Earth School 2024 Application
Now accepting applications. Please read the following carefully before beginning.

Earth School Ethos:
Thank you for your interest in OurSpace World Inc.'s Earth School! This Teach22 program is an effort to develop a year-long interdisciplinary, Afrocentric, nature-based curriculum. We are committed to cultivating a generation of Earth healers, stewards, and warriors by immersing students in their natural environments. Earth School was developed around these values, using hands-on and minds-on activities in form of outdoor labs and demos, long-term and short-term observation activities, mindfulness and meditation, and creative artistic projects.

Earth School will be headed by Sister Sessina Dani, the Teach22 Program Assistant at OurSpace World. Sessina is a recent college graduate where she studied Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and loves all things food, health, and insects! Sessina will be supported by homeschool educator and outdoor specialist Mama Eshe, who has 20 years of experience with children and the natural world, and other Teach22 staff. The Earth School team can be reached at earthschool@ourspaceworld.org for additional questions.

Logistics:
The program will open at 4716 Ridgeline Terrace, Bowie, MD 20720 during the winter months, and transition to various outdoor spaces when weather conditions permit. 
Earth School will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10 AM to 2 PM, with optional before care from 9 AM to 10 AM and after care from 2 PM to 3 PM. The cost is $5 per session for before or after care, or $25 for the entire week. The program runs from January 9, 2024 to June 6, 2024, with a break scheduled from March 12 to 14. Families are welcome to enjoy two field trips per month, and while there are no additional fees for enrolled families, drop-ins are welcome for a $5 participation fee. 
Tuition for the program ranges from $100 to $300 per month, allowing families to contribute on a pay-what-you-can scale.

Communications:
Parents and guardians will receive in advance an overview of each week's guiding topic and activities. Guiding topics include life cycles, eco-friendly exploration, food and nutrition, and biodiversity, and will be added to with feedback and real time reassessment. Communications with parents will also include meeting locations, materials needed, and field trips planned. Daily communication takes place over a WhatsApp group text.

Parent Participation
A central tenet of Earth School is parent and guardian involvement to foster a collaborative, family-oriented environment. We require parents and guardians to take an active role in their child's learning journey equivalent to 20% of your child's scheduled attendance time. If your child is enrolled for the full 48 hours offered in a month, you will be expected to contribute approximately 10 hours of your time. While the primary role involves assisting in the classroom, parents may also be asked to perform other tasks such as chaperoning field trips and/or lesson planning. 

Application:
The following form will ask for primary and secondary parent/guardian contacts, an emergency contact / authorized pick up person, and participant(s) information. An application will not be considered complete without all of the required information and successful submission. Completion of this form will be followed by an informal family interview held over Zoom to ensure that we will be creating a mutually beneficial experience, which we will reach out to schedule. This will give us an opportunity to get to know each family, align our goals and expectations, and determine if our program is the right fit for you.

Application timeline:
December 4, 2023: Applications open
December 11 - 22, 2023: Interviews 
December 22, 2023: Decisions sent out
January 9, 2024: Program begins
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