Education in Delaware: Choosing a Preschool or Elementary School

How to choose the right preschool or elementary school for your child.

by Theresa Gawlas Medoff Published July 19, 2012 at 11:53 AM

A student visits the library at Independence School in Newark.

Delaware families are in the enviable position of having a multitude of choices when it comes to schooling their preschool-age and elementary school-age children. In addition to an impressive number of private and religiously affiliated schools, families can also select from a range of public school offerings. These options allow families to choose the school where they feel their child will learn best, but making that selection requires research and careful consideration.

“There are so many options available to families that sometimes it can be overwhelming,” says Vicky Yatzus, head of Independence School, a pre-K to eighth grade private school in Newark. “Choosing the right school for a child is all about fit, and every child has different needs.”

Yvonne Johnson, president of the Delaware PTA, points out that it will take some effort to find the right school. “Selecting a school in Delaware today is a project,” she says. “It’s not like when we used to just go to the public feeder school. There are a million different reasons parents would choose one program over others, including the school’s ratings on DCAS [the state’s standardized assessment tests], the teachers, class sizes, and whether it’s close to home or child care. In general, though, parents worry about three main things: how well their children will be educated, if they will be safe, and if the school is convenient.”

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