PARENTING : Finding the Right Fit : * Experts advise visiting schools to determine if the teaching philosophy matches your child’s style of learning.

Five-year-old Garrett Edell wanted to learn to read and write, but academic subjects were not stressed at the private school he attended. So his parents transferred him to a nearby public school, where he studies the three Rs in his kindergarten class. He even has homework.

“Garrett’s brain is ready to be a sponge,” said his mother, Elaine Edell of Sherman Oaks, “and I wanted him in a learning environment. We felt the public school is more scholastically inclined than the private school.”

Parent Gayla Kraetsch-Hartsough, also of Sherman Oaks, is trying to decide which kindergarten her son Jeff should attend in the fall. Unlike the Edells, Kraetsch-Hartsough is more interested in a school’s TLC than its didactic methods.

“I know Jeff will learn regardless of how the school teaches reading,” she said. “I am more concerned that he be in a nurturing environment that makes every child feel special.”

Edell and Kraetsch-Hartsough may seek different kindergarten experiences for their offspring, but they both want their children to attend a school that meets their social, educational and emotional needs. With a wide array of public, private and parochial schools in and around the San Fernando Valley, parents who are willing to devote time to the search can usually pinpoint a facility that will be a good match for their child.

But does it really matter? After all, we are talking about kindergartners--not college-bound scholars. Is there anything wrong with sending a youngster to the neighborhood school?

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In many cases, the answer to both questions is “no,” according to Cal State Northridge education professor Susan A. Wasserman.

“Almost any child can do well in any well-run school that has the interests of children as its focal point--as most schools do,” she said. “I don’t think there is just one school for each child, and to try to find the perfect match may be a utopia. The best school for your child may very well be just around the corner where he can be with his neighborhood friends.”

But Chris Holabird, director of Los Encinos, a private elementary school, notes that some children perform better in a setting that caters to their needs.

“Some kids can go to any school in town and do just fine,” he said. “But equally talented kids may have a particular learning style. For example, some kids thrive on pressure; other kids don’t perform as well under pressure, especially in the formative learning years.

“To get off to a good start, it is very important that kids feel successful. If everyone in a class moves at the same speed--and it turns out not to be the child’s pace--it can do a lot of damage.”

Prof. Adele Gottfried, who chairs the educational psychology department at CSUN, suggests that parents find out how schools deal with students’ individual strengths and weaknesses. “Every child has peaks and valleys,” she said. “If your child is able in certain areas, look for a school that emphasizes those skills or talents. If your child has special needs, ask how the school will accommodate them.”

Gottfried adds that schools should have a low student-teacher ratio, a solid academic program that includes a variety of subjects such as art, music and physical education, and a broad range of extracurricular activities.

“It is very important that children learn to love learning,” she said. “Schools should provide everything to develop the child. There should be opportunities for creativity throughout all grade levels. Children are happier if attention is paid to their emotional life and artistic side.”

Cost is, of course, also a factor in school selection. Tuition as high as $10,000 a year or more is not uncommon at some private institutions.

Edell, who is pleased with her son’s public school progress, believes that you don’t always get what you pay for. “The facilities might be nicer or newer, but that doesn’t mean your child will learn any more or less.”

Of course, it’s always nice when schools are equipped with fancy computer labs or new athletic facilities, but such amenities should not sway a parent’s decision, according to Wasserman.

“The priority should not be on things, but on the people within the school, their philosophy and how they operate,” she said. “Is it a sit-down-and-be-quiet school, or is it a hands-on school where children have room to grow and develop?”

The task of assessing public schools is made easier with “report cards” (called School Accountability Reports) that rate each facility’s performance in areas including student achievement, class size, safety, services, counseling and attendance. The reports, mandated since 1990 under voter-approved Proposition 98, are available at all California public schools.

But the only way to be sure that a school is right for your child is to spend time there, according to Holabird.

“Brochures have a way of all sounding alike,” he said. “They all claim to be a nurturing place that promotes self-esteem. But one school’s way of translating that goal into action may be quite different from another school’s. It is essential that parents visit the school and the classrooms and use their own best judgment.”

HOW TO CHOOSE A SCHOOL

1. Start early. Begin your search up to two years in advance. Many schools have already closed off applications for fall.

2. Compile a list of likely choices. Talk to parents for firsthand information about the pros and cons of individual facilities. Preschool directors are another good referral source.

3. Attend school events. Most schools offer open houses, tours and orientations to parents of prospective students. Such events help familiarize you with the campus and staff.

4. Make an appointment to visit the school while it is in session to observe classrooms, chat with teachers and meet with principals. It’s a good idea to stop in several classrooms throughout the grades.

5. Introduce your child to the school. After you have narrowed your choices, bring your child to the school to see his or her reaction to the playground and classrooms.

PICK A SCHOOL, ANY SCHOOL

So you want your child to attend public school. Now you have another decision to make. Which school?

Thanks to two new state laws, parents can enjoy greater choice than ever before in selecting a public school for their child. By July 1, students--no matter where they live--may enroll in any school within their district. Assembly Bill 1114, also known as the “open enrollment law,” specifies that:

Schools that receive more requests for admission than they have room for must select students at random--not according to academic or athletic ability.

School districts have the authority to continue to maintain racial and ethnic balance.

Students who now live in the attendance area of a particular school will not be displaced by those transferring from other areas.

But your choices don’t end at the district’s borders. A related “inter-district choice” law (Assembly Bill 19) allows--but does not require--school districts to accept a limited number of students from other districts as part of a five-year pilot program.

Students wishing to transfer to public schools in other districts must apply before Jan. 1 of the preceding school year.