Educational Support Services (ESS)

Heritage Christian School acknowledges that God has created each child with distinct gifts to fulfill His purpose. Inherent with God’s design of each child come unique strengths and weaknesses.

Our Mission

Educational Support Services (ESS) exists to acknowledge and embrace learning differences while providing a variety of programs, intervention strategies, and teaching methods to meet the learning needs of exceptional children.

Our Vision

Through a team effort, ESS equips students to become successful and independent learners who know their God-given abilities and fulfill their God-designed potential.

Our Educational Support Services team partners with teachers and families to support students who learn differently.

ESS Programs & Services

NILD Educational Therapy

This program is designed specifically for students (grades 1-12) with average to superior intelligence with identified learning differences (i.e. a specific learning disorder or frustrations in areas of school performance).

NILD Educational Therapy is a unique one-on-one intervention that delivers intensive educational therapy to stimulate a student’s learning weakness(es) in a non-tutorial approach.

(Heritage Christian is a Member School of the National Institute for Learning Development. NILD is endorsed by the International Dyslexia Association.)

Star Reading

Solutions Math

Directed Studies

Academic Skills Class

Discovery

Discovery is a "pull out" program for potentially high ability / high achieving students in 1st grade. This program challenges and enriches the lives of participating students through differentiated instruction and advanced content. Students have the opportunity to increase and develop their higher level thinking and problem solving skills, as well as logic and reasoning skills while working together as part of a team and as an individual. Discovery students are encouraged to think outside the box and let their creative minds go to work!

Explorers

Explorers is a "pull out" program that helps meet the needs of high ability students in grades 2-6 through differentiated instruction and advanced content.

The Explorers program challenges students to:

think critically and creatively about complex issues
consider system interactions while identifying and solving problems
investigate their own interests through research and share findings with others
apply information in a way that will positively impact God’s Kingdom
communicate effectively in multiple settings with a variety of audiences
demonstrate responsible behavior while working individually, on a team, and as a leader

Accommodation Plans

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ESS and why are these services important to our students?

ESS exists to acknowledge and embrace learning differences by providing various programs, intervention strategies and teaching methods to meet the learning needs of exceptional children. ESS support and programs is offered to students at every grade level starting in kindergarten.

Every student learns and grows differently. It is our responsibility as the ESS team to unlock their potential. This could look different for each student; whether enrolling in Directed Studies to become more organized for their classes or enrolling in National Institute for Learning Development (NILD) Educational Therapy to fine-tune underlying gaps like working memory and auditory processing. We strive to work with parents and teachers to help the student succeed.

Does ESS serve students of all abilities?

How is discipleship woven into ESS?

How many students does ESS serve?

ESS serves a significant portion of our student body, typically 20–30%. This number ebbs and flows as growth happens and needs change. This is the exciting part of our jobs and why we love it! Students learn at different paces and growth happens at different times. It is truly beautiful how God wired all of us differently. In addition, approximately 18% of the student population has an accommodation plan. These documents list the accommodations needed for the student to access their learning in the classroom.

Financial Assistance for ESS Programs

Some ESS programs require an additional fee for participation. We strongly believe in the value of these programs and understand that some families may not be able to afford the additional cost. Therefore, we offer financial assistance through the HOPE Fund for families who may need help affording these programs for their children.

The Helping Others Pursue Excellence (HOPE) Fund has a unique purpose. Established in 2010, the HOPE Fund was inspired by Heritage’s first elementary principal, Mary Jane English (1931-2009). Mrs. English was a pioneer for academic enrichment. She had a burden for children with the intellectual capacity to advance despite being identified with a learning weakness that caused them to struggle in the classroom. Now, Heritage has a variety of academic enrichment programs, including one of the most robust Educational Support Services Departments among Christian schools. Through this scholarship, we honor and remember those who, like Mary Jane English, have instilled hope in the HCS community.

For more information about this scholarship, contact info@heritagechristian.net.

Contact Us

For more information about Educational Support Services at Heritage, contact us at info@heritagechristian.net or (317) 849-3441.