Enrollment 2024-2025
- zionsacademyidaho
- Feb 21, 2024
- 10 min read
What beautiful opportunities and adventures these new beginnings bring!
What is Zion's Academy
For an incredible history and overview, check out our post titled What is Zion's Academy? after you finish here. It will answer many questions and offer additional insight.
What is Open Door Day?
We love Open Door Days each spring! It's such a wonderful opportunity for us to show new friends what we love about Zion's Academy and you get an inclusive, front row seat to a typical Thursday as a Zion's Academy family.
What should I expect?
It'll be a little crazy, but that's part of the fun!
Schedule
The first 30 minutes we're together will be spent introducing you to how we do things and answering questions. We'll then gather with the group, participate in a prayer and The Pledge of Allegiance before separating into classes. Your kids get to attend the classes as though they are enrolled. Each year we get wonderful feedback from families (even if they do not enroll) about how much they enjoyed their time. We have a sweet culture of friendship and belonging and hope you will feel welcome from the moment you enter the building.
After the first hour of class, we'll have lunch, then return for the second hour of class. Then it's time for cleanup. We'll be available for you after the second hour of classes to visit and answer questions.
Teaching
You'll be able to see how moms teach and how the teaching rotation works. Lunch time is a great opportunity to meet other moms and ask them any questions! You are welcome to attend different classes to observe. We do ask that you are very mindful of the learning environment that is taking place for all of the children and respectfully, quietly enter and exit. If you are attending with an infant or toddler, they are welcome to attend with you. They can go to the Sprouts class or stay with you. If they are with you and are noisy, please kindly leave the class to preserve the environment for the children and moms who are engaged in the learning process.
Lunch
Lunchtime is a highlight for everyone! There are games available after the kids finish eating and moms get to visit. You'll want to prepare a lunch and bring a blanket to sit on, if you would like to. There are chairs available, but it's definitely picnic style without a designated table and chair setting.
Parking
You'll be able to park behind the building, in front of the building, and across the street in the front. There's plenty of parking for you. There's an entrance in the front and the back of the building.
What do I need to bring?
You'll want to bring your smile, a lunch for you and each of your children, and any questions you have.
Enrollment
When does enrollment open for current families?
We offer all seats to our currently enrolled families first. Priority enrollment opens for them on March 1st. Any seats unclaimed on April 17th then open to new families.
When does enrollment open for new families?
All seats that have not been registered and paid for by current families become available for new families to claim on April 18th. There is a 24 hour window to respond once a spot is offered to your family. If you need accommodations or have questions, be sure to respond or we will continue on the list and offer the spot to the next family once 24 hours have passed.
When does enrollment begin and end?
Our enrollment year is May 1st through April 30th of the following year. This is likely different than most schedules that you're familiar with but we offer this schedule for a few reasons:
opportunity to spend time together outside of the designated learning time. This means when we gather in September for the first time, we are familiar with each other and it's not so daunting for the kids (assuming you have attended some summer activities).
time to complete the Catch the Vision course before beginning in September. We want to ensure all moms are prepared to participate and Catch the Vision is an essential part! Moms get a chance to meet their teaching group members and begin communicating and building friendships before the time to teach arrives.
lessens fall stress. For all of us who coordinate enrollment, it's a crazy time. We prefer to get enrollment finalized before we break for the summer so we can enjoy time with our families too! This also lessens fall-time stress for you as you aren't working to gear up for a new year and enroll at the same time.
because we like to be different! We have found that the way things are done isn't always the best way for everyone. We like offering something that is vastly different. For those who are looking for it, it's amazing! For those who prefer a more traditional schedule and structure, that is okay! We believe the more options there are for families, the better, and we hope you find what works best for your family.
we're building a community. More than a mere co-op, we're building a community. There are few things as powerful as having a place where the whole family has the opportunity to be nurtured and to serve and care for others as well. We enjoy our date nights during the months we aren't meeting on Thursdays, retreats, and caring for each other when life happens-which happens to us all.
Investment
How much does it cost?
The yearly fee is $300 per family. Yes, this is paid up front and yes, it's for the full 12 months of participation, and yes, it's for your whole family. We get these questions often. We work hard to keep costs low and in return, we expect engagement and participation. We're not looking for money here, what we want is your heart.
What else is required?
Your time to prepare to lead the kids you're teaching with your group. We don't want "teacher mode". We want "I explored this and fed my own mind and heart and now it's overflowing and I cannot wait to share what I learned with you!" We realize feeding our own Mama heart is tough, but it's important not only for our group but for you as an individual and for your family. Stillness, time to thoughtfully consider and learn is such a treasure for you. To support you in this, we hold monthly Mothers of Influence meetings live and stream them for those who cannot attend. Our group includes families from Blackfoot to St. Anthony. As such, we know everyone cannot attend everything and do our best to accommodate.
We use GroupMe for messaging and have an app that you can use to bring our website to your device for simplicity. GroupMe is required. We don't expect you to watch it all the time, but if you're taking a phone hiatus for a week or two or will be on vacation, we expect clear communication with your group so they are aware, should they try to reach you. Nobody likes to be ignored.
Classes
What are the classes like?
Classes are so fun! This time is geared toward exploring and exposure to lots of good and beautiful things. It's in music, nature, wholesome stories, poetry, and fine art that we find so many treasures to share! Classes are not designed for your kids (or you) to come with an empty cup and an expectation for someone else to fill it up. No way! We'd be robbing you and it would be no service to you or your group. We want you to come with something to share, something to contribute, something to give. When we all arrive with something to offer, we leave with so much more.
How are classes structured?
Classes are structured by age, but this is not a hard line. Ages are the most effective way to efficiently and clearly divide a group. Considering we have about 100 kids, this is essential!
Children are placed in class lists based on their age September 1st. They can move up to the next class in February if they have a birthday in the fall. Some kids will choose to move up and others want to stay in the class they've been in because they're happy there and perhaps they have friends or a sibling they want to stay with. That is okay. We value agency and want them to have the ability to choose! If there is an issue with being disruptive or not participating, we will discuss a change, but truly, this has never happened yet.
Some kids are not ready to move up developmentally and we absolutely respect that and encourage them to attend where they are encouraged to grow, but not feeling left behind.
The youth follow the same rotation topics as the rest of the groups. The only difference for them is that their group consists of all kids ages 12+ with some kids who are currently 11 but will be turning 12 during the calendar year. This provides an incredible amount of diversity in talents, insights, interests, and abilities. It's wonderful for them to work together and learn with each other.
All youth ages 14+ are invited and strongly encouraged to lead and to teach within the youth group. They sign up for their topic of interest and will be teamed up with others who share the interest. They will each prepare on their own and then come together to plan how they will teach. It's incredible to see their talents and strengths (which are sometimes weaknesses at first) shine!
Retreats
This might be the highlight for every single person who attends Zion's Academy that chooses to take the opportunity to participate!
What are retreats?
Initially, we had no plans to offer a retreat of any kind, but when the idea was presented, we couldn't pass up the opportunity. We got to work and the results were more amazing than we could have ever expected.
We hold a Mothers' Retreat in August. This is a kick-off for a new year. It's an opportunity to be nourished by the Well-Educated Heart philosophy. It's a time for friendship, rest, creativity, and joy with the purpose of bringing mothers together to strengthen, encourage, and prepare for a new school year.
We hold a Couples' Retreat in January. This is a kick-off for a new year too! Couples attend together and are also fed by the principles of the Well-Educated Heart philosophy. We connect, create, explore, and learn together. We cultivate friendships as couples with the purpose being focused on strengthening marriages. By so doing, we support and encourage healthy, strong families.
What should I expect?
To have a wonderful time, to be encouraged to grow which means leaving your comfort zone a little, and to leave with new friends, rejuvenation, and excitement for the future.
If the Mothers' Retreat is an overnight event, you'll want to plan accordingly. The Couples' Retreats are a date night, then we return to our homes to care for our families, and then spend the next day together.
Is there a cost?
Yes. There is a cost to attend, but we work hard to keep it minimal and to ensure the value is far greater than the monetary contribution.
Why?
In every organized effort, there is a reason why. Ours is quite simple: to strengthen, encourage, and support mothers, fathers, and children in building strong families. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but when the village is morally bankrupt or simply not available, whole families struggle.
While it's certainly not perfect and we have challenges that require our diligence to overcome, we hope we're supporting the building of lasting connections and relationships within families, with each other, and with learning.
We want every mother within our circle of influence to felt valued, needed, and loved in the vital work she is doing in the walls of her home and the tender hearts she holds. When she faces the transitions--having a new baby, working through a challenging season, sending a child on a mission or to college--she needs her village of virtuous and lovely women to share it with her. We don't leave each other alone when times get tough because we know that's when the village has the potential to fill its God-given role. My hope is that we celebrate all of our wins--big and small--together too!
We want every father to feel belonging, support, and encouragement in the necessary work he does to provide for and protect his family. Fathers may not say it, but since starting to gather, I've heard so many men say, "I needed this. I didn't know it, but I need the friendship, the dates with my wife, the time to enjoy simple things." What is 'this'? It's community, it's a place to be honored for the desire to be virtuous, kind, and effective as a father. We love dads! In a world where masculinity is looked down upon, we cherish it and speak positively of the good men in our lives.
We want every child to learn the true purpose of education. It's not to be dictated to or spoon fed. We want them to think critically, to contribute, to desire to learn and grow, to become their best selves!
In 1828, Webster said it best:
EDUCA'TION, noun [Latin educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.
We embrace the idea that true education is between a person and their God. He's the ultimate teacher. We're privileged to have this opportunity to learn together with full understanding that the best education begins in the careful care of their hearts.
We strive to provide a warm and caring environment that is good for the heart. And I don't think there's a more meaningful gift a friend can give to me than to love my children almost as much as I do.
When I see kids asking another mom to tie their shoe or sitting with another mom who as taught them, my heart leaps! To see them forming meaningful friendships where kindness is expected and disagreements are worth the hard and uncomfortable work required to maintain the friendship, I am so grateful!
In a world where chaos and hurt prevails, I get to see mothers, fathers, and children who simply refuse to believe they have to accept this. They are rising above and working to dwelling in peace and happiness.
It is remarkable and beautiful. It's an honor to be a small part of it.
We aren't dictated by numbers, we are sustained through teamwork, loyalty, and friendship.
"We are collecting light to share with others, wherever we may go." -Zion's Academy Mission Statement
Love,
Britt
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