The Curious Case of Babymoons

It used to be that a “babymoon” referred to the period of time that parents spent bonding with a newborn baby, but in recent years, people have instead been using it to describe a vacation that expectant parents take before the baby arrives. Whether it’s Natalie Portman or French First Lady Carla Bruni, the recent uptick in celebrity babymoons has been making more and more Americans aware of this phenomenon. The implication behind it, of course, is that once your baby arrives, life as you know it is over.

This way of thinking is understandable, since even the rich and famous, with their nearly limitless resources, apparently expect a newborn child to be a challenging addition to their lives. And while a new baby can be tough on anyone, having an army of nannies, housekeepers, and tutors at their disposal does make things a little easier! But what most normal middle-class parents don’t realize is that with a little bit of effort, planning, and ingenuity, they too can have those advantages for themselves. Instead of settling for a mediocre daycare center or paying $1,200-2,000 a month for childcare, you can have someone take care of your child, help her develop intellectually as well as socially, and cook meals and clean the house, all without paying a penny out of pocket. How? Simple: start your own daycare program. If you can enroll a few other children, their tuition will easily cover your costs.

That may seem like a daunting task, but it’s worth it to have total control over where, how, and with whom your child spends her day, not to mention being able to have such an extravagant luxury for free. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, because The Working Mother’s Guide to Free Child Care In Your Home (out on paperback and soon to be available on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes) will take you through the process step by step. Not only does it have detailed instructions for setting up a stimulating and enriching developmental curriculum from infancy all the way through preschool, there’s also advice on everything from finding the right caregiver, to getting licensed and insured, setting your rates, advertising your program, and even dealing with other parents. Read this book and you’ll be on your way to having free, high-quality child care in your home in no time. So go right ahead and have your babymoon, because with all the money you’ll save, you might as well enjoy that trip you’ve always wanted to take!

Worried about getting into college? Do a Project!

Thanks to budget cuts, California’s higher education system is going through tough times, and students from across the state are feeling the strain. We’ve already gone over the fact that the UC’s are now admitting a lower percentage of residents, which means that their ever-higher admissions standards are only getting more so for Californians. It’s becoming harder and harder to stand out. These days, with the abundance of AP and Honors classes offered at many high schools, a 3.6 GPA or even a 4.0 doesn’t get you nearly as far as it used to. Many students know this, and try to cram as many sports and extracurricular activities into their schedules as they can, but it can be hard to stand out even by doing that because so many kids take that approach.

If you’re an upcoming high school senior, not only does this make it harder to get into Berkeley or UCLA, it makes it harder to obtain quality financial aid once you get there. A UC Regents Scholarship is notoriously difficult to get, and is reserved for only the most exceptional students. So, how can you convince them that you’re exceptional and put yourself over the top? By doing a Project - an original undertaking outside the classroom that reflects your interests and aspirations. A Project can take many forms; you could start a business, invent a new product, produce a film, publish a book, or campaign for policy changes. What’s important is that by accomplishing something unique and impactful, you’ll be demonstrating the creativity, initiative, and tenacity that admissions officers truly covet.

Projects have helped many Merit students get into the college of their dreams. My own daughters, Nicole and Jaclyn, impressed many an admissions officer with their tales of starting a nonprofit for alternative energy and building a hydrogen fuel cell. Not only did they get into their first choice of colleges, they also received 80% of the scholarships they applied for, including Jaclyn's $10,000 Toyota Community Scholars award.

Because they involve accomplishing something in the real world, projects put you in touch with leaders of science, industry, and politics. They also help you develop your entrepreneurial skills, hone your ability to do independent research, and learn to interact with the media. Not only will of this give you a wealth of insight into who you are and what careers you’re best suited for, it’ll also endow you with the self-confidence that comes from knowing that you did something very few kids your age even attempt – change the world for the better.

To learn more about doing a Project, read the book or visit our website!

University of California now admitting less Californians

Californians have long had the best public university system in the world, but because of our ongoing budget crisis, current high school students and their parents are facing some grim realities. In order to cope with expected budget cuts of $500 million to $1 billion, the University of California system is continuing to increase the number of admissions slots offered to out-of-state applicants, who pay three times as much tuition as residents do. Out-of-state admissions share now stands at 18%, up from 11.6% just two years ago. That translates to about 4,700 well-qualified Californians who will be denied admission to their own universities in favor of nonresidents.

Some of this shortfall can be made up for by the California State University system, whose local campuses offer admissions guarantees for regions historically served by that campus. That means that a high school student from San Jose is guaranteed a spot at San Jose State as long as he meets the minimum of a 2.45 GPA and 1550 SAT I score (no other criteria required). These campuses then fill the rest of their slots with the best applicants from across the state. While this is extremely helpful for many borderline students, it raises its own set of problems, especially for average students who don’t live near a CSU campus, like those from Santa Cruz. Not only are they not guaranteed admission into either of the public university systems that their parents pay taxes for, they face the likelihood of being bumped from a school with a good program in their chosen major by a less-qualified student who either can pay more (in the case of UC’s) or lives in the local area (in the case of CSU’s).

Many of us are understandably frustrated, even outraged, that our own taxpayer-funded universities are restricting our options for an affordable, high-quality education. But at the same time, could losing spots to nonresidents actually be, as the UC Regents claim, “better for Californians?” After all, the alternative is even deeper cuts to already-strained departments and services, at a time when some science majors are already taking 5 to 6 years to complete because of the dearth of available classes. Parents of California, which do you think is the more important mission for the UC’s to prioritize: providing the highest possible quality of education, or continuing to serve the people of this state?

Working in the summer? Learn how to get FREE Child Care!

Now that summer and the end of the school year are fast approaching, working moms and dads, especially those with young children, will soon have to confront the yearly hassle of finding something for their kids to do for the next three months. Whether you want to make sure your child doesn't waste his whole summer vegging out on video games, or just need the security of knowing that someone's watching him while you're at work, now is a good time to look into ways to get free child care in your own home.

It doesn't take much effort to find a qualified caregiver and set up a summer day care program that will both entertain and enrich your kids. For example, when my daughters were young, I hired a theater teacher for the summer who taught them how to put on musicals. Not only did the girls love singing and dancing and dressing up in costumes, they also gained a lot of stage presence and learned to be comfortable with performing in front of an audience, skills which have continued to serve them well throughout their lives. And because other moms in the area found the theater program to be so fun and convenient, they enrolled their kids as well, which covered all of my costs! That's just one example of how to get quality free child care in your home for the summer. If you'd like to learn more, check out my book on the subject!

Give Your Child a Head Start with Merit's Summer Enrichment Program!

Summer is the time for fun and relaxation, but it can also be a great opportunity to lay the foundation for future success. Whether your child could use some extra help in a difficult subject, or would just like to be challenged to take his or her academic skills to the next level, every student can benefit from Merit Educational Consultants’ Summer Enrichment Program. Unlike regular summer school classes, which typically don’t teach for understanding, only cover remedial material, and function as little more than daycare services, Merit’s comprehensive K-12 Summer Program is designed to give your child a true head start on the school year. As an added bonus, classes can be held in your home and scheduled around your family’s needs, activities, and vacations.

To provide the maximum level of individual attention and flexibility, all Merit Summer Program classes are taught one-on one. Students who want to make up a class or explore a particular subject can choose from any class in the entire Merit Academy curriculum, all of them WASC and UC A-G accredited. On the other hand, if your student could use a boost to his or her academic skills, we also offer intensive, grade-appropriate workshops on building math skills, reading comprehension, literature appreciation, composing essays, and writing research papers, as well as both the SAT I and II. These workshops let students hone their abilities in a stress-free environment, away from the pressure-filled school year.

Summer is also a great time to start thinking about college applications, and to that end, Merit’s Summer Program includes both our popular College Advisory service, where students meet personally with the director to select the best-fit colleges and design a plan for getting in, and our college application essay workshop, where the director helps students fine-tune their essay topics and writing mechanics so that they can complete polished essays before their senior year. The director can also help students beat the college admissions game by guiding them step-by-step through the process of doing an original Project that will demonstrate the student’s leadership and intellectual curiosity.

As you can see, Merit’s Summer Program offers the breadth and depth to meet even the most individualized needs, and we’d be happy to design a unique and custom-tailored plan for your child’s success. To learn more about the Summer Program, click here to see the brochure!

The Merit Planner Can Change Your Teen’s Life

Teenagers who’ve grown up in the Multi-Tasking Era are expected to be able to do many things at once; but even though they love to watch TV, do homework, and chat on Facebook at the same time, most have yet to learn how to apply that same deftness to managing the myriad of demands upon their schedules. Every parent can recall an instance in which they’ve asked their teen whatever happened to that book report that was due last week, or when their next test is, only to receive a blank look in return. And who can blame them? Even though time management is the key to success in high school, college, and beyond, the average school planner gives teens very little tools or training for properly planning out their schedules. These planners are set up for students to enter tasks on the days they were assigned, not when they’re due, so students learn to treat a planner as a glorified calendar, rather than as a powerful tool for taking control of every aspect of their lives.

The Merit Planner is that tool. It’s designed to let students organize tasks according to their due dates, and to block off the exact amount of time needed for every homework assignment, study session, or extracurricular activity. This gives them complete knowledge of and control over their schedules, as well as the freedom to enjoy their downtime without nagging guilty or uncertainty. With each day of the week divided into 15-minute intervals from 7am to midnight, not only is there plenty of space for precisely recording the time needed for every task and activity, there’s also just as much space for nights and weekends, allowing you to easily see your whole schedule for the week at a glance and avoid those inevitable conflicts between family, friends, and schoolwork. It’s also a good way to get the whole family on the same page; I have clients who start their weeks by sitting down around the breakfast table and discussing everyone’s plans, which is especially handy for efficiently dividing the labor for family chores like spring cleaning that might otherwise consume entire weekends, or coordinating hectic carpool schedules.

The Merit Planner gives parents an easy way to see if their teen is on top of everything, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that they are. Most importantly, it empowers teens with critical life skills, and endows them with the confidence and self-esteem that can only come from being in control of their busy lives.

The 2011 edition of the Merit Planner is available at the Merit Bookstore

Need a Class for High School Graduation or College Entrance Requirements?

Have you heard horror stories about students who couldn't walk or graduate with their high school class because they were short one class? By simply getting any grade lower than a C- during your senior year can set back your graduation date by one term. By not graduating on time or receiving a D+ or lower in an academic course, colleges can rescind their conditional offers to matriculate in the fall. Sometimes, colleges require additional classes as a prerequisite to enrolling in specific majors, and unfortunately, students often learn about these requirements after their spring semester has already started when it's too late to take the course at their school. After community colleges start spring semester classes, high school students aren't allowed to enroll and they can find themselves in a desperate situation. Stunned with this bad news, students are surprised that they don't have any good options.

Until now, online classes have been the only solution to getting these needed credits. Now, Merit Academy offers an even better solution: one-on-one classes! Most students don't have the personal discipline to stay on track with online classes. If the students had already failed a class when they had a teacher, it's highly unlikely that the students will pass the class using an online program that requires the students to teach themselves. That's why Merit Academy's one-on-one classes are taught face-to-face by real teachers. Each student works closely with his dedicated teacher to ensure that he will pass the class. Because Merit sets up classes around the student's busy schedule, students can complete an entire semester in as little as four weeks.

Merit Academy is a WASC-accredited independent school where students can take as little as one class or enroll in Merit's full-time program. All courses are University of California A-G approved, so students can send off Merit Academy's transcripts along with their high school and/or community college transcripts to their top colleges during the admissions process. Merit Academy has an excellent reputation for its curriculum and rigorous courses.

Students who need an extra course in a pinch, appreciate Merit Academy's excellent classes that are taught by engaged teachers who are passionate about their subject areas. Ninety-minute classes are organized around the student's busy schedules and typically are taught in the comfort of the student's homes.

Education in America is changing to meet the needs of the diverse students who need flexibility. One-on-one classes are a new concept in education, and they will give students the opportunity to learn with more depth and in less time. If you need a class to satisfy graduation or college requirements, Merit Academy offers a quick and easy solution. Check Merit's website at www.meritworld.com. Merit Academy services the Peninsula/South Bay, Cupertino/Saratoga, and Santa Cruz County.