On Monday, May 23, The Children's School Board of Trustees voted to approve the school's expansion to the eighth grade starting in fall 2017.
This is a historic moment for The Children's School. The question, formally put forth to our community in May 2015 at the start of our strategic visioning process, has taken a full year to explore, ideate and understand its implications and impact. We hosted many open discussions in the form of listening forums and Vision Team meetings, faculty meetings, at grade-level coffees, with educational consultants and, most recently, one-on-one meetings with current families in grades 3-5. We brainstormed program and curricular elements, financial models, enrollment projections and the facilities impact.
As keepers of the school's mission charged with long-range planning, the board vetted every assumption and conversation. The feedback from every corner was clear: Childhood does not, and need not, end at age 12. The feedback was also just as strong about the younger years and protecting those. Rather than a division between the elementary and middle school years, The Children's School will remain one community, one school dedicated to children ages three through 14.
The adolescent years are critical years in any child's life, and yet they are also the least favorite for almost everyone. Stuck in the “middle,†these years represent a time of transition and vulnerability - biologically, cognitively, socially and emotionally - for children. The journey to adulthood is not quite complete, and these middle years throw every contrast and challenge at our students, leaving them feeling unsure, awkward, unmoored and weary, but also strong, curious, adventurous and seeking a clear identity and purpose.
We are in a unique position in Atlanta, due to our history, values and mission, to offer an incredibly powerful and innovative experience for young adolescents. Many expect less of this age or just try and get the children through the awkwardness. At TCS, we firmly believe our children expect more of us and want more to be expected of them. Since the start of their TCS journey at age three, the joy, wonder and curiosity our children develop here; the collaborative and creative skills they acquire; and the drive to impact the world around them, allow them to develop a lifelong foundation as innovators and world contributors. The best lesson TCS offers us all is the spirit of childhood need never end.
The first seventh grade class will launch in fall 2017. More details - curriculum, physical spaces, tuition and other questions - will be answered at a series of meetings we will schedule in fall 2016 when we return from the summer holidays. We have started an FAQ list here and will add to it over the next few months. For now, consider this letter as your personal invitation to embrace our growing community of young leaders and learners.
For our children who deserve everything we've got,
