By Roslyn Benjamin
Head of School
During the 2022-23 school year, our community came together to design a strategic plan to shape the next 3-5 years. This plan, “Amplify, Nurture, Thrive: Advancing The Children’s School’s Vision and Impact,” keeps our mission to enrich minds and inspire dreams at its heart by “amplifying” our progressive values, “nurturing” the members of community, and ensuring our preschool – grade 8 students “thrive” academically and social-emotionally while at TCS and once they leave for high school.
The Perfect Time for a New Plan
We’ve all witnessed the impact of COVID-19 on our students and staff. It has underscored the need to revisit our strengths and challenges, ensuring that our approaches to academics, social-emotional development, and diversity, equity, inclusion and justice are the best approaches for all our students. This plan, set to guide us through 2028, will empower your children to thrive not only while they are at TCS, but also when they move on to high school and beyond.
A Collaborative Approach
One of the most exciting aspects of this strategic planning process was its collaborative nature. We formed a steering committee that consisted of board members, current parents, faculty, and staff to give us a broad spectrum of voices and insights. Together, we engaged in a deep analysis of our school, examining our strengths and opportunities, and considering how current trends in education, society, politics, and economics will impact TCS.
What sets this plan apart from other strategic plans is our commitment to keeping children at the center and including everyone in the process. Students played a significant role, even if they were unaware of it. Each steering committee member shadowed a student for half a day, gaining invaluable insights into their daily experiences. We also spoke to alumni, high school students, past and current parents, faculty, and staff. The entire TCS community contributed to shaping this vision for our school’s future.
Key Elements of the Strategic Plan
Our strategic plan encompasses several key elements:
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- Progressive, Child-centered Approach: Shine a light on our progressive, child-centered approach to learning and the remarkable benefits it offers to our students, families, and the larger community
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice: Deepen our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice, recognizing that our differences are our greatest assets
- Community Connection: Move beyond the walls of our campus to engage even more with our city, creating opportunities for deeper community connections and hands-on learning
- Middle Grades: Reimage our Middle Grades program to emphasize real-world, hands-on learning experience and celebrate adolescence.
- Early Learning – Grade 8 Academic Excellence: Articulate the trajectory of academic excellence from Early Learning through grade 8
- Neurodiversity: Deepen our commitment to neurodiversity and train faculty and staff to support all of our students’ learning styles
- Student Well-being: Prioritize student well-being with a school-wide wellness program and further incorporate “Building Character and Community” BCC into the curriculum
- Teacher and Staff Well-being: Create a workplace culture that fosters authenticity, care, service, collaboration, development, and reflection where our faculty and staff are supported and encouraged to grow both personally and professionally
- Financial Sustainability: Deconstruct and refine our financial model to ensure that we can continue to nurture the amazing potential of our students for generations to come
Learning in Action Night, Jan. 17
All TCS families are invited to join me on Wed., Jan. 17 for “Learning in Action Night” to hear more about the strategic plan, its impact on your children, and to experience the TCS academic journey with PBL projects from our kindergarten, third, sixth and seventh-grade students.
The Children’s School’s strategic plan lays out a path of innovation, inclusivity, and engaged learning, offering an exciting journey for our entire community. I look forward to working together to provide an extraordinary progressive educational experience for your children. With your support, we’ll continue to be a space of inspiration, education and inclusivity for generations to come.
