There's no right answer here. Which school fits depends on your child and your family: how your child learns, their temperament, your schedule and budget, and what you value. This guide lays out what LA parents and educators weigh and what to look for, so you can make the call with more to go on.

Write a clear, honest picture of your child using specific examples.
Follow each application’s prompt and describe what you have observed.
Before you submit, check that each answer responds to the question asked.

Writing the parent statement for a private kindergarten application

Write a direct, specific picture of your child and answer the school’s exact questions. The statement helps an admissions team understand your perspective alongside the rest of the application; it is not a sales pitch or a place to present a perfect child. Requirements and prompts vary, so follow each school’s instructions.

What do schools use it for?

Expert guidance: The National Association of Independent Schools says admissions officers consider written statements among several parts of an application, alongside records, recommendations, interviews, and other information. Its parent guidance says schools weigh those factors in their own ways. A parent statement can add the family’s perspective, but public guidance does not establish one universal formula. (NAIS application guidance; NAIS school search guidance)

Los Angeles application materials: The Los Angeles Area Independent Schools consortium’s administrator recommendation form asks a current school leader to share information about an applicant for admissions use. This is a separate recommendation, not a parent statement, but it shows why your account should add what only you can describe alongside school records. (LAIS administrator recommendation form)

Admissions consultant guidance: A Los Angeles admissions consultant interviewed by LA Tutors 123 discusses the purpose and content of personal statements, including for kindergarten applicants. Treat consultant advice as professional opinion, not a rule shared by every admissions office. (Interview on personal statements and private school applications)

How can you describe your child honestly?

Start with the prompt. If it asks about strengths, describe what your child does, says, or returns to. If it asks about a challenge, explain what tends to be hard and what support helps. A concrete example is easier to understand than a list of flattering labels.

Try these questions while you gather examples:

What activity absorbs your child, and what do they do when they are engaged?
When something is difficult, what does your child usually try first?
What kind of help lets your child recover, continue, or ask for help?
What has changed recently in how your child plays, communicates, or handles routines?
What would you like the school to understand about your child’s temperament or learning?
What makes you interested in this school’s stated approach, and what would you want to learn more about?

For each answer, use one ordinary moment: what happened, what your child did, and what you learned. Keep the detail relevant to the prompt. Describe support needs accurately, without exaggeration or diagnosis.

How do you keep the statement useful?

Answer the prompt before polishing sentences. Keep your language natural, check that each example is accurate, and remove claims that could describe any child. If several schools ask similar questions, tailor each answer to the actual prompt and the school’s published information.

Sources: NAIS application guidance; Los Angeles parent-statement advice.

Use the private school application checklist to track application pieces, and read the kindergarten fit guide and school values guide as you compare what each school says with what matters to your family.

Before you submit

Read the prompt once more and check that every answer describes your actual child, answers the question asked, and includes at least one clear example. Ask another adult to flag anything vague or overstated, then make the final edits in your own voice.