Why To Consider A Religious School For Your Child

 ypoung girl in school uniform

New York City parents have a dizzying array of options when they turn to the task of deciding how their child’s education will shape up. Public, private, charter, and parochial and religious schools all present different benefits and drawbacks; ultimately families need to prioritize which factors are most important to their daily life (ie: The length of the commute, afterschool activity options, etc.) and to their values’ system.

For many NYC families, a religious school makes a for a great education option, whether or not faith is a major part of their home life. In fact, a Catholic or Jewish education can be a fantastic way to expose your child to different ways of thinking about the world and interacting with their community.

“First and foremost, agnostic families should know that their children will be welcomed on an equal footing with every other child. Our fundamental belief, rooted in thousands of years of tradition, is that each of us is loved equally by God. As a result, our school culture is one that is welcoming to all,” says Hope Mueller Lippens, Principal of St. Ann, The Personal School in east Harlem. “Families should know that we look for ways to incorporate character education at developmentally appropriate stages. For example, we know that fostering empathy is an important gateway to social intelligence growth for Kindergartners. Accordingly, we focus on the Catholic value of ‘service’ at this stage, to help children move out of their natural egocentrism to one that recognizes their responsibility to the larger community.”

In a similar vein, choosing a religious school can mean opening up your child to a values’ system that can inform all aspects of their education. The key takeaway is that it’s about shared human values, not just about one specific faith.

“Judaism is not just about God and prayer. Judaism offers us a history, a community, and a set of values and ethics to guide our lives. Even if your family chooses not to celebrate holidays or follow ritual practices, you can still be guided by Jewish values and ethics,” explains Rabbi Rena Rifkin, the director of the Religious School at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, a Reform congregation on the Upper West Side. “Things like: Standing up for those less fortunate or powerful in our society (tzedakah); caring for our planet and all of the creatures on it (bal tashchit); or even working to make ourselves better people by learning from our mistakes (teshuvah). And Jewish history is a rich story that can help families feel connected to a larger community and peoplehood.”

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For parents considering a religious school, there are some important factors to keep in mind throughout the decision-making process. Parents should consider their own feelings about faith in their family—is it something that’s very important in daily life, or that they’d like to make more prominent in their child’s upbringing? They should also consider the educational goals they have for their kids, the curriculum elements that resonate with them, and whether other aspects of an independent education (for example: Uniforms, tuition costs, etc.) are right for them.

“Like any private school, parents should consider the tuition requirements and investigate whether there would be financial aid and/or scholarship opportunities. Parents should also be comfortable with any uniform or dress codes that would be required,” Mueller Lippens says. “More specific to a religious school, I would recommend that parents choose one whose values align with their own family’s beliefs. Parents should also make sure they are comfortable with any religious classes or services that would be included in the curriculum.”

In order to get a clear view of the scope of religion in a school’s mission and day-to-day classroom experience, parents should plan to meet with school officials at any religious schools that are of interest to them. Like with any step in the school admissions process, they should do their research and come to meetings armed with thoughtful questions.

“Parents should feel comfortable with the philosophy of the community and the religious school, and be on board with the expectations. You should meet with the staff of the school and feel comfortable talking to them about your child,” Rifkin says. “It’s important that you feel like your child will connect with the place and the people—and that you will, too!”

Finally, the primary guiding principle parents should keep in mind when considering a religious school is whether they feel at home in the school community—the element of faith is likely to play a big part here, as both the Catholic and Jewish education traditions emphasize community and connectedness heavily.

“Our Catholic faith is used as a foundation for imparting virtues which are essential not only to academic achievement, but more importantly to leading a meaningful life beyond high school and college. Emphasis on individual virtues—like self-discipline, courage, and perseverance—is joined with communal values such as service, generosity, and compassion to help our students live their best life long after they graduate from our school,” Mueller Lippens notes, adding: “Encouraging these communal values has the added benefit of creating a warm and welcoming school culture. Virtues such as friendship, responsibility, and honesty become the focus of not just an individual lesson but of every interaction. These values are a unifying force that create common connections and make us all feel safer to take risks and try our best.”

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BASIS Independent Brooklyn

<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-96b7d365-7fff-d573-681c-f31e225b6f78"></span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 15.499999999999998pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BASIS Independent Brooklyn, a top-ranked private school, fuels creativity, ingenuity, and independence in curious learners in PreK–Grade 12. The nationally recognized BASIS Curriculum is built from global best practices and designed to inspire students to learn at the highest international levels in a supportive environment. From their very first day, students engage in a spiraling liberal arts program with advanced STEM offerings—including Mandarin, engineering, humanities, the sciences, and more. Led by Learning and Subject Expert Teachers, our students gain the critical inquiry and problem-solving skills needed to be successful in their education and beyond.</span></p>

Dedimus Potestatem

<p>Dedimus Potestatem provides fun, engaging, academically challenging programs to students in primary, middle, and high school. Programs include Leadership, Debate, Model United Nations, Computer Programming, Financial Literacy, Filmmaking, Philosophy, Model Congress, Mock Trial, Etiquette, Bioethics, Stem and Bioethics, and more. We currently offer both virtual and in-person private, semi-private, and group sessions and after-school programs. Contact us to bring us to your school today!</p> <p>Sessions</p> <p>We currently offer both virtual and in-person private, semi-private, and group sessions as well as after-school programs. To register, visit <a href="https://www.potestatem.co/bookclassesnow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://www.potestatem.co/bookclassesnow </a>or email us at <a href="mailto:info@potestatem.co?subject=REGISTER" target="_blank" rel="noopener">info@potestatem.co</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.potestatem.co/leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leadership: Middle School ages 10-13, High School ages 14-18</a></p> <p>This is a unique leadership course that gives students the skills they need to succeed in life. Using an activity-based syllabus centered around character traits most sought and admired in leaders (initiative, honesty, self-control, adaptability, empathy, persuasiveness, resourcefulness, diligence, tolerance, determination, generosity, punctuality, courage, reliability, endurance, deference, creativity and integrity) students learn how to deal with situations they encounter in life. 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Debate builds literacy and multi-media research skills, fosters critical thinking and expanded perspectives, enhances public speaking skills, increases confidence, trains students to listen effectively, supports diverse learners and strengthens civil engagement and discourse. </p> <p><a href="https://www.potestatem.co/model-un" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Model United Nations (Ages 11-18)</a></p> <p>Model UN simulates the six major organs of the United Nations. Students role play as delegates from a country of their choosing and learn to write and present resolutions based on topics they are passionate about-just as if they were representing member states of the United Nations. We utilize materials from National Model UN and video tutorials to teach students how to write and present position papers, working papers, and draft resolutions. Students use debate and negotiation to enlist the support of other delegates for their resolution. 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Ivy Prep

<p>Located in Forest Hills, Queens, Ivy Prep New York (Ivy Prep) is a 30-year well established private tutoring school, which focuses on top scores for standardized tests and academic excellence in school work. Ivy Prep prepares motivated students for admissions to top high schools, Ivy league universities and other top universities, and gifted and talented programs.</p> <p>Ivy Prep offers elementary and junior high school students SHSAT, SSAT, ISEE, Hunter High School Exam, and other entrance exams for admissions to top high schools, SAT, PSAT, ACT, APs for high school students, and GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, GRE for college students. Ivy Prep also offers uniquely effective college application consulting to make sure its students reach top universities and right majors.</p> <p>For elementary and junior high school students, Ivy Prep teaches math, reading, and writing to build up students’ solid basic knowledge foundation; for high school students, besides standardized test training, Ivy Prep also teaches school math, English, science, history, literature, writing, etc. to maintain students’ school high GPA. Ivy Prep offers college level basic courses tutoring as well.</p> <p>All teachers at Ivy Prep are professionals, either college professors or licensed high school teachers. They are graduates from Ivy League colleges or other top universities and with at least fifteen years teaching experience.</p> <p>Ivy Prep flexibly arranges all programs. Students can take classes in small groups or individual private lessons; lessons can be in person or online.</p>