Preparing for a New School Year

It is that time of year when school administrators are definitely looking ahead to the next school year and parents are also thinking about that, too.

How do we at YCS determine teachers and classes for the coming school year?

The administrators set the boundaries of the ages in classroom, it is a natural break based on age-appropriate standards. September 1 is our age cut-off. So for example if a child turns 4 in July of this year they will be in the Preschool class that is comprised of three & four year olds. In the multiage classroom the older children are acting as leaders and examples and younger children are learning from them, in addition to the teacher’s teaching.

Teachers observe each child’s abilities and challenge them at an age-appropriate level to take risks to learn and try new things. We do skills and academic assessments in the fall (a starting point) and at year end to see if they have learned what they need to know. Our final goal is for them to learn the skills and tools they need to move on to learning things on their own.

How do we determine staffing for the classroom?

There are optimal ratios of students to adults for each age based on educational research. We keep our class size small to meet these recommendations. Teachers may be moved around to suit the needs of the school and students.

What are the hiring standards at YCS?

Our Homeroom teachers must have the following:

  1. An appropriate college degree, licensing and/or certification to teach from their home country.
  2. A minimum of three years teaching children
  3. A practicing Christian
  4. A native level English speaker
  5. We do not discriminate by race or nationality.

Questions for parents to ponder…

  1. What is the purpose of Christian Education?
  2. What is the role of the parent in education?
  3. Who are our students?
  4. What is the role of the teacher?
  5. How do children learn best?