As parents look for private schools for their children, things will work a bit differently this year, with open houses and admissions processes held online. However, school staff are creating innovative workarounds to solve this challenge.

“With the caveat that I don't think anyone will get what they want out of this, just given that they can't physically be here, I think what we were able to provide was really great,” Sasha Zuflacht, director of advancement and admissions at The Learning Project, said.

The Learning Project, a K-6 school in the Back Bay, held its first virtual open house on October 7. The event featured Zuflacht, the head of school and six teachers giving an overview of the school, its values and the admissions process. Parents were then placed in one-on-one breakout rooms with teachers to give them space to ask more questions.

“I got some wonderful feedback from parents that actually, without the distractions of being in the space and other families being in the vicinity, they were able to have really in-depth conversations with our teachers more than they think they otherwise would have,” she said. The school is also allowing parents to speak one-on-one with parents of current students once applications are submitted and are hoping to allow parents of admitted students to come into the school for private tours in the spring. They have also added a video to their website that gives parents a tour of the school.

John Winthrop School, a nursery school in Back Bay, is also updating its website, according to Mary Beth Sweeney, the school’s director. She said a photographer took professional photos last weekend to give parents a sense of the physical space, and the school is holding virtual open houses featuring both the photos and teachers sharing what their students are working on. Sweeney also encouraged parents to call the school for a one-on-one appointment if they have questions.

“I understand this is a very unique year in terms of a lot of families come to us, you know, they have specific needs or specific questions that they're looking to have addressed, so I’m more than happy to have families call the school to find out more information,” she said.

The Park Street School on Beacon Hill is offering virtual open houses similar to the other schools, divided between pre-k and grade school. These open houses will feature teachers and current parent panels, along with showcasing current students talking about their work, Laura Perkins, director of admissions for the school, said.

The school will also be conducting virtual live walk-through tours on Tuesdays, which had a learning curve of their own for Perkins. “I'm learning as I go along,” she said. She initially had some issues with the camera, but her camerawork has improved since she bought a stabilizer.

Parents will still hear about the curriculum, hear from teachers and “they’re going to hear all they would have heard before, and even more because we're putting a lot of additional thought into those pieces,” Perkins said.

The only thing the virtual format can’t accomplish is “that kind of gut sense you get when you're in a space physically,” she said. “I’m not sure how to replicate that.”