#205 – How to Select the Perfect Education System for Your Children with Kristina Heagh-Avritt

Anna Sergunina: 00:00:01

Hey money bosses. Welcome back to the money boss podcast. I am your host Anna Sergunina. And today we have a topic that every parent can relate to. And that is how to select a perfect education system for your kids, which is something that is on the top of mind. For my family. I know it's a crucial decision that can shape the future of your children. And we're here to help you make the best choice. Joining us today is a remarkable guest, Kristina Heagh-Avritt, whose dedication, compassion and exceptional coaching and training her earned her recognition from peers, parents, students and staff alike. With 27 years of experience as an educator and the passion for intrapreneurship and self development, Kristina co-founded Vibrant Family Education, with her husband aiming to empower parents to take education into their own hands. In this episode, we will dive into the factors to consider when choosing an education system. Benefits of personalized learning and how Vibrant Family Education is transforming the way families approach their decisions. We'll also explore the key factors and aspects of public schools, private schools and online schools helping you navigate the decision making process with confidence. So if you are parents seeking to unlock your child's full potential, and provide them with the tools they need to succeed, you don't want to miss this insightful conversation. So let's get started and find the perfect education system for your children. How many bosses Welcome back, I am excited for our conversation today. Kristina, welcome to the show.

Kristina: 00:01:55

Thank you very much. I'm glad to be here.

Anna Sergunina: 00:01:58

I am too. And as I've as we were chatting a little bit in in in our green room before we hit the record button. But I've been thinking about this conversation for quite quite some time. And I think everyone here listening probably should hear about it too. And so we were talking about how to navigate the landscape of where should you send your kids? Should you pick a private school? Should you pick a public school? Should you educate them online and the world of online education really, I think solidifying in popped up for us as pandemic happens. And so I'm sure that added even more confusion and options to families making that decision. And so I am starting to navigate that for my son who's four and a half. And I think this is a really good time to have this conversation, because I feel like that deadline is looming on me. So again, welcome. I'm all ears. And we'd love to explore this topic.

Kristina: 00:02:55

Thank you so much for bringing up that topic, because that is my passion. As a teacher of 27 years in the public school district, the last what two years, I was part of that online education program. But I was very fortunate to be able to help create the K to kindergarten through second grade program in our online school that was connected with the school district. So I was able to see 25 years in the classroom and then two years of online education and helping parents go through, what does this look like? And like you said, Now is the perfect time in the middle of summer, even though we're like, oh, we're on break, we're on summer vacation. It's the perfect time to really make those plans. Because if you want to make a change, now's the time to get you ready, get your child ready, and let the school district know that there's a change happening.

Anna Sergunina: 00:03:44

Yes, no, I agree. It's like it's gonna be here before we know that. So. Okay, so having your background is in public schools. And I don't know if I should have been asked a question like that. But what is wrong with our public education system? Or is there anything wrong with it?

Kristina: 00:04:02

I am so glad you asked that question because it is one of those things that actually tore me apart when I started teaching 27 years ago, absolutely loved my job, love. My kids love my family's love being in the school, unfortunately, about 10 years ago, and you can see this statistic start popping up and you can see parents start talking about different things. About 10 years ago, the system has kind of changed, it became much more test driven, oh, we have to pass these tasks. Oh, we have to teach these certain curriculums, all of those kinds of things. And my dream job became almost a nightmare, because it went from doing what was best for my students to I have to be on page 26 On week, three of month so and so and I have to have all my kids ready to pass this test at the end. So it really changed the landscape of public education. So yeah, there is a problem and there are some One thing that definitely needs to be talked about.

Anna Sergunina: 00:05:03

So with that in mind, like how would you like, let's talk about families like mine, right? Who are so my son is still in preschool. So we have like, that gap is what we're talking about here to figure this out. Um, what should we start thinking about? Because again, I'm not familiar, right? And what like, what would be his strengths and skills to go through what you're describing, right? There's a certain curriculum that needs to be accomplished by certain date, right? So how, like, where do you start? How do you start to even observe that about your child to make that decision? Well, the

Kristina: 00:05:39

greatest part of that answer is that you already are your child's best teacher, because you've been with them from the time they were born until now. So you are already knowledgeable of their strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you just don't have it in a frame of classroom, right? So one thing you want to look at is how your child learns. So do they like to do a lot of hands on things do they like to do a lot of listening? Do they like to do a lot of reading or looking at things and videos, things like that. So you really want to kind of look at what kind of learner they are, and see how it works best for them. And then you also asked about kind of, you know, think about this gap year, you know, am I going to be looking at a private school am I going to look at the public school, my public school around me super, super successful and, and a good fit, right? You want to go visit the school, and maybe even do a little tour of the kindergarten and things like that. But then also, is there a way that you could educate at home, so a lot of people call it homeschooling, but I like calling it education at home, because there's so much more to it. And that's what vibrant family education is about is helping people understand what that difference is. So yeah, you're great, you're in a great place with all parents. And all you have to do is keep looking and thinking about what is best for your child.

Anna Sergunina: 00:07:01

I'm also hearing from, you know, from parents that are like, you know, neighbors, for example, who have kids started or maybe had already started on some path, whether it's public schools or private schools, and nobody says you can't make changes later. Right? Like, it's not like you have to get it right. At the beginning, because things change, right? Kids grow and evolve. And so I just I've given myself like a little bit of that, you know, relief, like, Okay, I don't like I gotta make a decision soon. But it's not the end of his education career. In any way. Yeah, you

Anna Sergunina: 00:07:37

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: can make changes whenever it's best for you and your family. Of course, it gets a little bit more tricky, because you do have to think about the school rules, the state laws and things like that. So if you put them into a public school, you'll have to do the legal stuff to pull them out of the public school, and then transfer them. So there's a lot, it gets a little bit trickier, but not that bad. But what I really encourage parents the most is a watch your child and see, are they happy, where they're learning? Are they getting healthy messages and healthy activities where they're learning? And are they being success successful and successful in education? It means learning to mastery, do they actually get a complete concept before they move on to the next thing? And that was one of those things? You asked me kind of what might be an issue with the public school? I remember I told you, you had to be on a certain page at a certain time, right? That loss of times anymore, and all school districts are different from around the United States. But we have this things called Common Core standards or state standards or national standards. Yeah. So it's a lot of pushing the children to, we have to keep going because we have to get all of these things down. And sometimes the children aren't learning to mastery, they don't have a concept mastered before they get pushed into the next thing they have to learn. Hmm,

Anna Sergunina: 00:08:57

yes, I've heard about this. There's the five core somethings method here that I'm in California. So that's probably that those core five things you have to learn right? Or at least be exposed to. So it's probably similar in other states. So how, let's let's kind of like maybe open that up a little bit more. So how, how do you assess or where do you need to look like you mentioned you need to observe your child and kind of see what you know, what their learning style, how are they learning, but when you're looking at options, whether it's public school, or private school, and then now a great new opportunity, homeschooling has been around for a long time, but this, you know, the online version of it, if I'm describing, right, like how do you make that assessment or decision where which route Do you should you go or do you try all of the options? Right? Um,

Anna Sergunina: 00:09:51

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: you know, the biggest thing to think about is if you're going to you're in a situation where you have to have your children in the public school, you really want Want to make sure that that school is a good fit for you and your family, and that the school has good learning rates, right. So you can look at the state report card, usually a state has a report card about how each school or each school district does. So you can look and see if they're meeting their matrix, their standards and things like that. But better than that, go talk to the parents go visit the PTA, or the Parent Teacher Association, the parent group, and see what the parents are saying about that school. Because when you're talking to those parents, you hear the ins and outs, oh, well, you know, we really like this teacher at this grade level, we don't really like this teacher at this grade level, because of, you know, how they teach or the strictness in the classroom or the activities in the classroom, those kinds of things. So you really get a sense of what that school kind of looks like. And you know, if your family will feel comfortable there. And again, schools range a lot across the United States, depending on funding and all sorts of things like that. And there are great teachers everywhere. But again, a lot of them are being hampered by the policies, and the standards and things that are being put in place on top of them that have to be in a certain place, I had to teach this curriculum, etc. So that's one thing to look at at the public school, then if the public school doesn't seem to quite a match, you can see if there is another school in the same district that you can transfer to. And then you can maybe find a good match, if you have to stick with the public school system. If you have a little bit more flexibility, a little bit more resources, or you know, you can find scholarships, or whatever it is you need, then you can also look those private and Christian schools and different things like that in the areas as well. And again, same kinds of things, visit the parent teacher organization, talk to some of the teachers, see if you can do a tour of the kindergarten, those kinds of things, right, and see if it's a good fit for you and your family. But then, like you said, there is this whole great big new world since COVID, of homeschool and online school. And because of this whole online aspect, it has become a lot easier for families to actually do that education at home. And that's what I like calling it education at home. Because yes, we're looking at the academics. But I'm also looking at everything a child needs to be healthy, happy and successful. What life skills do they need? What things are the schools not teaching that I want my child to learn? Like core family values, and community service? And hey, how do we change a tire? How do we cook breakfast? How do we do the dishes? All of those life skills that can be wrapped around when you're doing education at home? Or a version of homeschooling? That help answer your question.

Anna Sergunina: 00:12:50

It does very much so So okay, so home kit, then let's expand a little bit more on that because it and maybe this is my own face at the moment. But like when you say online schooling like oh my god, that means he's going to be on device like a whole day, right? And so I'd like cringe, I'm like, enough, you know, being on the iPad or computer. So, and I hear you very much like life skills are very important. And I that definitely aligns really well with our values and what we want our son to be like, but how, like, walk me through, like what they would look like, if somebody is following that online education system.

Anna Sergunina: 00:13:32

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: I'm so glad you asked. Because it looks so much different than what people really expect, right. So a lot of people expect that if my child isn't in the public school system, they aren't away from me six and a half to seven hours a day, then I need to bring that to my house, either in an online model or a homeschool model and recreate that. And that's the beauty of homeschool or online school is that it doesn't have to be like that. And it shouldn't be like that. Because you think about all the different factors that have changed. Now you have quiet areas where your child can learn because they're in your home, in your office, wherever the learning is taking place. Right? Then also you don't have the distraction of the other students. Right? You don't have the moving of class to class. Oh, it's time for PE assign for lunches time for whatever, right. So whenever you get to the homeschool and online model, you get to create that schedule that matches for your child and your family life. Right. So it takes a lot less time to homeschool or to do school online than it does in the public classroom. So that's one of the things that is a huge difference. And for a lot of people it's like, wait a second, I have more flexibility now around my child's education because I am the one who is being the learning coach or the learning teacher in conjunction with that online program.

Anna Sergunina: 00:14:56

Right. Okay, continue

Anna Sergunina: 00:15:00

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Exactly. So then if you're doing a complete online model, that child is not, especially if they're kindergarten through second grade, they are not on the computer 567 hours a day, we know children don't learn like that correct. So most online programs will have the online part where they may be visited teacher for a little while and do some learning, or they're learning through videos and activities and things online. But then as soon as they get the core learning down, then their practice goes offline, whether it's a worksheet that they do to help cement those skills and activity that they do to help cement those skills, or other offline building, learning, etc. That would be a great online program. So you're not talking about the child being on the computer, you know, three, four or five hours a day. That's absolutely not what online school should be. Yeah. And then of course, if you're doing the whole on, homeschool model, it can be totally offline if you want to get the curriculum, etc. and build that program where your kid is not even on the computer at all.

Anna Sergunina: 00:16:07

So with that seems, okay. Seems to me or sounds like with the online version, there's there's an element where they connect with some someone who guides them through that education, we're in the home homeschooling, because that's also like, there's no way I can be doing that, just for lots of reasons, right? I'm sure listeners out there too. Like, I've got to go to work, or I don't have the skills to do on their patients or whatever. So the beauty of the online schooling is that there's that platform, right, where they get instructions and all of that, so how like, but it's still, who oversees that, like if parents have to go to work? Yeah,

Anna Sergunina: 00:16:45

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: well, so that is where you need a learning coach. And the learning coach can be the parent, if there's a stay at home parent, if you have like their child's stay with grandma and grandpa or aunt and uncle, whoever is your daycare provider, lots of times they can help with that, right? Or some daycare, sit sorry, facilities, especially during COVID, offered a place where they could monitor the child online school at the daycare. Now a lot of that's gone now, because COVID is pretty much gone, right? And so they don't have those systems in place. But again, if you go to your daycare provider, whoever that is, if you have to go to work, you have to go into the office, then those people can help, they can be what's called the learning coach, right. But if you are working from home, if you have that flexibility of being at home, you get to take your child's education and your work schedule, and you get to build that routine and build that schedule to make it benefit both of you. So it's much more doable than a lot of people think it's just that you do have to think about planning routine, etc. But the flexibility and the way it helps the child and helps you connect, because you're doing that learning together or in conjunction with another coach or teacher something really helps expand and benefit the family.

Anna Sergunina: 00:18:12

That's, that's our investor. Actually, remember when pandemic hits I had a I had a client's here in California around San Jose area who the mom was a teacher. And so she had two kids. And so she decided they wanted to travel. So they sold her house, they bought it with an RV. And I'm like, we're gonna go travel. And so she, they, they actually finally so it's three years later now, they finally settled in Mexico out of all places, but that's what they, you know, ultimately found to be an interesting place for them to grow their family. But she still, I guess, I always thought because she was a teacher before. And so she went the route of homeschooling. And I view that as like, wow, it's a great way for you to expose your kids to the world, and then still provide education to them. But I'm like, but not every but every parent is a teacher. And so but it's still like I'm like, as you're describing it, like this is great for those families who may want to travel or don't have to conventional nine to five jobs, right? And they still and they want to be with their kids or they want to have some element of it. So I I kind of saw that I wondered about them, like how long will this gonna work and you know, Will Will it work?

Kristina: 00:19:31

And that's one of the that was one of the silver linings. One of the blessings that COVID actually gave us is that we realize that our children are wanting to learn differently. Our public schools unfortunately, we're still very much at the model of sit in your chair in the classroom. We have this Mitch talking we have to do there's not as much hands on learning, etc. Those kinds of things. And then, when everything was shifted to the house, a lot of our parents realize, wait a second, no wonder they aren't Keeping up or they aren't doing well or not excelling at school, because they aren't a child who can sit down all the time like the teacher wants them to, or they need to, because there's 28 kids in the classroom. And you know, the teachers are doing their absolute best. But when you have 28 kids in a room, you have to have some structure and routine and more sitting down less moving, because otherwise it becomes chaos in the classroom, right? I lived through those years, believe me. But at the same time, if your child is learning differently, maybe they're ADHD, maybe they're just a super active child, maybe they have a little bit of what they call now neurodivergent or autism, right, they learn differently. Thinking about a different education, for them might be a benefit, because of all of those things that we've talked about the quietness, the flexibility, and things like that. And so with vibrant family education, my company, that is part of what we do is help parents understand what they can do around a different educational model, what they then give support to like online schooling and things like that. So it's one of those things where there are new services and products out there that are helping families who want to do something different, and really want to take control of their child's education. And that's my biggest thing, please take control of your child's education, do not hand it off to a teacher to a school district, and not be involved, you need to be there, you need to be paying attention, and is something not working, change, or find a coach to help you change or do something different. So your child doesn't, you know, have these experiences. So actually, right. Before we got on, we were also talking about one of the things I talked about is the traumas and how not to pass traumas on, right? Well, if you look at our public schools, unfortunately, there are some schools that are very dysregulated, there's a lot of behavior, there's a lot of bullying, there's a lot of things like that that are happening that's happening in the schools. And again, those super good teachers, they're super good administrators. But unfortunately, across the board, we're seeing more and more of these issues popping up, right, which is why we want to take them out of the public schools. But when they can come home and educate at home, then you get to help them develop those skills in a different way that meets their needs. That really helps them become happy, healthy and successful.

Anna Sergunina: 00:22:32

The one the one God, I'm having read that as you're describing is like, I'm that's a concern, too. So all the stuff that's that that there are parents talking about that is happening and in public schools. But what about a social social aspect? Like that's to me is very important. Maybe that's just how I am I left even though working, you know, online for so many years, I still want to be out there with people and I'm seeking those connections, right? But how do the kids like learn that right? And do they learn that when they are not around are the kids that all the time,

Anna Sergunina: 00:23:09

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: I am so glad you asked that as my favorite topic, because believe it or not, that is the one of the biggest myth that there is in this whole system in this whole education system, that the homeschool child is the odd one or the weird one. Now granted, it used to be a little bit more kind of like that. But since things have opened up so much, it isn't. So what parents don't know is that most school districts have a policy that if your child is homeschooled, or taught online, they get to join the school for some of those academics like PE and music, they can come in during the school day and join a class for that. Or they get to join the after school sports. Sometimes that even extends to choir drama, things like that for the after school programs. So you just have to check in your district and check in your area. But the other beauty about this is that there's a lot of other outside sports leagues, right. There's the Christian sports league, and you can have you know, all these other and there's other homeschool sports leagues, there's different places that you can get that social in. But the biggest thing about the flexibility of having your own schedule, is that you get to socialize your child the way you want them to be socialized. So a lot of entrepreneurs I talk about, one of the things they really want is to give back to the community. Well, what better way to teach your child and help them be socialized, except for going to the food bank and have helping once a week or going to this area and helping doing those things community related. That's where the socialization comes in, and it's in a more meaningful way than just going to recess. Hmm, huh?

Anna Sergunina: 00:24:51

Again, so still, I'm thinking like, okay, the parent has to be involved like that. I am not, don't get me wrong, please. Like I'm not trying to say okay, here's my child, do whatever you want. with him, it's it's this. I mean, it's it's just probably part of being a mom, right? Is balancing you have to do. And so it's like, yeah, I love those ideas and if they can get exposed to, you know, other skills that otherwise they wouldn't because they're in school. That's a better yeah. It's you're right, I think it's it's the education and that's what you do or educating parents right and helpful and helping them understand there's, there's a way and it's not all, you know, all what we think. Now I'm sure you've heard this to sort of the opposite of this. And there, there are still a lot of parents that that are have this sort of frustration with, you know, being being locked up at home and COVID. And they had to work and, you know, educate the kids. So there's a trauma that parents experience, because it was just what, so, and they don't believe in that, like, my kids learn nothing, right. During those those, you know, years, we can say yes, because it was that. So how, yeah, how do we like talk about that without like, how do we what did we highlight for those parents?

Anna Sergunina: 00:26:07

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Well, the thing that we highlight for those parents is that what if you choose to educate at home, the way I'm speaking about is that it is a completely different situation than what everybody was thrust into during COVID. During COVID, that happens so quickly, I was one of those teachers, I was literally told, Oh, yeah, it's Friday, Monday, your kids don't come back to you your teaching online starting Monday. I'm like, Excuse me, I have second graders. And I need to be in front of them, teaching them working with them hands on, right. I was one of those teachers that was like very much Whoa. And I'm a very technology, gifted person, I was a technology coach at my school for 15 years, right. So I understood most of the technology. But even then the school districts weren't ready. They never thought of going completely online. So one thing I want to tell the parents who are listening is that think is not the same. If you're making this choice. It's not the same as COVID learning, because you're going to have a better system to help present the information. Because you're choosing the either online or the curriculum that best fits, you will also have a better knowledge because you've kind of done it a little bit. And you can make tweaks and you know what, what the pitfalls were things like that. So, yes, it was traumatic for a lot of people. But if you go into it with planning and resolve, and maybe even hiring a coach to help you get through the rough spots, it's a completely different picture than what it was during COVID.

Anna Sergunina: 00:27:42

Okay, it's very reassuring. For sure. No, I didn't, again, Liam was, was in daycare, so I didn't get to experience it. But I've heard it, you know, I'm sure we all heard it many, many times from from our friends, family, and you know, the whole world. So let's talk about your like, talk, tell us a little bit more about your particular program. And like how, you know, who wouldn't be the best? Like, how is someone listening? Like, they're thinking about their family and their kids? Like, are they? And two, I think I want to kind of clarify, like, you're particularly focused on an elementary school, so like, you know, K through whatever age like, maybe that would be great to address as well.

Anna Sergunina: 00:28:25

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Absolutely. Thank you so much. And I appreciate the opportunity to talk about it, because it is something that is coming into parents minds thinking, Is there a different way and letting me talk about this. I appreciate that so much. So currently vibrant family education is focused on K through five, b. And that's the school part, right. But my coaching part where I help parents meld around the education that they are currently having, or if they want to transition from public education to and education at home and homeschool model. That's the parent part. So I have kind of two parts to vibrant family. The part I want to talk about the most is that transition part that we were just kind of talking about, because you said, Well, you know, we just had this horrible experience. We don't want to go through this horrible experience again, how can it be different. And by working with vibrant and family education, you get that different experience I go through and I help you assess your child's learning strategies, I help you look at your family schedules and routines and the flexibility and where school might be able to fit in with other things, maybe working from home, and I help build those routines. And then as the year goes on, if you continue with me into this actual schooling academic part, as well as the coaching around those social issues and things like that, then I also help make sure that you have the curriculum that you need. And if your child has is stuck, so maybe you're helping teach a concept and they don't quite get it, then I'm there as a licensed teacher to come in and help either reteach or to help figure out what the issue is why they aren't getting that con Except, so there's kind of like I said, there's kind of two different parts. So the first part is a parent coaching set you up, get you ready to go help you decide how you want to do it. And then the second part, if you want to continue is the academic school year coaching and support.

Anna Sergunina: 00:30:15

And you are you're the one teaching or you have a group of other teachers are like developing the curriculum, and is it gonna

Anna Sergunina: 00:30:22

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: I'm currently using a different online curriculum, one that I used before that was very good, very comprehensive, as well as really good with values and things like that, that a lot of parents are looking for. So I bring that online curriculum. And as the school grows, I'll be developing my own curriculum. But right now, you use one that, but it's one I know is when I've taught, right, so is there that I can help parents access?

Anna Sergunina: 00:30:50

Okay, and so what's the timeline? Like, how long does it take for a parent to be ready?

Anna Sergunina: 00:31:00

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Well, you know, it can take a couple of weeks, I'm mostly because you want to make sure that you're getting your child ready as well. So you can't just take them out of public school one day, and dump them into this on the next day, because you do have to have your routines ready, you need to know their learning styles, you need to know a few things that kind of help get up and ready now in a real pinch, like they like I need to get my kid out of school right now. We could do it in about a week. But that's pushing it a little bit. But again, because you want to unschool your cat. And there's two different if you've heard that term before, so I have not, okay, yeah, some people unschool is where you just don't do anything related to school at all, you just let your child learn through their passion, and you just kind of move through the day, helping your child write for me on school is helping them detach from those routines and those schedules from the public school. So we have to kind of break them away, relax them, let them know it's going to be different than what they have seen before. But the beauty is like your son, sorry, son, daughter, okay. You know, they haven't experienced the public schools yet. So if you decide to do this, before they get there, you don't even have to worry about that part. Because you'll be able to start building that even this year, and they'll ask you your preschool before they get to the actual curriculum of the next grade levels and things like that. So yeah, it takes a little bit of time. Matter of fact, I am working on my core package right now is a four week boot camp. Getting ready for homeschool Boot Camp, where over a four week process, I take you through making sure you're ready, doing all those things, find out the schedule routines, learning assessments, all those kinds of things. Yeah.

Anna Sergunina: 00:32:49

Got it. Okay, that that makes a lot of sense. So there's some some transition time now to two follow up questions. So what happens after the fifth grade, whether they go?

Anna Sergunina: 00:33:03

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Well, if you're starting right now, at that point, I will have grown big enough to get more on board and fifth grade will be just fine. But I also throughout this time that I've been working on building my brand, building the company, I have been networking with a lot of people and I currently actually have a colleague that works with birth through five years old, getting them ready for school, and then kind of kindergarten through fifth grade. There is another person I work with that goes from middle school, usually sixth seventh grade up into high school. So I have options right now, if people need that. But if you're ready to start K through five, you know, I'm available.

Anna Sergunina: 00:33:47

Yes, I was thinking that that's probably what you're gonna say you need more time to grow it. But yeah, that makes sense. Now, it wouldn't be a great podcast episode recording if we didn't bring the money piece here, right for I am a financial planner. And so those are like, the cost of everything and know how families are like bringing this together now because I get to have those conversations about how education is expensive. And you know, where do we put our priorities on college savings, and then all of a sudden, oh, my god, we're faced with the situation, we got to go to private school. So tell us like, what does it cost? What like, How does somebody even evaluate the options because public schools are free, but you get this right. And then on this side, you have your private schools, and that's what you get for that.

Anna Sergunina: 00:34:36

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Yeah. So, you know, unfortunately, that's another part of our school system that's broken. And people are might not agree, but it's really time for us to have choice in schools. So the money that goes for taxes to the public schools really needs to go with the student. And luckily there are I'm trying to think there's about five students five states right now that actually do that. At the end, I'm sorry, I don't know if those names off the top of my head. But Arizona was one of them that was in the news just recently, and I believe it was, oh, I don't want to say it, because I'm not sure. But anyway, so we really need to work on that as a group as well, if we want to have that tax money follow our kids to to help with the education that they need, right. And so really, there's unfortunately, no balance between that either you are going to change your finances to just buy and get education for your child, or you're going to let them go to the public and school. But there's still a cost there. Because if they aren't being successful, then you're usually paying for tutors or extra curricular programs to help them learn and things like that. So it's basically one of those things that you have to really look at, what's the best fit for your family? How can you budget or afford to make that happen?

Anna Sergunina: 00:35:56

But but still disenrollment when realm of costs where it costs, you know, $1,000 I think for like a private school, or Christian school here and I area a month more, what would it cost for an online school.

Anna Sergunina: 00:36:10

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Um, so there are some online schools that are connected with the school district that can be cost free. And then other online schools, you just have to look at the costs. If you come with me with vibrant family education, it's about $10,000 for the year, so it's like a private school. But again, even though it's online, you're getting my expertise, my coaching everything along with you for that year long. So, yeah, it can cost as little as free like public school, it can be a couple $100 a month for subscription to a program. It can be higher, like private school.

Anna Sergunina: 00:36:49

Yeah, got it. Okay. I really was just trying to get a sense, like, Okay, we're on this spectrum, right. You're where do we kind of fit in, you mentioned something that I think I want to clarify, too. So like extracurricular activities, because that's, I mean, I was taught that way, I had to do all kinds of stuff after school to be, you know, to be to stay out of trouble. Right. So how does, how are those extracurricular activities? Particularly like, you know, additional math tutoring, you know, reading or I guess, you assess it as the child needs it, but how does that go along with the online school.

Anna Sergunina: 00:37:26

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: So the online schools will have those assessments as well, they will make sure that the child is meeting the standards, meeting the needs that needs to be there. And also, because most online schools, you're basically pulling your child out of the public school system, and you're saying, you're going to homeschool, but the way you homeschool is through this online program. There are still states tests and state check ins that have to be done. So it's not like you know, you're just out there cowboy, free range kind of thing. There's state check ins that have to be so you have to look at your state requirements to make sure. But then you as a parent, I mean, you know, which parent is going to pull their kid kiddo out of school? And then oh, well, they can't read and they're eight years old? Oh, it's not a problem. No, that's not going to happen. Because you're invested in this helping it be the best education possible. But your child?

Anna Sergunina: 00:38:19

Yes, agree. I hope that doesn't happen. Is there anything else I should ask? And I just don't know why. Because I'm genuinely interested in this topic. But I think we've covered we've kind of covered all kinds of aspects of it. I really love the coaching piece for the for the parents, because that's the most frightening to me, I think kids will handle it. They adjust easily. But the parents need some hand holding.

Anna Sergunina: 00:38:47

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: And that was one of the reasons I left my public teaching job was because I was told that, yes, we're going to handle everything we can inside the school building. And you know, the parents really want to know, they'll kind of like, come ask us, and we weren't encouraged to reach out to the parents. And I was like, no, no, no, that's not okay. I have always been a teacher who's reached out to my parents and connected with my parents, and made sure that they knew what was going on. Right. And so that is, you know, the big part of my passion is helping parents be your child's educator, you are their first teacher, you are their best teacher because you know, their ins and outs of their personalities and everything like that. And sometimes you just need a little bit of help. So that's the reason around that coaching package is that I want parents and families to grow and develop and be together. And if they need a little bit of help doing it from a teacher who can help with the education piece. That's what I want to do. I want families to grow and learn and be one of the things that my husband I talked about a lot as entrepreneurs or small business owners, we work so hard to get that entrepreneur business off the ground, or the small business off the ground. They're like, Oh, I will go back and make sure my kids are fine and my family are fine. Once I get to a certain money level, or once I get to a certain success level. And unfortunately, sometimes what happens is the family grows apart while you're waiting for that to happen. And with this kind of education model, guess what, it doesn't happen as much, because you're bringing the family, you're bringing the child along with you through that journey, you're growing together, educating them building the business, because think about the modeling you're doing for that child, right? They get to see how you work in your business, how you grow your business, your hard work, your perseverance, your grit, how you solve problems, they're watching that, because kids see a lot more than we think they see. Right? And so kind of great model is that, Oh, Mom and Dad are over here doing their work. I'm over here doing my schoolwork when work is done, then we get to do this family thing together. So that's, you know, the passion. The reason behind this is really helping families learn and grow together.

Anna Sergunina: 00:41:05

I love it, I guess. So, how so tell us how our families can connect.

Anna Sergunina: 00:41:12

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: The easiest way to get a hold of me is through Facebook, Christina havret vibrant family education, you can find me on Facebook, my DMs are open. I'm open for questions. But also in my bio is a Calendly link where people can click and say I need to talk about an education question. And I'll come online with them and talk with them about whatever they're thinking about. Or you can just go to vibrantfamilyeducation.com. And my link is there to call and talk to me as well.

Anna Sergunina: 00:41:41

That's fantastic. And I'll be sure to include all of this in the show notes. Thank you so much, Christina. It's been a wonderful conversation and I'm sure there's going to be more questions so and I'm, I'm happy that I have a resource like your for that.

Anna Sergunina: 00:41:54

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: Awesome. And please send them my way. And you know, my big thing is helping the families and the children. There is never ever, you know, high pressure sales or anything like that. My thing is how can we make families help healthy, happy and successful

Anna Sergunina: 00:42:07

I love it. Thank you so much.

Anna Sergunina: 00:42:09

Kristina Heagh-Avritt: You're very welcome. Thank you!