Providence Academy - Parma

Fifteen Constellation learning communities offer tuition-free public charter education in Ohio. We began in 2001 with academic learning, character education, life skills and social-emotional development as parts of our approach. ACCEL Schools operates our network, and our programs follow Ohio standards and hold Cognia accreditation. Elementary classes build reading, language arts and mathematics foundations alongside science, social studies, physical education, art and music. Students expand those subjects in middle school and add electives and activities. High-school students complete graduation coursework and explore advanced courses, college and career planning, projects and service learning. Classroom Smartboards, individual Chromebooks and the AMP/edu platform support learning across our schools. Choosing a campus matters. Facilities, activities and family services differ between schools. Counseling, tutoring, meals, before- and after-school care and summer programs may be available depending on the school a family selects. We keep those campus differences part of the choice rather than treating every network service as available everywhere. Families begin enrollment by selecting a school and completing its online process, including the documents required for Ohio public schools. Counseling, tutoring, meals, before- and after-school care and summer programs vary between campuses. Families select the school before completing its enrollment process and the documentation Ohio public schools require.

Peer models and children with special needs learn together in our First Step Preschool classrooms. We use daily interaction and play to support language, movement, thinking and self help skills, with social and emotional learning part of the same experience. Children practice alongside classmates and learn by watching and interacting with one another as well as with adults. Our integrated preschool welcomes children ages 3 to 5 who live in Parma, Parma Heights or Seven Hills. We plan developmentally appropriate experiences for each child and provide a range of services in the least restrictive environment. The classroom group brings children with and without special needs into those activities together, while we attend to individual learning needs and emotional well being. Families seeking a peer model placement complete an application and take part in an eligibility screening. That process applies to the peer model option in our integrated program. First Step holds Ohio's Step Up To Quality Gold rating. The rating recognizes early learning programs that exceed minimum licensing standards, reflecting the standards we bring to the preschool experiences we plan for children.