My daughter was in public school K-12. But I’m a firm believer that parents need to find the right educational fit for their children. For some families, that’s private school. For some families, that’s homeschool.

Do not dismiss private school simply for financial reasons. Talk to the school principal and staff at that campus to find out what your options are. They know where the money is coming from that their families are paying.

It is a fact that more attention and money is available for college funding than for K-12 private school.

It is also a fact that K-12 private school funding breaks are more likely to rely on a family’s fundraiser participation, volunteer efforts, financial need or active church membership than the student’s academic record. That’s just the typical criteria for such things.

One example I know about: one of my teen-age friends took on a work study assignment at her private high school to help with tuition expenses when her family ran into financial difficulties.

So if private school appeals to you, then attend the open houses and meet with the school staff. You want to first find out whether your student would fit in with that environment. Each school has its own personality and academic emphasis.

Then while you are on campus, ask about the payment plans, merit scholarships, financial need grants and fundraiser campaigns.

If you still can’t afford the tuition with whatever options are available at that campus, well, then you make other arrangements for school.

But the tuition bite may not be as significant as you think.

A snippet:

It’s tempting to dismiss the suffering of children who are pretty wealthy compared to those whose parents were barely surviving on minimum wage and then get laid off. But when wealthy children, even middle class children, have been shielded their whole lives from trauma and sacrifice, as much of this generation has, the recession can cause serious angst. …

That’s why it’s so important for parents and caregivers to offer comfort and stability amid the turmoil. That doesn’t mean hiding the truth from kids, but it does mean dispensing information thoughtfully and finding a way to release stress before walking through the door at the end of a rough day.

The Monroe County counselors and Monroe County Community  College will host their annual college expo from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 3 in the Welch Health Education Building on MCCC’s Main Campus, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd. in Monroe, Mich.

Admission representatives from more than 60 colleges and universities will be available to answer questions and provide information about their respective institutions. Grant, loan and scholarship professionals will also be in attendance.

For more information on College Night 2009, call the Admissions and Guidance Office at (734) 384-4105.

A note from your blogger: I highly recommend expos like this for students grades 10-12 and their parents as a way to get first-hand information about college admissions and financial aid. These events also will help narrow down the list of schools you plan to make formal visits to. My daughter was introduced to her college in Indiana by attending an MCCC College Night.

But it is a growing problem for some areas.

USA Today has this report: Lunch debts piling up for schools.

A snippet:

“When we’re talking to parents, we’re hearing that they lost their jobs, their cars have broken down,” says Sheila Mason of Des Moines Public Schools.

About 4,500 students in Des Moines owed $133,000 for unpaid meals at the start of the year, most of it from previous years. That’s more than twice the amount a year earlier.

If a student can’t pay, school officials say they contact parents and urge them to apply for federally subsidized free and reduced-price lunch programs. About 19 million students received free and reduced-price lunches in May, according to the U.S. Food and Nutrition Service.

I cannot stress this enough: if your family is income-eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, sign up. This can be done at any time of year that your family income drops if you don’t meet the requirements in September — and you can sign off any time the circumstances change. When my brothers and I went on reduced-price lunches, it was for only a few weeks in spring semester of my fifth grade year.

The other option, if you run into a cash flow problem but don’t meet the requirements or the kids don’t like the hot lunch, is to pack the kids a very cheap sack or box lunch. Don’t send them to school with no lunch for the day.

I wouldn’t worry about the reaction in the lunch room when so many other Michigan students are already on the lunch program. These days, even the kids who pay full price for lunch are often using a paid-in-advance account anyway.

Besides, chit-chat such as “What did you do this summer?” “What are you doing this weekend?” “Did you see such-and-such movie yet?” and “What did you get for Christmas?” will be bigger clues to the classmates about family finances than what your kids eat for lunch.

Here are the income charts that Monroe Public Schools have posted for the 2009-2010 school year:

• 1 person: $14,090 a year or $1,174 a month.
• 2 people: $18,941 a year or $1,579 a month.
• 3 people: $23,803 a year or $1,984 a month.
• 4 people: $28,664 a year or $2,389 a month.
• 5 people: $33,527 a year or $2,794 a month.
• 6 people: $38,389 a year or $3,200 a month.
• 7 people: $43,251 a year or $3,605 a month.
• 8 people: $48,113 a year or $4,010 a month.
• For additional members add: $4,862 annually or $406 monthly.

• 1 person: $20,036 a year or $1,670 a month.
• 2 people: $26,955 a year or $2,247 a month.
• 3 people: $33,874 a year or $2,823 a month.
• 4 people: $40,793 a year or $3,400 a month.
• 5 people: $47,712 a year or $3,976 a month.
• 6 people: $54,631 a year or $4,553 a month.
• 7 people: $61,550 a year or $5,130 a month.
• 8 people: $68,469 a year or $5,706 a month.
• For additional members add: $6,919 annually or $577 monthly.

The Esquire Leadership & Mentor Program amd Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity will host their second annual “College Day: A Wealth of Opportunity!”  starting at 9 a.m. Saturday Oct. 17 at the Eastern Michigan University Student Center, 900 Oakwood St., Ypsilanti.

This event is free to all southeast Michigan parents and students. The program is aimed at preparing high school juniors, seniors and their parents on how to successfully navigate through the college admissions process.

The expected seminar topics are: Financial Aid & Scholarships, College Admissions Panel: Transitioning from High School to College, Preparing for College Life & Your Ultimate Career. There will be admission counselors available from several colleges such as University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Dearborn, Eastern Michigan University Wayne State University, Kettering University and University of Detroit.

Walk-in registrations are available, but the organizers ask that you register in advance and suggest that the student bring a copy of his or her high school transcript.

For information or reservations, send an e-mail to esquires@annarboralphas.org or contact Matthew Coats – Theta Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, C/O: ELMP – P.O. Box 130044 – Ann Arbor, MI 48113 – matthew.mm.coats@gmail.com

But it can be a little bit complicated to arrange for such thing for one’s child, as I learned a few years ago when a particular seasonal flu strain in circulation was known to hit the younger people. I thought it was prudent to get my daughter vaccinated against that virus, but didn’t know where to get her shot done.

Answer: The Monroe County Health department announced some flu shot clinics just for kids. I took my daughter and we stood in line with other families to get the job done.

There’s no word yet on H1N1 flu vaccinations. But if you would like your child vaccinated against the 2009-2010 seasonal flu, that service is now available in Monroe, Mich. And it will cost only $10 for the kids’ shots, as compared to the $25 that adults typically pay.

Here’s the article in today’s Monroe Evening News explaining the details.

This information expo is free and open to northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan high school students and their parents. There will be opportunities to learn about the admissions process, financial aid process and scholarship opportunities.

There will be representatives on site from University of Toledo, Monroe County Community College, Tiffin University, Adrian University and several other colleges in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Speaker topics include ‘Making the Most of Your College Money,’ ‘Making the Transitition to College’ and ‘Importance of College.’

Fifth Third Bank is sponsoring a drawing for eight $1,000 scholarships to be held that night. Lourdes College and Bowling Green State University also will hold scholarship drawings at the event. Students must be present to win those awards.

For reservations for the event, go to mudhens.com/collegenight.

A note from your blogger: I recommend high school sophomores, juniors and seniors attend at least one college fair as they consider what colleges to attend or make formal visits to. My daughter was introduced to her college at a college information fair like this one.

Kristie Kay’s Frugal Way is hosted by a teenager in the metro Toledo area. Her mom blogs at Marilyn’s Money.

Go see what Kristie Kay did at the last Kmart super double coupon sale.

The reply I got was “All Detroit area high school students are welcome to participate in the fair.”

So … I think this means my readers in Monroe County and Downriver can participate? I wish I had more specifics on that matter. Sometimes Monroe is considered metro Toledo rather than metro Detroit.

Anyway, here is the notice as best I can pin the details down:

It’s an annoying situation for the parents who are caught by surprise on project deadlines, concert dates and bake sale requests.

It’s an annoying situation for teachers who are waiting for papers to be signed and returned on situations such as field trips or homework checks.

It’s an annoying situation for the non-profit groups and agencies who asked that papers about special events or volunteer opportunities be sent home with students, but don’t get a good response.

And if you are a family on a budget, you can’t afford to keep replacing things such as mittens or lunch boxes that are needed but get left behind.

Here’s a good solution posted on that thread from one mom who put a stop to that nonsense:

I actually made a list for DS, laminated it and went to school and hung it in his locker.  I threatened that if I ever show up unannounced and looked in his locker it had better be there or I’d totally embarass him in front of his whole class!  That helped alot!

In the meantime, when my daughter was in grade school, I made it a habit of completely emptying her backpack about once a week to look for important papers that got overlooked or crammed underneath a textbook.

Some schools and Sunday Schoo0l programs are now going toward e-mail notifications sent home to parents so that they aren’t relying on a big packet of paperwork hand-delivered by a kid. If your school or church offers that option, sign up and make sure you check that e-mail account at least two times a week.

And some the area high schools post their daily announcements on line. If you are a parent, you’ll want to check that web site at least twice a week to look for notices such as scholarship announcements and yearbook photo deadlines. Today’s students don’t listen to the public address or video announcements any better than you and your classmates did.