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Educational philosophy. Teacher quality. Location. Cost. Parents have a laundry list of criteria on their clipboard when evaluating private schools. Now here's another to add to the list: size. The size of a school can have a big impact on whether a school is the right fit for your family. From campuses with a handful of students, to schools with a handful of campuses, Orange County is home to an array of big and small private schools alike. Although no one particular size is considered perfect, a school's size should be a consideration when appraising schools. Size often has a lot to do with the school's philosophy, how its teachers work and the overall culture on campus. Take, for instance, VanDamme Academy in Laguna Hills. From its beginnings as a five-student class in Lisa and Tom VanDamme's home to its current enrollment of 35 students in a new facility at Laguna Hills City Hall, VanDamme Academy has aimed to be a home away from home. Although the school expects to grow to 70 students next year, each classroom will still have no more than 14 students. The beauty of such a small school is the connection between staff members and families. "We know each of the kids very well as individuals," says Lisa VanDamme, who founded the school. "We have a very close relationship with all parents. On any given afternoon, parents are usually hanging around in the classroom and talking to teachers." That doesn't mean parents give teachers a quick wave or inquire politely about their families. They park the car and stick around to get details about the day's lessons. Close relationships also help students work out differences. Such a small campus leaves no room for students to bully or ostracize one another. "Kids can say what's happening and talk about it," Tom VanDamme says. "There are none of these stressful situations that can build when the kids are more anonymous." Growth spurt No matter how large the school grows, the VanDammes say they intend to keep that family atmosphere by expanding through a series of small campuses with small class sizes. In addition to adding students at its core grade levels, VanDamme has also found the need to grow the number of grades it serves. Like many young private schools, it has students who love the school and want to stay. This year, VanDamme expanded to include freshman courses when two ninth-grade students wanted to stay. Similarly, Page Private School in Costa Mesa expanded to include middle-school classes last year. Expanding grades often can create new challenges. At Page, an elementary-focused campus, Director Beth Greenlee says the school created special privileges and a courtyard area exclusively for older students. The middle schoolers also had the freedom to organize the school's first dance and will soon enjoy a sports program. Page also continues to grow its core offerings thanks to a new elementary wing and a renovation of its old building into a separate preschool. The growth allowed the school to add a state-of-the-art computer facility, with Macintosh and PC computers, as well as science labs to serve its more than 170 elementary students. Preschoolers also have a comprehensive library media center to themselves. With room to grow to more than 400 students in the new building, Page is taking it one step at a time. "We want to keep that family feeling so we're kind of growing slowly," says Greenlee, adding that classrooms are capped at no more than 20 students. "We didn't want to push it to fill up every class." Greenlee says the benefit of an intimate private school is the opportunity for teachers and staff to get to know each child, something parents often say is lacking on larger campuses. "We don't want them to fall through the cracks," she says. "I personally know every middle-school student." Bigger can mean better A certain amount of growth is good, schools say. Heritage Oak School in Yorba Linda has seen its enrollment grow by nearly 400 students in the past decade, allowing it to add full-time specialists to its teaching staff. Greg Cygan, who oversees business development for Heritage Oak, says families like to brag about their school, whether it's a win in a local academic competition or a victory on the soccer field. Size can help schools offer those innovative programs families enjoy talking about. However, getting to the right size can mean growing pains. As Heritage grew, it went from needing one French teacher to 1 1/2 teachers. Yet, finding part-time French teachers isn't easy. After some additional students arrived, the school's need went up to two French teachers. Now the school has a host of full-time specialty teachers, including a librarian, a technology specialist, physical education teachers, art teachers and a science instructor. Besides offering focused instruction to students, the addition of experts also benefits classroom teachers. "It means you can give teacher more of a break during the day," Cygan says. One key challenge for growing campuses is finding qualified teachers who understand the school's unique culture and are comfortable on campus from day one. To help new teachers transition, Heritage Oak hires its instructors nearly a year early and has them fill in as substitute teachers or classroom aides so they learn the basics before running their own class. A word about waiting lists Even with new teachers, many schools can't meet the demand. Whether a school is out of physical space or just isn't looking to grow anymore, many private schools have more families interested in attending than they can accommodate. Families who find themselves signing up for a waiting list should know not all lists are created equal. Some roll over from year to year and can get quite lengthy. Others, like Temple Bat Yahm's preschool list, start fresh each year to ensure only those who are still interested are on the list. Cygan encourages parents to make sure they understand the ground rules before signing on to Heritage Oak's list. Many schools, including Heritage Oak, require parents to make a deposit in order to get on the waiting list. "Parents should look to see if the deposit will not be refunded if they don't get in," he suggests. "Not all schools do." But Heritage Oak does. When big is too big So how big is too big? In most cases, that answer depends on the family and what they're looking for. But in most cases, private schools tend to try to retain that unique family feel that many parents demand. At schools like VanDamme, which are still under 100 students, that family feel is central to the school's culture. "Of course, we think there are advantages of being a part of a small campus," says Lisa VanDamme. "We think it's an advantage to both parents and teachers to have a small close-knit environment. The teachers are more deeply satisfied with their job when they're reaching each child individually rather than talking to an anonymous class. A lot of parents come to me and say, 'I didn't know what was happening with my child's education' before. They thank us for taking their individual child so seriously, keeping them informed and keeping this ongoing dialogue with them so they don't find out six months into the school year that there's a problem." But even the larger campuses are able to retain a sense of place. At Heritage Oak, parents are invited to regular school events. One of the annual favorites is the father-child pumpkin carving night. "I don't know if anybody ever said, `You're too big or too small,'" Cygan says. "As a school you have an obligation and responsibility to make every parent feel part of the school." Likewise, many parents also are eager to be involved in the classroom and on campus, which makes the school seem smaller and closer. "A lot of parents, especially at smaller schools, have a sense that there's a bigger responsibility to really help that school along," Cygan says. "Maybe some parents who really feel they want to get involved may want a small school and maybe others would want a bigger school." Schools should not be judged on size alone. It's what they do with their size and how the family feels about the school that is the most important. Greenlee, of Page Private School, recommends parents visit the campus and also have their child spend at least a day attending classes. "Parents have to go with their gut feeling," she says. "If you walk into a school and you don't feel comfortable there, your child won't feel comfortable there." Jennifer Leuer of Yorba Linda is an education reporter and regular contributor to OC Family Magazine. To reach her: leuer.ramus@sbcglobal.net. |
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