When the temperatures drop and the sweaters come out, many families start thinking of going apple picking and enjoying some fun fall activities. As apple picking season can be somewhat unpredictable in Southern California, your best best bet for apple picking near LA is to visit the Oak Glen/Yucaipa area. For starters, here’s what you need to know about apple picking season outside Los Angeles: Apple Picking Near LA: Know Your Season Apple picking season varies from year to year and from site to site in Southern California. The season can range anywhere from mid July to November. Some years th ..read more

As moms, we often deal with the aftermath of holidays and special occasions. One of my least favorites? leftover Halloween candy. Here’s how to use this candy to cultivate curiosity, inspire creativity, encourage civic engagement AND save time for your future self: 1. Use Lefover Halloween Candy In STEAM and Art Inspired Activities Much of the candy kids get for Halloween is filled with food coloring. The upside? It makes for some fun STEAM and art projects that can pique your child’s natural curiosity and creativity. Try some of the ideas featured on MakeTimeForMom Pinterest Board at home or ..read more

LAUSD school selection is a long and complicated process. This post will help you create a timeline for researching schools, booking tours, and tracking school acceptances. It will also cover Independent Charter timelines which are not part of LA Unified but are nevertheless free public LA schools. If you’re new to the LAUSD school selection process, visit MakeTimeForMom’s How to LAUSD series for a complete guide to free public programs offered in LA County. As a first step, here is the timeline released by LAUSD: LAUSD School Selection: District-Issued Timeline LAUSD shares a general time-fra ..read more

Did your school request a Back to School emergency kit or would you just feel better knowing your child had one? Use this quick guide to put it together in less than ten minutes. What Constitutes as a School Emergency? Students may encounter emergency situations such as lockdowns, earthquakes and more commonly – shelter in place requirements while at school. They may also run into another type of emergency – the type where a bathroom accident or an unexpected period can feel like the end of the world to a child or teen. School emergencies can be big events or small and personal ones When makin ..read more

Magnet Programs Demystified is the sixth and final part of the series How to LAUSD:The Complete Guide to LAUSD School Selection. This final chapter covers Magnet programs which often get a bad reputation for being difficult to understand and hard to get into. By the time you finish this post, however, you’ll know how Magnets work and what steps to take to increase the chances of getting into the Magnet of your choice. As a first step, here are a few things that are especially important to know about Magnet programs: Magnet Programs 101 Interested in applying to Magnet programs? It’s important ..read more

Dual Language Programs is part five of the MakeTimeforMom’s How to LAUSD series. This six-part series is an opportunity to learn about the public school options available in Los Angeles in one centralized location. Be sure to use the How to LAUSD: Glossary for any new school-related terminology. As a first step, it’s important to know which programs fall under the Multilingual Multicultural Program: Multilingual Multicultural Program Explained Specifically, this fifth post covers all the Multilingual Multicultural Program (MMP) offered by LA Unified. Multilingual Multicultural Program (MMP) is ..read more

SAS Programs Made Easy is part four of the series How to LAUSD. It covers the often overlooked program known as Schools for Advanced studies or SAS for short. Read this post to learn just how and why you should apply for such a program. Use How to LAUSD: Glossary for any unfamiliar vocabulary. This first section is for those of you who only want a quick overview of SAS programs: SAS Programs 101 If you’re looking for a general idea about SAS programs, here are the four important things to note. SAS Programs 101 Looking to dive deeper into SAS programs? Keep reading: SAS Programs Overview Schoo ..read more

Affiliated Charters Explained is chapter three in the series How to LAUSD. This series covers the ins and outs of all the free public school programs open to Los Angeles and California residents. change link to home page for series Missed part one or two of the series? Find them here: How to LAUSD, Part 1: LAUSD School Selection Overview How to LAUSD, Part 2: Independent Charters 101 How to LAUSD: Glossary The E-choices Platform Already know everything you need to know about this platform? Jump directly to Affiliated Charters Overview. LAUSD e-Choices (also referred to as Unified Enrollment) i ..read more

Independent Charters 101 is part two of the series How to LAUSD: The Complete Guide to LAUSD School Selection. This post offers insight into what Independent Charters are, how to apply to them, and what makes them unique. Missed part one of this series: Visit How to LAUSD, Part 1: LAUSD School Selection Overview to get you started. How to LAUSD: Glossary Independent Charters are goal oriented Charters were established to promote excellence, competition, and innovation Independent Charter Schools were established under “The Charter Schools Act of 1992” to improve student outcomes (especially lo ..read more

LA Unified is one of the largest and most complicated school systems for parents and caregivers to navigate. If you live in LA and are trying to learn about public schools and the LAUSD school selection process, you’ve come to the right place. This How to LAUSD Guide was written by me, a local mom, for the benefit of other local moms. The reason? The endless research moms do for their children is valuable and should be shared. Read more about the importance of pooling our collective research on the MakeTimeForMom local Resources Page. Moms should pool their collective knowledge While reading t ..read more