Once parents have made the decision to send their children to private school, the next question becomes “when should they start?” After all, private education can be costly, in both time and money. Your children may have to adjust to new, often more difficult curriculum, make new friends and adapt to a new school culture and rules.
For all of these reasons, experts agree that “the sooner, the better”. Students will receive the maximum benefit of any educational experience the longer they are there. When they start early, they begin with a solid foundation that can be built upon. Beginning with the basic skills of reading (phonics), math sense, writing, grammar and speaking will enable them to quickly and easily move to higher levels of critical thinking, math and writing.
Students who have been given the ability to read well and write well at an early age can more readily understand literature, and can express themselves with more clarity and insight. Students who have mastered math concepts in the primary grades can easily move on to upper level math and science. Most importantly, students who can understand and discuss the “big ideas” that are contained within literature, prose, art, music, math and science when they are young are more likely to be able to be excel in every aspect of their lives, and not be distracted by things that may not be profitable to them. In a world that bombards students with images, ideas, values and choices, it is increasingly critical that children know how to discern what is true and good and be able to reject what is not.
Although it is always recommended that you start your student as early as possible (kindergarten or even transitional kindergarten), the good news is that it’s never too late to provide your children with a private school education. A good school will have a transition plan for students transferring at any grade, and can help you choose a program that is right for your student. Even though the challenges may be greater the older the student is, private schools are eager to educate good students and will welcome strong thinkers at every grade level.
For more information about classical, Christian education, contact Trinity Classical Academy (now enrolling grades TK-12) at (661) 296-2601 or visit www.TrinityClassicalAcademy.com.

Photo by Wally Caddow