Why I Advocate for Education Planning

For most of your child’s life, there have been standard options, or norms, surrounding their physical, educational, and sociocultural development. As a newborn, they have predetermined shot schedules and check-ups. When they turn three, preschool becomes an option. At five years old, they’re deemed “school-aged” and confidently march on into kindergarten. Around this same time, organized sports and extracurriculars are introduced. 

Then, fast forward through a lot of growth and that child is 18 years old and considered a legal adult by the state. Suddenly, the prescribed path dissipates. 

What do they do now? What’s next?

I advocate for education planning so that you have answers to those questions long before that major milestone birthday. The bottom line is that there are no set steps for students after high school. The beauty in this, though, is that you and your child get to create a plan to determine their future path.

Now, it’s no secret that I am a huge advocate for college attendance after high school. However, this choice looks different for every child and family. After excelling for the past four years in the classroom, will they apply to attend a four-year university? Would they benefit more, socially and financially, by attending a local community college and then transferring after completing their associate’s degree? Maybe online schooling is a good option since they have a strong desire to immediately gain experience in the workforce. Or, perhaps traditional college routes are not in their path at all and they want to pursue a trade instead. 

No matter the path, this will be the first, real decision your child makes, and one that will catapult them into adulthood. So, it’s a great time to teach your child to think about costs as investments for their intentions, and to carefully consider the perceived value of those intentions. When it comes to decisions as costly as higher education, we should always consider the return on investment (ROI) by doing ample research, ensuring a proper fit, and planning to participate in maturing the investment.

As with most things in the real world, there is not a “one-size fits all” approach, which, ironically, is what we’re accustomed to throughout our child’s early development. This is your reminder that your child is about to become a young adult. It’s time to start planning the roadmap to the rest of their lives, and trust me, the ability to think critically is a life-skill they will carry with them in every phase of life.

If you’re needing some guidance in this area, I’d love to help! Just shoot me a message! Let’s get planning!