The Balanced Calendar Concept
Achieving Balance

Ever since the days of the one-room school house, the school year has traditionally started just before September and ended just after the end of May with time off for holidays and spring break. Years ago when most families in the United States lived in an agrarian culture, that type of schedule worked best. It allowed children to help out on the family farm during the busy summer months. Then as society changed, children were no longer needed on the farm. They could spend the long summer break at home with mom or dad.

Today, most families do not live on farms, and a growing percentage of students come from homes where their parents have fulltime careers that require them to work all year around. The long summer break creates daycare challenges that leave many kids unsupervised, under-stimulated, and bored.

The balanced calendar at Evergreen Christian takes the traditional calendar and adds two weeks to the beginning and end of the school year. Those “extra” weeks are then spread throughout the year as “flex weeks,” during which families can schedule extra vacation or enroll their children in unique enrichment sessions offered by Evergreen.

Although students at Evergreen start earlier and end later than students at other schools, they have the same number of school days. They simply have more breaks throughout the year. Education experts believe that a more continuous school schedule fosters learning and keeps students engaged. Shortening the long summer break helps students retain more information, and the added flex weeks throughout the school year give students and teachers needed time off.

As life becomes more complicated for many families, this type of calendar helps them balance the demands and requirements of both home and school.