NEW YORK, Aug. 31, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Early education leader Corlears School announced today it is launching two innovative programs, both designed to create new ways for families in the neighborhood to access the tremendous expertise and facilities that the nonprofit, progressive private school has to offer.
The school has created the Learn. Play. Grow. Initiative to promote greater access and equity through two very impactful projects that will make a significant difference for the New York City community, especially as families struggle to maintain children's academic growth and wellbeing during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Learn. Play. Grow. Center at Corlears – This fall, Corlears will create opportunity by opening its building and providing space and programming for young children and their families for free every other Saturday from October through May. In addition to offering access to classrooms and their beautiful backyard playground, Corlears is partnering with other organizations to create dynamic opportunities for young children to learn, play, and grow together through regularly scheduled activities and educational programs on a biweekly basis. It will also organize opportunities for parents and caregivers to connect and learn together through interactive workshops, parenting classes, and forums.
"Given this school's progressive roots and commitment to equity and inclusion, it is important that we continue to apply an anti-bias framework across all areas of our school, and that we challenge what is possible in a private school for young children. We believe that schools can both impact the students that they teach as well as the community in which they exist. For us, this means creating more opportunities to access and partner with us as a local non profit organization that cares about the wonderfully diverse NYC community," said David Egolf, Head of School for Corlears School.
Corlears is in the development phase to form partnerships with local nonprofits and businesses, and expects to be working with the following organizations, which will provide programming:
- New York Live Arts: Movement-based artistic programming
- Arts For All: Theater classes
- The GIANT Room: STEAM activities
- Love Child Yoga: Music and movement classes
The Corlears Tuition Equity and Accessibility Model –
Corlears is a leader in the prioritization of socioeconomic diversity and removing barriers to entry for the diverse community of young children in NYC. Corlears consistently dedicates 25–30% of the gross tuition revenue to financial aid, year after year, for the past 5 years. This is well above the independent school norm, especially for early childhood and elementary years.
In the 2022–23 school year, Corlears will introduce the Tuition Equity and Accessibility Model (TEAM), changing the paradigm from financial aid to equitable tuition level setting for all families. The TEAM uses a simple questionnaire administered in the fall to determine the equitable tuition level (from zero to maximum) for all Corlears families. Families who wish to opt out may do so and pay the maximum tuition.
The TEAM is an important and innovative demonstration of Corlears School's commitment to ensuring equity in our school all the way down to our tuition setting structure. In this paradigm, more families than ever will have access, and all Corlears families will contribute in an equitable way to helping Corlears to maintain a high level of faculty expertise and an extraordinary educational program.
About Corlears School
Corlears is a non-profit progressive independent school for toddlers through fifth grade, offering a strong academic foundation and vibrant, inclusive community for more than 50 years. Corlears was founded in 1968 to create a space for young children where the curriculum would stimulate creativity, be grounded in concrete experiences, and extend beyond the classroom, while preparing students to become responsible and contributing members of their communities.
Over the past 15 years, the school has doubled down on this commitment, and began a school-wide social justice initiative seven years ago to further prioritize justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion through formalized training for all staff, adjustments to the educational program, and the application of an anti-bias framework across all areas of the school.
In 2019 the school adopted six core values: compassion, growth, courage to act, responsibility, belonging, and curiosity.
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SOURCE Corlears School
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