Schools

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Windom, a small K-8 school in the Minneapolis public school system, offers two linked, but distinct, special programs: Dual Spanish Immersion for Grades K-4 and an Open Program for Grades 5-8. The Open Program is being phased out one year at a time as the school transitions to solely immersion programming.

Yinghua Academy, a public charter school, offers full immersion programming in Mandarin Chinese to kindergarteners, first, and second graders. Third and fourth grade classes are taught in English, with daily Chinese language arts classes.

Before and after school care is available for a fee, and afterschool programming includes yoga/tai chi, Chinese dance, and traditional Chinese music.

International Spanish Language Academy is an elementary-level Spanish-language immersion school offering full-day kindergarten and extended day care. The school is currently working toward International Baccalaureate accreditation. ISLA aims to enable children to move on from sixth grade with the ability to read, write, and speak with native speakers of Spanish.

Every parent should know about Club Kid ... just in case. It provides hourly childcare - backup, last-minute, during the summer, and on school release days - whenever it's needed, 12 or more hours a day (with reduced hours on Sundays) for kids ages 16 months to 10 years. There's no reservation required, just show up and drop off. It gives parents a chance to shop, handle urgencies, or just be a little spontaneous.

Kids play in a supervised, stimulating environment. They can enjoy free video games or watch movies on their own, or join new friends in craft projects, aerobics, storytime, or one of the other scheduled activities on the packed calendar.

The Southdale YMCA offers free on-site childcare (for kids from six weeks to 10 years old) while parents work out, with both indoor and outdoor play areas. And like most Ys, it also provides a wide variety of programming for kids and teens, including lots of youth sports leagues and enrichment classes, before and after school care, and teen councils and leadership clubs. Enrollment is open to all for most programs, though fees will be higher for non-members.

Group and private swim lessons are offered in the six-lane Olympic-size pool, with a smaller - and quieter - warming pool available for parents to use with babies and toddlers. Men's and women's family locker rooms provide a spacious place to change and shower. Kids can also get a workout on large muscle equipment in a Kids Gym and give the facility's climbing wall a shot.

The Tri-City SkatePark behind the building is open each afternoon from mid-April throught August, weather-permitting. The innovative in-ground concrete bowl provides a safe environment for skateboarders, inline skaters, and freestyle bikers to tool around, with depths ranging from four to 12 feet, street course elements, and challenges for a variety of skill levels. Waivers and safey gear are required for all users. Call 952.897.5462 for information on lessons. Daily use rates: Members $5; Non-members $9. Punch cards and season passes are also available.

Summer camp: Full-day programming is offered on-site all summer for school age kids, but for a real day camp experience the Southdale YMCA uses Kici Yapi, a fairly primitive 80-acre wooded site with a lake located near Prior Lake. Weeklong programs for ages four to 13 include traditional lanyard-and-archery-type camps, as well as specialized offerings for horseback riding, climbing, camping, and crafts. Seventh and eighth graders can take a leaders-in-training camp and assist counselors with younger kids. Bus transportation for campers is provided to/from sites in Minneapolis and several southern suburbs; kids enrolled in extended care in addition to camp get dropped off and/or picked up at the Southdale Y.

Yinghua Academy, a public charter school, offers full immersion programming in Mandarin Chinese to kindergarteners, first, and second graders. Third and fourth grade classes are taught in English, with daily Chinese language arts classes.

Before and after school care is available for a fee, and afterschool programming includes yoga/tai chi, Chinese dance, and traditional Chinese music.

Minneapolis Community & Technical College is located at the edge of downtown, just west of Loring Park.

Concordia University, one of 10 liberal arts universities operated by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, boasts several performance spaces and sports arenas, including the Buetow Music Center, the Gangelhoff Center Arena, and the theatre and studios in the EM Pearson Building.

Hand In Hand Child Care Center, a laboratory school providing Christ-centered care for children ages six weeks to kindergarten, is located on the first floor of the Wollaeger Hall dorm. Weekly rates range from $175 to $265. Call 651.641.8491 or email spiess@csp.edu for more information.

The school makes dorm rooms available for rent over the summer, providing low-cost hostel-style accommodations for travelers.

Formed when two century-old organizations - Children's Home Society and Family Services - merged in 2003, the non-profit CHSFS provides a multitude of valuable services for families and children in Minnesota.

Families can turn to CHSFS when they are in crisis, trying prevent crises, and for other needs. The organization offers adoption services, crisis nurseries, childcare, and a host of family support services, including financial counseling.

Not all services are offered at all locations. Check the website for specific programs.

CHSFS welcomes monetary donations and volunteers, and offers many opportunities for youth ages 16 and up to contribute on an ongoing basis or during special events.

Rayito de Sol's programming - offered at two locations - is designed to stimulate toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners ages 16 months to five years old through immersion in Spanish language and culture. Full-day and half-day programs are offered, with two, three, or five times per week options, as well as extended day care.

The school also offers summer camp for children ages six to 10.

Every parent should know about Club Kid ... just in case. It provides hourly childcare - backup, last-minute, during the summer, and on school release days - whenever it's needed, 12 or more hours a day (with reduced hours on Sundays) for kids ages 16 months to 10 years. There's no reservation required, just show up and drop off. It gives parents a chance to shop, handle urgencies, or just be a little spontaneous.

Kids play in a supervised, stimulating environment. They can enjoy free video games or watch movies on their own, or join new friends in craft projects, aerobics, storytime, or one of the other scheduled activities on the packed calendar.

MNOLA promotes and supports online learning by ensuring the quality of instruction, developing collaborative relationships, and advocating for growth. The website has a listing of member programs for Minnesota families.

Minnesota's K-12 students can learn online in programs throughout the state. This option allows students to continue, expand, and enhance their education, by enrolling full-time, or just taking a course or two not otherwise available to them.

It's thoroughly enjoyable to make a day out of a visit to Como Zoo in the summer. With the McNeely Conservatory, historic Cafesjian's Carousel, and the new Como Town seasonal amusement park located right in the same area of lovely Como Park, it's a no-brainer. But a winter visit is special too - even though many of the animals remain indoors - especially if combined with one of the zoo's many parent/child classes.

The zoo is compact, though a leisurely circuit can still take several hours. Primates, large cats, birds, and African hoofed animals can be viewed inside buildings and out - but the polar bears are away while their new environment is under construction! The new Leonard Wilkening Children's Gallery (open April 19, 2008) helps kids learn about nature and the circle of life through five stations of interactive exhibits, hands-on activities, and imaginative play.

Como is more than 100 years old, founded in 1897 with just three deer in a fenced pasture! Its age shows in some of the exhibits, which harken back to the days when cement cells were the norm, but it's a mistake to dismiss Como as the poorer sister of the Minnesota Zoo (which was built after a committee deemed Como couldn't be expanded). Free admission is just one of the simple pleasures it has to offer.

Sparky the Sea Lion - or rather, her latest incarnation - has been performing in the amphitheater for 50 years now, with two shows daily (Tue-Sun) in the summer. She's still popular - be sure to nab a spot on the benches early for weekend shows! - but the zoo's Halloween ZooBoo fundraiser each October is an even bigger draw.

In winter months, the coffee, salads, and sandwiches at Zobota Cafe are the only options for on-site food. Concession stands serving popcorn, ice cream, pizza, and other treats open for the summer ... but be warned that bees seem to be some of the best customers at the main stand, especially late in the season!

Rent single or double strollers ($4/day; $6.50/day) year-round at the refurbished Visitor Center. That's also where you'll find the gift shop and restrooms; additional restrooms open at Seal Island in the summer months.

Birthday parties: Basic package includes 90 minutes in a private classroom, with 45 minutes of interactive programming tied to a chosen theme; $150/15 guests, including adults. Add pizza, drinks, and cake for $50 more. Themes include primates, cats, reptiles, and plants. Gift bags are available for $5/child. Due to safety concerns, no balloons, pinatas, or pets are allowed! For do-it-yourself parties, obtain a city rental permit (651.632.5111) for the picnic space near Seal Island.

Classes: Extensive offerings include parent/child programs for ages three to five, family classes for ages four and up, camps during school release days, and special homeschooler programming for ages five to fifteen. Classes typically feature visits from live animals and/or tours. Art and gardening classes for adults, and teacher workshops are also offered.

Summer camps: Como offers themed weeklong programs for ages four and up. Full-day and half-day options are available; before or after care offered for an additional fee.

Membership: $75/family, includes gift shop and class discounts, invitations to member-only events, reciprocity privileges at over 120 zoos nationwide, a quarterly newsletter, and four ZooBoo tickets.

Volunteering: Como offers a special summer volunteer program for teens ages 13 to 17. Beyond that, volunteers must be 16 years old, unless accompanied by an adult.

Lowry, one of three nature centers in the Three Rivers park system, features seven miles of trails through wetlands and woods, a prairie garden, live animals, interpretive exhibits, a sledding hill, and a gift shop.

It also boasts two unique features: Habitats, an outdoor educational play area complete with giant woodpecker slide, mole tunnel, and beaver lodge; and the newly-restored 1860s farmhouse from Grimm Farm, called the "Birthplace of the Dairy Belt," because it was there, back in the 1870s, that Wendelin Grimm developed the first strain of winter-hardy alfalfa in North America. (The industry is worth $10 billion today.)

Three Rivers recreational programming here includes a wide range of classes and events for families and youth.

Birthday parties: Offered for ages four and up, 15 kids maximum. The $80 fee includes one hour of naturalist-led activities and one hour for cake and socializing. One of the center's animals can join the party for a visit upon request.

Summer Camps: See Three Rivers' Adventure Week offerings.

Mis Amigos gives kids an early start in foreign language learning with immersion programming - which means teachers speak only Spanish to students.

Children ages 33 months through six years old can attend mornings or afternoons, two to five days per week. Infants and toddlers can attend eight-week parent-child classes that meet on Mondays or Tuesdays. A monthly newsletter helps parents explore in-school themes at home. Field trips and Parents Nights Out are also offered.

Summer camps: Mis Amigos offers full- and half-day themed immersion camps in two-week Mon-Thu sessions for ages four to 10.

Fraser offers an inclusive early childhood education program for children of all abilities, meeting both "typical" and special needs. Extended day care is available, as well as physical, occupational, speech, and music therapies.

The ECC at the Sabes JCC offers a comprehensive infantcare and preschool program in a secure, welcoming environment, with instruction based on a Jewish ethics curriculum, but open to all. The program avails itself of the on-site pool, incorporating swim lessons into its preschool classes.

The Tesseract School is a private, independent preK-8 school which aims to prepare students for college with a A "whole child" approach to learning that integrates technology and foreign language into academic programming featuring small classes and a challenging curriculum.

Tesseract offers before and after care, enrichment classes and summer programming.

Fraser offers an inclusive early childhood education program for children of all abilities, meeting both "typical" and special needs. Extended day care is available, as well as physical, occupational, speech, and music therapies.

The Tesseract School is a private, independent preK-8 school which aims to prepare students for college with a A "whole child" approach to learning that integrates technology and foreign language into academic programming featuring small classes and a challenging curriculum.

Tesseract offers before and after care, enrichment classes and summer programming.

Yinghua Academy, a public charter school, offers full immersion programming in Mandarin Chinese to kindergarteners, first, and second graders. Third and fourth grade classes are taught in English, with daily Chinese language arts classes.

Before and after school care is available for a fee, and afterschool programming includes yoga/tai chi, Chinese dance, and traditional Chinese music.

International Spanish Language Academy is an elementary-level Spanish-language immersion school offering full-day kindergarten and extended day care. The school is currently working toward International Baccalaureate accreditation. ISLA aims to enable children to move on from sixth grade with the ability to read, write, and speak with native speakers of Spanish.

This tuition-free public charter high school aims to provide a world-class and professionally-guided academic and artistic environment for training aspiring pre-professional artists in dance, theater, and music. The conservatory's campus includes newly-renovated classrooms in the Landmark Center, Lowry Building, and Roy Wilkins Dance Studios.

Alef Champs - affiliated with Minneapolis Chabad Lubavitch - offers childcare and preschool instruction for kids ages six weeks to pre-K, incorporating Jewish traditions and themes with academic subjects and socialization and learning skills.

A school directory that lays out in clear, easy-to-understand fashion all the public schools in the state. Not only does it provide brief profiles of each, it enables you to compare salient features of one school against another.

The force behind this website, GreatSchools, Inc, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the best, most comprehensive information about schools. Its mission is to not only help parents choose schools for their children, but to help parents and community members understand, support, and improve public schools in particular.

For each school, the site includes class size, test scores, demographics, and teacher qualifications. What we like best are the tools, which allow you to refine your own search for the right school. It lets you look by district, type (charter, public, private), and specialty (gifted, special needs). We're slightly less enthusiastic about the service articles, which address various ways of coping with problems parents might encounter along the way. Topics include "Homework Horrors," and "How to Choose the Right School for Your Child." You're likely to still be looking for the answers after you've finished reading these.

There's only so much detail the site can go into in describing each school. It's not clear, for instance, how involved the parent body is, nor how effectively particular programs are implemented. (And the site that can figure out how to do that is a truly great one.) But if you're just beginning the search for a school and need an overview, you might want to start here.

Produced by a publisher of education guides, Peterson's has a database of about 1,400 private secondary schools. The descriptions are comprehensive, well-fleshed out, and often include links to the schools' own web sites.

The website also includes materials and tips for seeking financial aid and preparing for standardized tests, and advice for parents.

The TABS website has listings of hundreds of schools and the database is accessible at no charge. The write-ups are sketchy at best, but do typically include contact information.

IDDS, located in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, offers K-12 instruction and unique curriculum-enhancing partnerships with local businesses and organizations.

MNOLA promotes and supports online learning by ensuring the quality of instruction, developing collaborative relationships, and advocating for growth. The website has a listing of member programs for Minnesota families.

Minnesota's K-12 students can learn online in programs throughout the state. This option allows students to continue, expand, and enhance their education, by enrolling full-time, or just taking a course or two not otherwise available to them.

Fraser offers an inclusive early childhood education program for children of all abilities, meeting both "typical" and special needs. Extended day care is available, as well as physical, occupational, speech, and music therapies.