New To The Blog? Start Here!

“When my husband and I applied to kindergarten for my daughter, the schools seemed somewhat mysterious, like hidden gems. Neither of us attended private school, and most of these schools aren’t exactly an open book. Terms like “visiting day” and “parent interview” weren’t part of our daily vocabulary. That would soon change!”- Christina Simon, co-author of Beyond The Brochure on “Mommy Poppins”

Who Are We? About Beyond The Brochure

Applying To Private Elementary Schools on mom.me

Get The Scoop On Applying To L.A. Private Elementary Schools on Mommy Poppins

Applying To L.A. Private Elementary Schools: An Overview (includes a map of selected L.A. private elementary schools)

Why Are L.A. Private Elementary Schools So Hard To Get Into?

You Can Tell A Lot About A Private Elementary School By…

Admissions: The Order Of The Universe

Private Elementary School Birthdates/Cutoff Dates For Applications

The Costs Of L.A. Private Elementary School: The First Year

Touring Schools: Ideal Conditions For Growth And Learning by Anne Simon

What You Can and Can’t Control During The Admissions Process by Sanjay Nambiar

Two Abandoned A-List School Tours

Tips For Touring Private Elementary Schools 

Touring The “Gooey, Precious School” by Jenny Heitz

Differences Between Traditional and Progressive Private Elementary Schools (Includes Parts 1-7)

Reader Question: Feeder Preschools To Private Elementary Schools 

Why Your Preschool Director May Be Your Best Ally During Admissions

How My Preschool Director Helped During Admissions Process

Admissions Directors: The Keys To The Empire

How Are Private Elementary Schools Different From Public Schools? 

Why I Chose Private Elementary School Over Public School on MomsLA

Map Of L.A. Private Elementary Schools  

L.A. Private School Tuition: A List  (Part 1)

L.A. Private School Tuition: A List (Part 2)

Characteristics Of A Great Written Application by Anne Simon

Make Your Applications Stand Out: Creating Your Family Message (Part 1)

Who Is Your Family? Creating Your Family Message (Part 2)

Feeder Elementary Schools To Harvard-Westlake

Applying To John Thomas Dye by Jenny Heitz

One Mom’s Story: From 3rd Street Elementary To Mirman School For 4th Grade by Jenny Heitz

Pre-Acceptance Private School Participation: Does It Work? by Jenny Heitz

Types Of Admissions Letters

What I Did/Did Not Expect About The Willows School 

There’s a lot more on the blog! This is just the start. Browse around and you’ll find posts about specific schools and all aspects of the admissions process.

11 thoughts to “New To The Blog? Start Here!”

    1. Thank you, Monique! We don’t have plans to write a middle school book. But, I just went through the MS process for my daughter (now at Viewpoint School) and I can tell you that there are similarities. The big difference is that for MS your kid’s grades and ISEE test scores, along with their interview are important. But, the process is very similar to the elementary school process or at least I thought it was…tours, events, parent interviews, written applications, letters of recommendation, thank you notes, etc. The MS process has it all, too. Best of luck! –Christina

      1. My daughter applied to Mirmam. Brentwood John Thomas Dye. Carlthorp. PS1. Buckley she tested at mirmam and Brentwood. We live in Brentwood
        Any advice would be helpful
        Heard Mirman wanted to go to K-12. Now only expanding K-8 enrollment
        Brentwood K-5 lower. Mirman K-8. JTD K-6
        Makes MS tIming tricky
        Better to be the best student at JTD or middle of pack at Mirman ?

  1. Hi there. i am new to your blog and have just purchased your book. i am starting the elementary school process and have to admit it’s overwhelming. can you recommend an education consultant i can reach out to to help with the process? i appreciate it and can’t wait to further explore your site! great information resource, so thank you!

    1. Hi Rozita, thanks for buying our book! The admissions process can be very overwhelming. We’ve interviewed THE top educational consultants on our blog (see Educational Consultants section) so you can read the Q&A interviews and see who best fits your family’s goals. I suggest reading the interviews and contacting several consultants to discuss their services. Best, Christina

  2. A few months back, I had the pleasure of speaking with Christina about varies schools my husband and I were looking into for our oldest daughter. We will be moving back to LA and needed to start the necessary steps…
    Speaking with Christina was great! Christina was so giving of her time, answering all my questions and addressing my concerns.
    Can’t thank her enough!!

  3. Broken Link Alert – the link for “How Are Private Elementary Schools Different From Public Schools?” leads to a “preview” URL that won’t display.

    (One can still read the page if they delete the entire “preview” URL add-on after the forward-slash.)

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