Beyond The Brochure: An Insider's Guide To Private Elementary Schools in Los Angeles

Beyond the Brochure: An Insider’s Guide to Private Elementary Schools in Los Angeles is Christina Simon, Anne Simon, and Porcha Dodson’s gift to every parent looking for the truth about private (and independent) elementary schools, admission policies, and what it really takes to get a child accepted. Using their step-by-step guide through the labyrinthine admissions process― applications, testing, parent and child interviews, recommendation letters, applying for a child with special needs, even stress reduction―every parent will enter the process knowledgeable, confident, and ready to navigate what could otherwise be a complicated and frustrating system. From selecting the right school to writing your child’s application, from keeping your cool during the process to understanding financial aid applications, these three authors have pooled their years of extensive experience to deliver the ultimate insider’s guide.

Christina Simon earned her bachelor's in political science from UC Berkeley and her master's in urban planning from UCLA. A former vice president at Fleishman-Hillard, a global public relations firm, she has a son and daughter who attend elementary school at The Willows Community School in Culver City. Christina, her husband, Barry Perlstein, and their two children live in Hancock Park.