ELAH

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

• an independent, Protestant, parent-managed school
• education 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.

Their History

Their 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 gathered around 20 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.
• Sept. 2024 : ELAH doubled its enrollment and opened both the 7th grade and a Kindergarten class.

• Sept. 2025 : ELAH opens the 8th grade, moving on towards the opening of the 9th grade in September 2026 and thus offering the full range of levels for 3 to 15 year old students.

Their Identity 

Built on the Christian values of transmission, sharing, and respect, their 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 them 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 they fulfill their mission?

They 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 regulations and restrictions adopted in 2022 in France.

They 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, they have engaged in the creation of innovative teaching and schooling methods inspired by their own practice of tailored teaching and homeschooling. One of their main projects is to introduce in France the concept of flexi-schooling, inspired by American and British models. They are well aware that this practice may raise controversy in France due to cultural misunderstanding or conflict. But they 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.

Their 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, they opened a new school where they started experimenting with their flexi-schooling concept, getting ready to implement it in other educational structures and communities. 

How will they use your contribution?

Your donation will be used to help them: 

• hire highly-skilled and qualified people to achieve their goals and reach more families, all over France in the long term;
• create and build a strong network around their innovative, Christian-based educational project;
• provide immediate solutions, through their 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 child’s individuality and identity.

Thank you for your precious and valuable support!