Choosing a school, dorm life, the seminary year, camp, support. Ask what you’re wondering and answer what you know. One rule: no reviews or rankings of specific schools.
PinnedChinuch & parentingChinuchPlace Team4mo ago
Welcome to the ChinuchPlace community. This is a place for parents and educators to share practical wisdom about chinuch, schools, camps, and everything around them. A few ground rules that keep this space useful: 1. No reviews, ratings, or complaints about specific schools — good or bad. Every family and every child is different; we talk about right fit, not rankings. 2. No lashon hara about schools, staff, or students. Questions about a school's programs are welcome; commentary about people is not. 3. Never share a child's name or identifying details. 4. Be generous. The best threads here are parents sharing what they wish they had known. Threads that break these rules are removed. To reach the team directly, use the contact page. Welcome aboard!
Choosing a schoolChinuchPlace Team16h ago
Parents of 8th graders: for those who have been through mesivta interviews, what did the menahel or rosh yeshiva actually ask your son? Was it mostly learning (a blatt Gemara, a Rashi), middos questions, or getting to know the family? What helped your son feel prepared without feeling drilled?
Choosing a schoolChinuchPlace Team16h ago
Many families face this choice at the end of 8th grade: a local mesivta where he comes home every night, or dorming out of town. For those who have done either, what tipped the decision, and what surprised you in the first year?
Chinuch & parentingChinuchPlace Team16h ago
Leaving home at 14 is a big adjustment. If your son dormed in 9th grade, what did the yeshiva do, or what did you do from home, that made the first weeks easier? Phone calls, Shabbos visits, a familiar roommate, something else?
Seminary & beis medrash yearsChinuchPlace Team16h ago
For parents of 12th graders who have been through it: when did applications open, when were interviews, and when did acceptances come? What would you tell a family starting the process this fall?
Support & special needsChinuchPlace Team16h ago
Gemara skills, kriah, math: what made a tutor work for your child when others did not? In person or remote? How did you find them?
Moving & communitiesChinuchPlace Team16h ago
More families are moving south. If you have made the move with teenagers, what did you learn about the mesivta and high school options, dorming from in town, and how your kids adjusted?
Camps & summerChinuchPlace Team16h ago
Some families prefer a full camp summer before mesivta; others want a learning seder in the morning. How did you weigh it, and how did your son feel about the choice afterward?
Support & special needsChinuchPlace Team16h ago
If your child needed an evaluation for reading, attention or processing, how did you find someone who understood a yeshiva schedule and a Hebrew-English day? Did the school help, or did you go on your own?
Choosing a schoolChinuchPlace Team4mo ago
Every family learns something in their school search that they wish they had known earlier — a question they never thought to ask, a detail that turned out to matter more than expected. What is the one question you would tell a friend to ask before choosing? (Remember: practical wisdom, not commentary on specific schools.)
Camps & summerChinuchPlace Team4mo ago
Camp applications open earlier every year, and comparing programs from a distance is hard. How does your family decide? What practical details matter most — session length, learning schedule, visiting day logistics, packing? Share your process. It might save another parent a summer of second-guessing.