K-12

This area focuses on 13 of the most significant years in your child's life. During the preceding four or five years, you were the prime caregiver and teacher. Most of your child's learning activities took place within your home or under your supervision elsewhere.

Elementary School

This may be your child's first independent experience, the first time she or he is being taught in a class made up mostly of children with normal eyesight. It's a huge step that involves courage, confidence, determination, curiosity, and a willingness to let go—both on your part and on your child's.

Just remember that it's something virtually all parents and children go through. Elementary school provides the foundation for your child's educational future. It can and should be both challenging and rewarding. You'll find information in this section about what to expect of your child, your child's teachers, yourself, and the curriculum that will prepare him or her to move on to high school.

Junior High and High School

Your child is suddenly a teenager who wants to be more independent, more in charge, more adventurous. That's what you both have been working toward, but it can be a bit intimidating when the time actually arrives. Your son or daughter will be dealing with more demanding academic work, broader and more complex social interactions, physical and emotional changes that occur during adolescence, and the big question of "What am I going to be/do when I grow up?"

No one has the perfect recipe for handling all those issues, but this section has advice and information to guide you and your child through the years of getting ready for college and the world of work.