"Why I #SupportTCS" - Our 2021 Year-End Appeal

From mid-November through the end of each year, The Children's School holds its year-end appeal. Spanning and including "Giving Tuesday," the event brings in necessary funds that cover the costs of school programs that tuition does not.

Each year, families, friends, faculty, staff, alumni and businesses give generously - and that allows TCS to thrive! For that, we are very grateful. We can't do it without you!

We've made giving easy this year. You can either click the "donate" button at the top of our website, or you can text 'SupportTCS' to 243-725.

Why Give?

Our mission statement starts with the call for us to “nurture students’ innate curiosity and love of learning...” But how do you keep a child’s sense of curiosity and wonder alive? Especially when so much of our lives seem to be two-dimensional and coming to us on screens.

That’s the question our faculty tackles throughout the year, and that same question is the underlying thread of teaching and learning at The Children’s School. So how do we inspire curiosity and wonder?

Our mission continues with the answer: “through democratic practice, emergent curriculum and hands-on projects…” Each of these calls us to work collaboratively, to allow room for each student’s unique perspective and interests, to work with students to tap their own creativity, and give them a platform to demonstrate what they’ve learned and to use their new insights. And here’s the kicker in the final claim of our mission statement: “helping students become lifelong problem solvers and engaged citizens.” We believe that preserving, or better yet, stoking that spark of curiosity and wonder is what will give our grads the best possible chance of thriving as lifelong problem solvers and engaged citizens. This is powerful work. The children’s sense of wonder and curiosity drives so much of what happens at TCS.

It’s why middle-level students are exploring physics and chemistry by setting up fresh- and salt-water aquariums and vivariums throughout the school.
It’s why kindergarteners are experimenting with whether pumpkins float or sink in water. (Do you know?!)
It’s why middle-level students spent a few hours this week clearing invasive species from a local forest preserve--and why they brought back some buckthorn for their friends in 3rd grade who are learning about (and whittling) Stone Age tools.
It’s why project work at all grade levels revolves around the students’ interests, so that each child feels the joy of self-empowerment at school.

And it’s why we encourage students of all ages to play and be creative each and every day. Do you value curiosity and wonder, too? If so, please join us in sustaining our work with students. Your gift helps us balance our budget and be ready to respond when the next student asks “What if…?”