Dear Parent

First and foremost, we are parents, just like you. The Village Academy was started for our own two children. Our primary interest was a result of our experience as young parents. Our secondary interest arose from our professional interest in education. If we had not had needs as parents we would never have started the Academy. Consequently, we continue to perceive the Academy as first and foremost a resource to parents. Our children have now graduated from university. We found, as do many parents, that each of our children was very different. Each had a unique personality, each had different interests and each had different learning paths. We needed an educational experience for them that put them first and recognized them as individuals. We did not want them to get lost in large class sizes or an undisciplined social environment. After watching helplessly through several experiences that were negatively effecting our oldest daughter we decided to act. We expanded our childcare centre to include a private school. We soon discovered that effective educational programs could not be classroom based nor even grade based, they had to be individualized and student based. When the school was small this was not difficult as we had only two classes covering five grade levels. Our curriculum was of necessity individualized. As the school has grown we have determined that this discovery will remain the foundational philosophy for the school. It is what makes us unique as a school and it is what led to a successful school career for both of our children. One of our children, entered school early in age and needed individualized encouragement and reassurance. Her little personality could not tolerate making mistakes. The other was self-confident and motivated, however, her curriculum had to be enriched in order to ensure her interest level was maintained. In a normal large classroom environment she would have become bored waiting for the teacher to pass beyond the common denominator syndrome. As a result of an individualized curriculum she passed into high school a year in advance of the norm. Both of our children following different learning paths gained the skills and the self-confidence to be independent students by the time they reached high school. That was our goal for them and we achieved it. As parents we feel we made wise decisions on behalf of our children. Others who have passed through these doors have accomplished the same.

Our methods and approach to both parenting and education emerge out of a group of principles that have been developed from reflections over the last fifteen years. The following handbook for parents is to provide you with some of our central insights which guide our methodology. However, the Village Academy is and will always be a work in progress. Regardless of changing methods and curriculum content we want to assure you that the constant in this enterprise is how can we more fully individualize our relationship with your child and with you, their parent. In popular parlance we are an "EQ" (Emotional Quotient) as well as an "IQ (Intelligence Quotient) focused school. We are on a mission in terms of this enterprise. We believe that the present educational systems of our society must be de-institutionalized and opened up to entrepreneurial competition. Society has gone so far in the direction of an industrial model of mass education and high level bureaucratized decision-making that no-one is granted the professional decision-making authority nor even given the time ability, to listen to our children on a day to day, one on one basis. The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child", is true in two senses of the word village. The more commonly understood being that it takes more than parents to raise a child. Grandparents, cousins, relatives and a controlled environment of socially appropriate peers are also important. However, the second understanding is just as important. It can't be done from beyond the village. It is not professionals, nor an institutionalized bureaucracy, nor a government program that can raise a child. They can only provide resources. A village of parents is the highest level in society that can still relate to a child and allow a child to feel cared for. "I can if you care" is the motto of the academy and continues to define its purposes.If you have any questions please contact us for a meeting at the Academy or at your home.

Sincerely,
Lynne and Bryce Taylor