DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
While Hope Day School uses a faith-based curriculum, Executive Director Tirzah Moore seems most proud of its nature-based curriculum. And she proudly shows off the muddy boots to prove it.
Most schools have a playground with swings and a sandbox. Hope Day School has a fenced play area covered with dirt and — when it rains — mud. But it’s OK for kids to get a little dirty. It just makes going to school a little more fun.
“We use our imaginations more,” Moore said. “And we get a little dirty.”
Moore has been with the school since November. And the school, which is independent of Cathedral of Hope, has been renting space in the church for five or six years.
The program is faith-based. The children attend chapel once a month, and they say a prayer before meals. Bible stories are among the reading material.
Reading is very important at Hope Day School and, Moore said, there’s lots of “circle time,” reading to the kids and sharing the pictures.
And she brings in a variety of programs that keep the kids active and create a good basis for their education. Recent classes include dance, soccer and music.
Moore comes to Hope Day School with 25 years of experience in education — mostly in large, corporate day schools. But, she said, working in this small setting suits her just fine.
Since coming to the Oak Lawn school, Moore has increased enrollment at Hope Day School to 35. Total capacity for the school is 168, and it accepts children ranging in age from six weeks to five years
(Actually, though, there aren’t any five-year-olds currently enrolled.)
Staffing, Moore noted, not only meets but exceeds the state of Texas’ requirements. With toddlers, schools are required to have one adult for every five children. Three-year-olds can have one teacher for as many as 15 kids.
But, Moore said, she can’t imagine only one adult tending to that many children, and so she staffs her classes with at least one additional person.
Currently, the school has 12 staff members. That number will grow as more children are enrolled.
One of Moore’s many jobs as executive director is marketing the school. Some of the children have parents who are Cathedral of Hope church members. Others are kids who live
in the area or have parents who work in Oak Lawn.
To market the school in the area, Moore does story time at area apartments “or at any program welcoming to me,” she explained, adding, “Partnerships are important.”
The school is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Prices are competitive but lower than other similar programs in the area. More information is available at HopeDaySchoolDallas.org.