My partner and I are about to start the hair-raising process of researching pre-schools for our daughter, and of course we are looking for a school that genuinely welcomes families like ours. What questions should we ask of administrators? How can we tell if we have found a school that truly "gets" us?

Looking for the "right school fit" for your family unit means different things for us all. However, there are some basic needs you would want your child's new school to embody. I encourage you to do some legwork prior to meeting with the school's administrators. Learn more about the school's core values through their website, mission statements, and/or Respect/Inclusion policies. Ask how often faculty and staff are trained on diversity topics, specifically on LGBT family issues. All schools; public, private, and parochial, are mandated by a governing board to protect children from harassment/bullying. Find out what your potential school's policies are and be prepared to ask what the consequences are for such behavior at the school. One of the best ways to help a school "get" us is to be an active member of the school community. While it is nice to know if the school has had LGBT families in the past, it is no guarantee that the administrator you are speaking to, the teacher your child has, or the other families in the class are aware and sensitive to the particular concerns of your family unit. While you are getting to know the school by participating in their PTA, attending evening meetings, initiating support groups, you inevitable create a situation where others get to know you!

My daughter's preschool had never had an open two-mom family prior to her enrollment. We provided picture books that positively depicted our family, modeled language we preferred they use to describe her everyday experiences, and we volunteered our time and baked goods as often as we could. By the time our son was enrolled four years later, the faculty and administrators had become our strongest advocates! HRC-Welcoming Schools Guide

Please remember that this forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not engaged through this forum in rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither the Center nor any of the collaborating websites at which this forum is carried is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

Questions and messages posted to this forum are not statements of advice, opinion, or information of the Center or any of its collaborating sites. While neither the Center nor its collaborating sites regularly reviews posted content, we reserve the right to delete, move, or edit postings if we deem it appropriate under the circumstances. Visitors submitting questions remain solely responsible for the content of their messages.