Learn about the latest news in education and tips to help your kids thrive in elementary school. Delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Primary Focus was founded by Natalie Parmenter, a former kindergarten teacher to guide parents through elementary school. We provide information that is often common knowledge to teachers but is not widely known among parents. Primary Focus is dedicated to enlightening parents on all things elementary school so their children can thrive.
Going Dutch
"I am no better and neither are you, We are the same, whatever we do"Everyday People by Sly & the Family Stone
πThe VIRTUAL Kindergarten School Talk Workshop is in 2 weeks! Grab your tickets nowβ Hey Reader! I just returned from a wonderful week in Breda (the Netherlands) and Antwerp (Belgium). My bestie is Dutch, so I went to visit her and her 15 month old daughter. I'll be sharing about the trip and Dutch parenting culture all week in my instagram stories. β Different Strokes for Different Folks π³π± πΊπΈOne afternoon we decided to take my little Dutch niece to the swimming pool! After a summer of scrolling American instagram *enter sarcasm* i can tell you water wings are bad. children could never learn to swim with them. anyone using water wings is a bad person. you must give your child a flotation vest. (again, let me reiterate that was sarcasm) π§ When we got to the pool all the little kids had water wings on! not a flotation vest in sight. what?! all these children are moments from drowning!! I cautiously asked my friend about this. She said, "Ohh I've seen that on instagram! Americans think flotation suits are all the rage. But the Dutch kids use water wings. There's more than one way to swim." and that's the lesson: there's more than one right way to do...anything Because what if your child doesn't like a flotation vest...would it be a crime to put them in water wings? I think about this with The K Delay. I see the same insane pressures online- people with wild opinions claiming you'll ruin your child's life by sending them to school too early or too late. The K Delay moves away from the panicked, judgey, peer pressure-y thinking we see online. It helps you consider what it could actually look like for your child to graduate at 17...or when they're pushing 19. It teaches you about child development, so you can imagine how they will change from ages 4 to 5 to 6 to 7. There's more than one way to send your child to school- find the path that will bring out the best in your child with The K Delay.β What's New?π©βπ» Keep Track!: Searching for PreK or Elementary Schools? Stay organized with The School Tour Tracker. This $5 tracker will help you organize all your notes from research and school tours. No need to keep all the information from school tours in your head- put it in the tracker! I'm refunding the first 3 people that buy it!β π Nothing New: Guys it's incredible- last weekend I did nothing. After a summer of packed weekends, I finally had a weekend home. All my friends were out of town. So I truly spent the weekend at home resetting. Back on the horse as my sister in law flies in later this week! Things I LoveGreat Series for Kids: One of my favorite series for kids Ivy and Bean explores friendship and kid antics with a bit of whimsy. Great chapter books for 1st - 2nd Grade. Get the box set on sale for $12!β π¦ Great Read: I just finished reading The Lion Women of Tehran. It was a beautiful historical fiction novel about two friends growing up in Iran from the 60s - 80s. With themes of friendship and resilience it was a page turner and a tear jerker. One of my favorite reads of 2026! π Photographs Great!: I wore my new black dress on my trip. It packed so well (not a single wrinkle!), looked GREAT in photos, and was super comfortable. I'm officially buying it in a second color. Have a wonderful week friends β€οΈ What ridiculous instagram peer pressure do you reject? Respond to let me know! |
Primary Focus Newsletter
Learn about the latest news in education and tips to help your kids thrive in elementary school. Delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. Primary Focus was founded by Natalie Parmenter, a former kindergarten teacher to guide parents through elementary school. We provide information that is often common knowledge to teachers but is not widely known among parents. Primary Focus is dedicated to enlightening parents on all things elementary school so their children can thrive.
Hi Reader! π It's a SALE! It's Labor Day Weekend- which is just in time because I know you've been dealing with all the Labor of Back to School season! This weekend only enjoy 25% off Primary Focus Products! Save 25% on The K Delay Not sure if your little one will be ready for kindergarten? This course will give you the tools to decide. Use the proven framework to make the right call for your child's future. Use code: LABORDAY2026 Buy now Save 25% on Kindergarten School Talk Workshop Tickets*...
"Who's to say, I can't do everything? Well I can try..." Upside Down by Jack Johnson πLast Chance to Save! Save $15 on any Kindergarten School Talk Workshop session. Expires tonight! Hey Reader! When you hear people compare schooling around the world, one sticking point is when countries start teaching their students to read. On the early side- you hear about The United Kingdom starting reading instruction at age 4. On the late side- countries like Finland and Denmark wait until children are...
"do I wear you out?" All I Really Want by Alanis Morrisette (I've been listening to this album and it's still so good!) Let me be real Reader, I'm so burned out right now. I reallllllllly overdid it this summer. During work hours, I went all in creating The K Delay. It's consumed every second of my work day since May...and will for the time being. When you create something you're passionate about, it consumes you. It's hard to let go. After work, I went all in for my community. Family...