With the release of two brochures, a parent group intends to ease the search for public school information.
Columbia Parents for Public Schools, a group dedicated to helping parents navigate the public school system, hopes to soon release two compilations of frequently asked questions — one to arm parents with information they need before the school year begins and another to help them prepare their young children for kindergarten.
The first-day preparation brochure will provide information on bus routes and schedules, show the boundaries that determine which schools students attend, explain whether students assigned to one school can attend another, and offer information for students who are entering the district in the middle of the school year.
The brochure on early-school readiness will outline skills pre-school-age children should possess before entering kindergarten and will also list community resources that can help children who are not prepared. Birthday cutoff dates for entering kindergarten and information about summer school will also be provided.
The brochures, which are made with the help of the Columbia Public School District to ensure accuracy, will be distributed in places such as libraries, day care centers, churches and possibly drug stores. Tracy Holmquest, treasurer of Columbia Parents for Public Schools, said the group is seeking to expand its list of distributors and hopes to publish bilingual editions.
“What happens if you don’t have Channel 16 or a computer at home?” Holmquest said. “Where do we find out about our public school systems?” Channel 16 is an education and government-access channel available only with cable television.
Making the information more accessible is a first step in the direction of solving this problem and a move toward the group’s ultimate goal of creating a “first-day celebration” within the next three to five years, Holmquest said. The event would be a place for parents to bring their children for fun and a centralized location to find information about Columbia public schools.