ParentEd Blog

Sick of the selfies? We can’t all have the talent of a professional photographer, and kids are extra tough! They move quickly, they make silly faces, and they lose patience with being posed (insert pre-teen eye roll here). But even beginners can learn to take better, and maybe even spectacular, photos! If you have 10 minutes, we’ll share 10 tips to get great photos of your kids with your phone.

Working at a school with 450 adorable children and a constant need to tell their stories, Marketing and Communications Director Anne Henry at Foothill Country Day School has become an expert on finding photos that capture joy. Here are her 10 tips that will help you capture the magic of the holiday season:

 

We believe that preparing students for the future includes helping them understand both the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies. Over the past year, our school has taken meaningful steps to thoughtfully address the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education.

With the guidance of Shane Guilbert-Neal, Upper School Director we’ve pulled together a list of things many parents are surprised to learn about high school admissions. Guilbert-Neal's track record is impressive—last year’s graduating class was admitted to 23 different high schools across the country.

So what do these families know that you might not?

Coined by Harvard-trained psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang, this approach blends firmness with flexibility — just like a dolphin gliding through the waves. It’s about guiding children with structure and support, while also giving them room to explore, make choices, and grow into independent thinkers.

It's been debunked. It's nothing to do with culture. It's nothing to do with gender, etc. Anyone can be a math person, and the best way to learn math is to be calm and to be comfortable and to feel safe.

It doesn't matter where you start, provided you have the growth mindset.

One of the most important decisions you'll make is choosing the right educational path for your child. Here are the key differences between public and private, along with 10 reasons why private school might be the best choice for you. 

An 8-day cycle refers to a type of school class schedule. Foothill chose this option after gathering data and following the latest science for student-centered learning. This new schedule will result in longer blocks of learning time, and fewer transitions for students over the course of the day. Here's why our students are getting used to saying "It is Day 8!", instead of "It's Wednesday today!" 

Summer is the perfect time for kids to fall in love with reading. But for many busy parents, helping your child choose “just right” books can feel overwhelming.Shawn Clark has been a children's librarian for over 25 years and she is an expert and guiding even the most reluctant readers toward their "best book".

"Feels like college." The application process for private high schools can be nerve-wracking and there are bound to be some disappointments as admission decisions are announced. How can students (and their parents) manage this gracefully?

You might think you are giving your child a head start in tech, or maybe you just need to survive your busy day. Everybody loves Ms. Rachel on Youtube/Netflix, right? But a new study shows that handing your young child a screen to occupy them is likely damaging their chances for academic success by the time they are 9 years old

While it might bring about visions of cows, pastures, and little red schoolhouses, the term Country Day School actually refers to a progressive education movement in the early 1900s. Here are 6 distinctive features that make Country Day Schools interesting for today's parents.