them out.

Each week in Mom Talk, we're hoping our local experts and smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions. You can join the Patch Moms' Council too to help brainstorm ideas on how to best serve families.

The column kicks off with some sage advice from local mom and trained elementary educator Michelle Rulmont on the difficult process she went through when picking a Kindergarten for her 5-year-old twins. (Yes, twins. A moment of super-mom applause for Michelle!)

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Two and a half years ago, our family moved to beautiful Sonoma to follow our dream and live in paradise. But last year, as our now 5-year-old twins reached school age, we discovered trouble in paradise: picking a kindergarten program.

Before our thoughts turned to education, we'd moved into a great family-friendly neighborhood in the Prestwood school district—lucky us. But, we had no idea if a large public school was the right match for our kids.

My kids are used to an intimate enviornment—I've been a stay at home mom and they attended a small preschool, only a few days per week. Prestwood has over 400 students; I was worried they might get lost in the shuffle.

Our list started with dozens of options.  We looked at public schools, charter schools, Waldorf schools—we even considered moving to our old stomping grounds in Petaluma, to send them to a district school. 

Eventually we narrowed our choices down to Kenwood Elementary School, the and .

As an elementary educator I've found that the best way to get a sense of a school is to get as much face-time as possible. I reached out to parents at each of the schools, scheduled tours and set up meetings with potential teachers during the regular school day—the best time to see them in action.

Did this solve all of our anxieties? Well, no. We weighed other objective factors.

Location: I work as a substitute kindergarten teacher, so we wanted our children's school to be close enough for me to take a job without dropping them off late. We also wanted them to be involved with their school community and play-dates -- and activities become exponentially harder with a commute.

API scores: Take test scores with a grain of salt, but we definitely evaluated them. They are one of the best tools for monitoring academic achievements, and the  scores are readily available online.

School Grounds: What does the library look like? How updated is the computer lab? Where do students eat lunch? Are the bathrooms clean? Little things add up. 

Full Day vs. Half Day: Prestwood offers a full day kindergarten program; many schools offer half a day. The longest my kids (and many kids) had spent in school was a three-hour preschool session. Could they last six hours a day, five days per week?

So, what did we decide?

In the end, we bagged the check-list and sent our kids to Prestwood, because it felt right.

Six months in, we're thrilled with our decision—the school has exceeded every expectation. (Of course it doesn't hurt that we have the best kindergarten teacher on the planet. Hey there, Mrs. Draluck!) 

Both kids have adjusted well, and my son even loves his homework.

So the bottom line: do your research, talk to current parents and then, trust your gut to pick the school that feels right.

Two kindergarten registration sessions have come and gone, and there's one next week for the 2011 school year. How do you feel?

Check out the Sonoma Valley Unified School District website for forms and deadlines for registration.