Note 5 of 5

Choosing a school is also choosing a community

When you choose a school, you are not only choosing teachers and infrastructure. You are choosing the other families your child will grow up with, and the adults you will work alongside for years.

Admission process

The work we do becomes meaningful only when home and school move in the same direction. Screens are one example. If a child spends the day building focus with materials and books, and the evening in front of a screen, the two work against each other.

So admission is a slow and deliberate conversation between your family and us. Applications are open through the year, for two joining dates. Children join in June or November, and applications close in March for June and in September for November. You get to know how we work. We get to know your family. Both sides decide.

What the process involves

1. Come for an orientation tour. We hold one every month, and every family begins here. To join a tour, write to us.
2. Parents write essays by hand about their own values and how they think about bringing up their child. They are also given a book to read.
3. We meet for in-depth conversations. This is also your time to question us.
4. The last step is a session where we observe your child. We share our decision within two weeks of it. Both of us decide whether this is the right place for your child.

What the process is not

It is not a test of whether you agree with us on everything. Families come to us with different views, and that is welcome. What we look for is a willingness to work together.

Some families go through the process and decide we are not the right fit. That is a good outcome too. It is better to find out before a child joins than after.

How fees work

Fees are set on a sliding scale, according to each family's circumstances. Children from a range of economic backgrounds learn together, and we want to keep it that way.

We discuss fees privately during the admission conversations.

What we ask of families

• Keep children away from screens at home, as we do at school.
• Be an active participant in your child's life.

What you can ask of us

You can ask us anything, before admission and after. How we will know if your child is struggling. How we handle conflict between children. What happens if your child moves to another school later. We would rather you ask than wonder or assume.

If you would like to begin, write to us at radiancefoundation.nasik@gmail.com.

Monali Lodha, Founder