One Day Enrichment exists to support homeschooling families. We meet on Fridays for the whole school day, offering a wide range of classes. At the elementary level, our classes aim to provide enrichment. We assume the basic fundamentals are being taught at home through a wide range of philosophy and curriculum. Many of our families are deeply immersed in a rigorous, daily program while others embrace a more relaxed approach. Consequently, the time frame when students reach proficiency in reading and math skills is very broad. So we at ODE focus instead on classes that really are better in a group or require more skill and expertise than the average mom typically has. It is very difficult to play a game of kickball or dodgeball at home. Creating a choir is a challenge on the living room couch. And how about art? Children love art – but for a busy (and oftentimes exhausted!) homeschooling mom, art can easily be left by the wayside because it is not critical to academic development, and finding the required materials can be an overwhelming obstacle. And of course science experiments are the same way! Who has time to plan experiments in advance to make sure science they happen? Sometimes it is hard just to get the required ingredients to even feed the little guys, let alone do science experiments with them!!
We recognize and applaud the very deep investment parents make in the lives of their children when they make the decision to homeschool. Homeschooling can be exhilarating and should be rewarding as you watch your children grow and develop, but of course it is also exhausting. At ODE we understand that homeschooling young students offers very little respite, and we are so glad to provide a day when you as a homeschooling mom can take a few hours to rest, run errands (without the endearing, incessant questions!), go to lunch with a friend, make plans for next week, or do anything that strikes your fancy. This is a huge part of our mission – caring for mom! To that end, we never want you to feel pressure to be at ODE to pitch in with anything at all. Yes, you read that correctly. We do not want you to feel pressure to help with anything. However, community is important and can help with days that seem hard and long. Knowing you are not the only one in your situation, not the only one struggling, can be a lifeline. Hearing the stories of others can be just the balm you need. To help us connect, we do provide moms’ coffees from time to time, and we hope that you will make use of our forum and closed facebook group to connect with others and to draw encouragement from others who have been exactly where you are.
Many ask if ODE is a Christian program. The founders of ODE are Christians. The current director of ODE is a Christian and a member of Judson, the church that graciously hosts our program. Most of our teachers are also Christians. They believe in God and his love for each one of the people He created, and that we can know Him and be known by Him. Our salvation comes through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his son, and we humbly acknowledge our need for him on a daily, even hourly basis. Having said that, we do not require that our families believe the same way. We welcome any student and family who wants to come to ODE, and we respect and value each student and each parent. We want to be very sensitive to the very diverse group that we represent, and we are grateful and acknowledge your valid views and opinions. We hope and pray that there would never be any circumstance where someone feels belittled or unvalued because of their beliefs or opinions – when it comes to religion or politics or any other issue. We are all enriched by cultivating authentic relationships with people who are different from us, provided we put aside our preconceived generalizations and begin from a position of humility and respect for all people.
You may wonder if your child will be asked to do homework for ODE. We do believe that for a class that meets once a week, your child’s experience will be richer if they do add time at home and do some work on their end. We post homework on the website every Monday morning for your student to do for maximum success in the class. You can even use the class and the homework as a springboard for deeper study or more work in your homeschool – especially in the literature, unit, and science classes. Having said that, we again want to emphasize that our desire is to come alongside you and lighten your load. If you are very busy during the week and doing homework for ODE would be a burden to you, and you do not wish to spend any time on it, that is ok. We do hope that as the students get older, they will be able to independently find and complete their work, but again, that is up to your discretion as the parent.
You may feel confused by the class names – Dolphin Swimmers, Time Travelers, Banana Smoothies, Seahorses, and Dragons. These names were voted on by the students themselves, and we love the creative flair. We have five levels for six actual grades of elementary. We know that homeschooling can be a little more loose as far as age ranges, and we want you to feel free to place your child where you think she or he will thrive. As a general rule of thumb, the Dolphin Swimmers group is for 1st and 2nd graders. Time Travelers is for 2nd and 3rd graders, Banana Smoothies for 3rd and 4th, Seahorses for 4th and 5th, and Dragons for 5th and 6th graders. So it is not necessary to move to the next level every year, but most years they will probably move up. Please do communicate with us about any questions you might have about placement and we will be happy to help you find the best group for your child!
Any other questions? Please feel free to shoot an email to info@onedayenrichment.com. Someone will get back to you as soon as possible.