Overwhelmed choosing a school? A local nonprofit can help with that

SAN ANTONIO – There are many options for families in San Antonio when it comes to schools for their kids, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. As enrollment season opens for certain schools in November, parents are turning to an unbiased nonprofit for help.

The Nwelue family was moving back to San Antonio from California and had to choose a school for their son fast.

“I was nervous, and I was really overwhelmed, and that was where San Antonio Charter Moms really stepped in for me. I was able to find really unbiased information about the school landscape in San Antonio,” Gloria Nwelue said.

Nwelue was looking for a public kindergarten to fit the needs of her energetic son.

“That particular child of mine thrives in structure and expectations and challenges,” she said.

They worked with San Antonio Charter Moms (SACM) and chose Great Hearts Academy charter school and loved it.

“Even though it has charter in the name, we want to have information about all different types of school options,” said Inga Cotton, SACM founder and executive director.

Cotton strives to be the most trusted information source for all schools, including public, charter, private, magnet, and even homeschooling.

“San Antonio has some really amazing traditional public schools that we want to support as well. If you want to transfer to a different campus within your district, whether that’s like a dual-language program or a magnet program, we have information on that,” Cotton said.

During enrollment season, typically from November to January or February, the nonprofit puts on a series of School Discovery Days.

“If you go to a School Discovery Day, you may get to meet 25, 30, 35 schools in one day. You can ask questions, find out what’s unique about that school’s learning model,” Cotton said.

They hold the events at parks or community centers throughout the enrollment period.

“Places that have a lot of amenities, so (they) can make a fun day out of it. And then each school sets up a table, and then we give families a scavenger hunt sheet, and they visit with every school table, ask questions, find out what’s unique about that school’s learning model,” Cotton said.

The SACM website has information on 177 schools.

The organization also created a Facebook page called San Antonio Charter Moms Discussion Group. It has almost 12,000 members, and the parents can ask each other specific questions about different schools.

“Detailed questions like, ‘Can I drop off my kids really early because I work early?’ or ‘What is the literacy curriculum? Which charter schools offer busses?’” Cotton explained. “People are so helpful and so positive, and they want to problem-solve for each other.”

Nwelue has found success for both of her kids and hopes other families will, too.

“Because there is no one perfect school for every single kid. Every kid has different needs,” Nwelue said.

This season’s first School Discovery Day was on Saturday at the Greenline at Brooks City Base.

There will be four more events this school year:

• Saturday, November 11, at Confluence Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Saturday, January 20, at The Doseum from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Saturday, February 3, at Second Baptist from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Saturday, March 2, at Hemisfair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information on services, head to the San Antonio Charter Moms website.

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