About LEAD

Empowering tomorrow’s leaders through faith-based

               educational enrichment and service

Welcome to LEAD
Learning. Encouragement. Accountability. Discipleship.

LEAD is a Christ-centered, two-day-a-week drop-off program designed to partner with and support homeschooling families in their God-given role as the primary educators of their children. Our heart is to come alongside parents—lightening the load while enriching the educational journey, nurturing each child’s unique giftedness, and cultivating spiritual growth. We welcome children ages 4 through 11 into a vibrant, grace-filled community where faith and learning go hand in hand.

We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:45 AM – 3:15 PM, from late August through mid-May (34 weeks).

At LEAD, we are committed to educating the whole child—mind, body, and spirit—through the rich and timeless philosophy of Charlotte Mason, a 19th-century Christian educator. Miss Mason believed that “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.” Her approach resonates deeply with our mission to point children toward truth, beauty, and goodness—all found in Christ.

We engage students with:

  • Living books that stir the imagination and feed the soul, avoiding “twaddle” and instead choosing literature filled with meaning and wonder.

  • Narration, where students internalize and retell what they’ve learned—developing comprehension, articulation, and ownership of ideas.

  • Nature exploration, because God reveals His glory in creation, and we want children to know His handiwork firsthand.

  • Habit training, encouraging full attention, best effort, and a lifelong love of learning as acts of worship.

Above all, we believe each child is a person made in the image of God—with a heart designed to seek Him. Our goal is to cultivate not just knowledge, but wisdom rooted in Christ, guiding children to see all of life through the lens of the gospel.

More information about this approach to education can be found in the book, For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay.

Our program currently offers three classes: 4-6yo (Listos), 6-8yo (Lucidos), and 8-10yo (Lectores). As you can see, these are not hard and fast divisions but are determined by each child’s academic and emotional development. Currently, our Listos class only meets for half-day; however, that could change in future years.

Our instructors have among them over three decades of home and public teaching experience. In addition to arranging educationally enriching experiences and service projects, they provide a hands-on science and history curriculum (with extra subject reading recommended or assigned at home). They also are readily available to assist parents in curriculum decisions and provide encouragement as desired.

For maximum effectiveness, our typical student/teacher ratio is 12:1, with assistance from college interns, as available.

LEAD is tuition-based; however, we endeavor to keep tuition low to accommodate as many families in the valley as possible. Following the example of many home education enrichment programs, charter schools and Christian schools, we seek to defray costs by incorporating an annual mandatory volunteer requirement with a buy-out option. Parents of full day students donate ten hours per child or buy out of their volunteer time by paying an annual fee of $200 per child (10 hours valued at $20/hr.). Parents of half-day students donate five hours per child or buy out of their volunteer time by paying an annual fee of $100 per child (5 hours valued at $20/hr.).

Tuition for parents contributing volunteer hours for the 2023-2024 academic year is $2,400 per full-day student and $1,350 per half-day student. No sibling discounts are possible at this time; however, a parent-led fundraising team has been assembled to help with this concern.

Please feel free to contact LEAD at leaddirector.lfm@gmail.com for more information