Neurodiverse at Immanuel Christian or other similar schools

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any experience with how Immanuel or other similar Christian schools handle neurodiverse kids, especially those who are bright but have social differences/challenges and anxiety that may need support. 2e kids in other words. Our kid is young so we want somewhere nurturing and supportive.

Thanks.

[Anonymous]

We did consider them for kindergarten a couple of years ago.

Are you Christian and willing to attend services at the school’s church? If not, I would not recommend.

First red flag for us, most of the teachers at the school were not certified to teach.

Biggest red flag for us, class size was big ~25 per class without an ability to advance/ differentiate. Every child did the same thing, at least in elementary grades.

[Anonymous]

PP here: We did not look into Immanuel even though we are Christian, it was too conservative for us.

To the school’s credit, I just saw their website and it seems class size is 22 1st through 4th and they provide enrichment opportunities.

I would make sure the school culture is a good fit for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did consider them for kindergarten a couple of years ago.

Are you Christian and willing to attend services at the school’s church? If not, I would not recommend.

First red flag for us, most of the teachers at the school were not certified to teach.

Biggest red flag for us, class size was big ~25 per class without an ability to advance/ differentiate. Every child did the same thing, at least in elementary grades.

You do not have to attend the church. That is false. And while they do have classes for kids who are advanced, there are not the resources for truly ND children.

[Anonymous]

Colleague's kids go to Immanuel. They are not setup to handle ND kids.

Their curriculum is posted online with good detail and is solid. It is very much a religious evangelical Christian school, meaning it will not be a good fit for some families.

[Anonymous]

That place is full of psychopaths.

[Anonymous]

I'm not familiar with Immanuel Christian but can share our experience so far at another small Christian school. Based on our experience, I would at least reach out and have an honest conversation about it--understanding that there is a good chance they may tell you that they can't accommodate you. But if there aren't severe behavior issues, they may at least consider working with you.

FWIW we have been at our small Christian school a couple years and have more than one kid there, so maybe that makes a difference, but when it became apparent that our DS was neurodivergent, starting to struggle in school, and needed some accommodations, our school had no problem with offering accommodations--they just needed a formal diagnosis so they could put something in place. That said, they told us specifically that they could work with us because my DS did not have behavior issues and only needed accommodations related to academic work.

That said, we are still in the process of getting a diagnosis and as my DS is moving into upper elementary, it's entirely possible that what the school can offer won't be enough and then we have to revisit. But we were extremely relieved to at least have another year at his school to see how things go and, if needed, consider other options for the future.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, no. Not neuro affirming at all.

[Anonymous]

I go to that church and I wouldn’t send my ND child there. It’s not equipped to handle special needs children.

[Anonymous]

Trinity Christian School is going to be similar in doctrine but has a learning center that may be set up to help with what you need - it's worth asking. Not guaranteeing, but you should have the conversation.