Open Connections

About

We are a forward-thinking educational organization offering programs for youth ages 4through 18. Youth attend OC programs 2-3 days a week and OC Facilitatorswork with families to help them design what their non-OC days will look like (if the family wishes for this support). We refer to this approach as Partnership Education, as OC and the family work together to create and implement a vibrant, diverse and comprehensive educational (and life!) experience. Guided by our values and principles we serve as a community base for young people and their families seeking an innovative, collaborative and Process Conscious educational environment.

Courses/Programs offered

Open Programs The Open Program reflects the essence of the Open Connections philosophy: a belief in Natural Learning, curiosity and the primacy of self-motivation, collaboration and the creative process. Within certain wide parameters, including respect for the rights of others, young people decide how, and with whom, they spend their day in an Open Program. One of our main goals is to keep alive the flame of curiosity that is present in this age group.

Group programs - GROUP I - LOGIC, MATH, SCIENCE FOCUS - GROUP I - HUMANTIES & CIVIC FOCUS - GROUP II - HUMANITIES FOCUS - GROUP II - MATH & SCIENCE FOCUS - GROUP III - TWO DAY PROGRAM - GROUP IV - TWO DAY PROGRAM - SHAPING YOUR LIFE - TWO DAY PROGRAM.

Choice Programs Choice A and B offer young people the chance to explore eight different content areas of their choice each year over the course of four 8-week segments. For example, a youth might spend the first 8 weeks of the year engaged in Makerspace projects or Cooking and Chemistry each Wednesday morning, have lunch and community-building social time, then move on to Lego Mindstorms or Woodworking for the afternoon. New Choices are offered every eight weeks. For each of the four 8-week segments, there are two or three morning and two or three afternoon options from which to choose. Our goal is to provide new input, appropriate amounts of invited instruction, and space for self-motivation to emerge. The 8-week segment format of these programs allows for youth to truly immerse themselves in subject/content-specific areas for an extended period of time.

Test Preparation and Testing Home Education Law requires youth to take a standardize test in third, fifth, and eighth grades. Open Connections offers a half-day “test prep” in the late winter in order to familiarize both parents and youth with what to expect if they take their test at OC. The Prep Session includes a chance to practice and ask questions about both the process and the content of the tests. We administer the tests in May to interested families who are enrolled at Open Connections.

Mode

Online

Face-To-Face

Science Mathematics Choice Programs Chemistry Test Preparation and Testing Open Programs Group programs