Talking About K-12 Education Improvements

Private Schools And Community Service: Your Child's Chance To Help Out

13 July 2016 by آدرینا احمدی

What do community service and private schools have to do with one another? Children who attend private educational institutions are more likely than students in public schools to commit to service projects, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES data shows that 42 percent of church-related and 40 percent of non-church-related private schools arrange for their students to participate in community service, while only 16 percent of public schools do so.

If your child is attending (or planning on attending) private school, what types of community service projects are available? The specific types of service depend entirely on the school's mission, the administration's decision-making process, and the student's engagement. That said, typical types of service programs/projects that are appropriate (and often encouraged) in the K-12 levels include the following:

Curriculum-based service.

Service often equals learning in school. The most common types of community service seen in K-12 schools are those opportunities that match up the curriculum. This includes social studies, science, and English/language arts, notes the Corporation for National and Community Service. These programs and projects vary greatly, but all tie in to what the students are currently doing in the classroom. For example, a science-based project may include middle school students helping out at the local recycling center or high schoolers teaching younger children in a park's wildlife center.

Seasonal projects.

It's winter and the local shelter needs warm coats to keep their homeless clients toasty. The holidays are coming up and someone needs to wrap gifts for patients at a nursing home. The spring weather is finally getting warmer and the local animal shelter needs help taking the dogs outside and walking them. These are all examples of seasonal community service activities that school students may engage in. While they don't last all school year, children can still learn the value of helping others through these types of short-term work.

In-school service.

Students don't always have to leave the walls of their private schools to take part in service projects. From volunteering in the school's tutoring center to starting a donation drive, children in elementary, middle, and high schools can help others all while in school. While these opportunities may not get the children out and into the community, they make the need for buses (or other types of transportation) unnecessary.

Opportunities that are away.

Some schools (especially high schools) may organize trip-type community service projects. Church-based private schools may arrange for students to go on mission trips, helping to build homes in less fortunate countries or aiding areas affected by natural disasters.

Community service provides children with the chance to help others, while learning new skills and getting a better understanding of how the world works. Even though these experiences aren't only for private school students, these schools (both church and non-church affiliated) take part in service projects at a higher rate than public institutions. From content-based service to taking trips, private school is where it's at when it comes to helping out communities! 

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