The Foreign Service Journal, June 2016

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2016 91 closed the dorms—that I fully realized how fortunate we were to have done this. Boarding schools will often close their dorms during breaks, requiring kids to find alternative housing at those times. This is not a challenge for the average boarding school parent, who often lives within driving distance or is wealthy. But for Foreign Service families posted over- seas, this can be difficult to manage. Your child certainly won’t have a car, and may not be old enough to use public transportation on their own. Once friend- ships develop, they may be able to stay with classmates, but that can take time. There should be a shuttle to the airport, but if you have to fly them to an available relative for school breaks, it can add up to four to six domestic flights per school year. The bottom line is that parents need to identify when these breaks are, and have a plan in place for your child before you head overseas. In our case, we had not put nearly enough thought into this in advance. Though our daughter was only admitted to one school, it happened to be in the same small town where her aunt lives. In addition, we are in the Washington, D.C., area this school year, so for longer breaks, we’ve had her come to us, a short flight. More Information If you are a Foreign Service family considering boarding school, I would strongly suggest that you join the group “AAFSW Boarding School Parents” on Facebook. This is a place where you can ask questions of more than 100 current, past and prospective boarding school parents in the Foreign Service. By joining, you can also request a copy of the recently compiled list of boarding schools attended by FS kids. Further, if you are concerned about your ability to find the right school for your child, consider employing an accredited independent educational consultant. Contact FLO, or ask on the “AAFSW Boarding School Parents” Face- book page, for recommendations. Good luck! n