ELAH

ELAH is the only protestant educational community in the southern suburbs of Paris, offering: 

• an independent, Protestant, parent-managed school
• open to all
• small multi-age classes
• a hands-on pedagogical approach that aims at the decompartmentalization of learning
• authentic and applicable biblical teaching, an introduction to the Christian faith and to prayer
• income-based tuition fees.

Our History

Our community was created in April 2017 by a small group of families.

• 2017-2018: ELAH started and ran a small independent school with 10 children aged 3 to 7. 
• 2018-2023: ELAH has been gathering around twenty home-schooling Christian families for informal activities and mutual support. 
• Sept. 2023: ELAH opened a new independent school in Gometz-le-Châtel (91; 25 km South of Paris) with 12 children, aged 6 to 12.

Our identity 

Built on the Christian values of transmission, sharing and respect, our community gathers families and individuals from diverse backgrounds and confessions around an impactful educational project to provide to Christians or non Christians, children and adults alike :

• • a holistic Gospel-based education to nurture a solid moral and spiritual core that will ensure their personal growth and help them build strong character with integrity,
  • a safe place where parents, teachers and professionals can cooperate to develop together in close relationship and good intelligence innovative and creative ways to teach and raise the children and the young people with respect to their identity and to God’s vision for them, and
  • support, resources and tools to equip parents for the transmission of Christian values between generations.

Each person involved with us is encouraged to freely bring their own skills and expertise to contribute to the realization of the community’s projects. ELAH also collaborates with several other associations specializing in family life and education to carry out and complement its actions.

How do we fulfill our mission?

We offer a valuable panel of diverse and enriching educational and cultural activities to families, parents, children, teenagers and educators to foster intergenerational relationships as well as collaborative learning and social intelligence.

We support Christian homeschooling families and contribute to the building of a wide network so that they can find the educational, moral, spiritual and legal resources they need. Indeed, their journey has become even more challenging in the context of the unacceptable homeschooling new regulations and restrictions adopted in 2022 in France.

We have the ambition to create a new type of school where parents are free to be involved and be part of their children’s education and instruction. With that in mind, we have engaged in the creation of innovative teaching and schooling methods inspired by our own practice of tailored teaching and homeschooling. One of our main projects is to introduce in France the concept of flexi-schooling, inspired by American and British models. We are well aware that this practice may raise controversy in our country due to cultural misunderstanding or conflict. But we are also deeply convinced that it brings a much needed and appropriate solution to the many families that are looking for new alternatives and more comprehensive schools since COVID-19 and after the change of regulation on homeschooling

Our flexi-schooling concept provides a legal way for parents to take a significant part in their children’s instruction : it frees them from the burden to ask for the authorization to homeschool, still allowing them to play their role as main educators to their children. 

In September 2023, we opened a new school where we have started experimenting with our flexi-schooling concept, getting ready to implement it in other educational structures and communities. 

 

How will we use your contribution?

Your donation will be used to help us : 

• hire high-skilled and qualified people to achieve our goals and reach more families, all over France in the long term;
• create and build a strong network around our innovative, Christian-based educational project;
• provide immediate solutions, through our concept of flexi-schooling, to families in search of a satisfying alternative to homeschooling;
• spread a biblical way to consider intergenerational relationships;
• develop and promote a Christ-centered education which respects and values each children’s individuality and identity.

Thank you for your precious and valuable support !