Grounded in a respect for our surroundings as well as a belief that children’s unique identities, interests, knowledges, experiences, and sensitivities matter greatly, we seek to center five core values - curiosity, compassion, critical thinking, connectedness to community and Earth, and conservation of the environment.
Following a child's innate sense of wonder is one of our guiding principles from prekindergarten all the way through 5th grade. We center a culture of wonder, and make space and time for engaging and connecting knowledge. We prioritize the importance of students' choice and create a structure that allows for anticipating all the ways a child might engage with the information presented to them.
Our Core Values
In alignment with our core values, we intend to provide experiences and curriculum that encourage children to confidently express their own perspectives and to feel seen, respected, and known. Simultaneously, we prioritize being open to multiple perspectives by centering stories and identities that are often excluded from common curriculum.
Curriculum at Trailblazers is emergent, which means that we continuously pull from multiple resources to support the individual needs of each child. This method of creating curriculum is foundational to educational models that influence our mission and goals, such as Reggio Emilia.
Curriculum is designed by our educators and a curriculum team consisting of educators who work with children and teachers in various capacities, such as environmental education, the arts, counseling, and parenting, as well as educators with advanced degrees in early childhood and elementary education. This process includes ongoing learning about students' experiences, interests, and needs as well as looking across elementary state standards and various curricular programs in order to design learning experiences that support and challenge individual students.
Our students will develop academic fluency through a combination of inquiry projects, imaginative play and exploration, learning stations, and small group/individual lessons, while also integrating technology. Academic stations will follow a workshop model of 1. Modeling the lesson, 2. Working and engaging with students, and 3. Reflecting and sharing what was and is being learned. This frees the educator from the front of the class to actively engage in sharing in learning.
Prior to starting at Trailblazers, each parent/guardian will have a phone call with our curriculum consultant to discuss their child's specific academic needs, concerns, and interests. This allows for an intentional design to individualizing the curricular needs of every single child - much like the standard of individualized attention in homeschooling - while also building a community within the school.
Educators carefully observe and reflect upon relationships to plan experiences that connect students’ interests and knowledge to new learning opportunities. Educators utilize a variety of assessments, such as rubrics, parent teacher conferences, informal conversations between parents, student teacher conferences, communication journals, project based assessments, and student work artifacts to guide learning opportunities.
Curriculum and Academic Fluency
K-5th grade tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $5500 divided into 10 monthly payments.
Preschool tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $3750 divided into 10 monthly payments.
Discounts are available for paying the semester in full, siblings, and Dreamers School co-enrollment. Each discount is 5%, and a max discount of 10% is available to be applied.
Tuition
How big are class sizes?
Class sizes are limited to 12 students per class with two teachers per class. This allows for a truly personalized experience for every child while continuing our goals of meeting each child where they are academically.
Do I need to file a Declaration of Intent to Homeschool with the state?
Yes! While we are an academic co-op and a registered non-profit with the state of Georgia, if your child is 6 on or before September 1, you must file a Declaration of Intent. That can be done here and must be filed by September 1.
How much time will be spent outside?
Weather permitting, children will spend at least 75-80% of the day in outdoor learning spaces to allow for multiple forms of exploration that centers social, emotional, practical and artistic needs while promoting ideas of sustainability and environmental stewardship.
What determines "weather permitting"? What do you do in the case of inclement weather?
If the weather does not allow for outside instruction, we use the indoor classroom spaces. Specific things that will keep us inside are temperatures below 40°, lightning within 10 miles, and rain beyond a mist. If winds are a sustained 15mph or greater, we will not be in the forest but may stay in the meadow area. Each educator and member of the leadership team carries a walkie talkie for constant communication, and we all have a multitude of weather apps to keep us apprised of any and all weather events.
What is the school's policy regarding Covid-19 and masks?
We follow the most up to date CDC guidelines. Masks may be required indoors, but we will not require masks outside.
How can parents/guardians be involved?
We invite parents/guardians to be as involved as possible, and we also recognize the varied schedules and commitments of families. We are developing many ways to build our community, including volunteering in the classes, events at school, frequent ongoing dialog with educators, and more. We also plan to work with families to create participation opportunities to accommodate multiple schedules and preferences.