Raina's Story
"I found Christian Cottage through the home school program my children were involved in. My children's teacher had worked with Christian Cottage and saw great results. We had been home schooling for two years on our own by this time, getting nowhere, feeling like a failure and feeling like I had failed my daughter. I even had thoughts of putting her into a formal school situation, but then I found that I just couldn't do it.
When I went to Christian Cottage, every question that I ever had was answered, and more. All my fears and concerns were addressed. Now, I am able to teach my daughters with confidence because I have their continued help and support. They don't just leave you hanging. They take all the guess work away. All I have to do is follow their program, and I see results immediately. My daughter made 2 years progress in only 6 months!
Christian Cottage cares about the whole child, not just academics. When the whole child is taken care of, the whole family is taken care of. I can say with confidence that I no longer have to guess and look around for new and better curriculum to teach my children, because Christian Cottage takes out the guess work. Christian Cottage is a one-stop curriculum conference, and I know that ALL of our needs are getting met. I also love that my family is getting prayed for on a daily basis by true prayer warriors. We are a Christian Cottage family for life!" - Morrison, CO
GroenewegGolden, Colorado
February 6, 2006
Teri, Mike & Meredith,
We are so thankful for Christian Cottage Schools Home Services. Your insight, experience, and godly wisdom have guided us through the ups and downs of teaching our children at home over the years. When perplexed, you've offered encouragement. When struggling, you've brought fresh ideas and a different approach. When overwhelmed you've brought order and a new beginning.
We have benefited from the breadth of resources, ideas, and focus on experiential learning that you have shared with us -- the culmination of your personal and professional experiences with home education. Sharing our special accomplishments with you and other CCS families has filled us with joy and celebration.
Thank you for providing a balance of structure with flexibility, accountability with freedom, and tradition with innovation. Your partnership with our family has enabled us to look forward to each new level of learning. Our annual testing and planning meetings have become a time to celebrate the past year's achievements and to anticipate the next year's new topics and experiences. Your faith, commitment, and love have inspired us since we first began home schooling almost 10 years ago. Many thanks,
With highest regards,
Dawn Groeneweg, PhD.
"I love the organization! The activities, trips, our daughter's wonderful results, even with such an inexperienced teacher as myself." Castle Rock, CO
"I just wish to express my heartfelt appreciation for all the help you have given me. It has allowed me to come up with a comprehensive, well-rounded, individualized plan appropriate for the education of my children. I could never have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time." Lincoln, NE
"Time and again you have rescued me from a seemingly hopeless, homeschool situation...Thank you for guiding me, as well as my two teenagers, through these complicated, high school years. I'm so grateful that God brought you and Christian Cottage Schools into our lives. We are so blessed!" Highlands Ranch, CO
"I used In the Beginning God! and we really enjoyed it. This year we did traditional text book approach and we're ready to go back to unit studies, a much better way to learn…Thank you so much for your help and dedication to the homeschool community." Merrimack, NH
"There are no words to express how much you all mean to our family. When our boys were three years old the Lord impressed on our hearts the concept of home schooling. He clearly said that was what He wanted for them. We had no idea how this was to come about. We knew nothing about homeschooling, curriculum, testings, etc. When the boys were four and one-half years old we said, "Okay Lord, you want this, you help us!" The next day a dear friend stopped by our home and told us of a home school program she was considering for her girls. Praise God! We were signed up with CCS for the kindergarten semester. The Lord has clearly commanded our family to walk a certain path. If it were not for each and everyone of you creating, toiling, and maintaining, that road, we could not walk it. What amazes us is, you not only create the road but when it becomes steep and hard to climb, should we stumble you're always there to help us and guide us along. You have very clearly been a part of our walk with Our Lord Jesus. All your love, concern and great labors have always lifted us up and enabled us to coninue. You'll never know how much we love each and everyone of you mean to us and how dearly we love you. Thank you for being our brothers and sisters in Christ. Your crowns will have many jewels for all the families you've blessed through CCS." Aurora, CO
"Just a quick note to let you know how much we appreciate being notified of your prayer need. We are honored to hold you up in prayer at all times. We believe wisdom to come to you as needed and that your strength is renewed in great joy. Thanks for all your help in our lives and for being who you are. You both are so valuable to the body of Christ." Littleton, CO
"I thanked Jesus for each of you while I watched Him blend each of your strengths together fo do His will. Thank you for your obedience to Him. It blesses our whole family." Lakewood, CO
"Dear Ms. Spray,
Thank you for testifying at the January 25, 2000 hearing on "The Impact of Federal Policies on State and Local Efforts to Reform Education". Your testimony contributed a great deal to the quality and success of the hearing.
The Subcommittee Members found your testimony on the impact of special education on students' educational progress very informative, and I appreciate you taking the time to provide us with your views.
Again, thank you for your valuable contribution. Please continue to let us know what Congress can do to reduce federal burdens on state and local reform efforts."
"Dear Friend,
I wanted to personally thank you for coming to the Education and the Workforce Oversight Subcommitee hearing recently held in Lakewood. Since coming to Congress, I have worked hard to ensure that all of our nation's children receive a quality education and a safe place to learn. Likewise, I can promise you that education has and will remain one of my highest priorities.
As a former public school teacher and Secretary of Education's Regional Representative for the West, I believe that now is the time to implement creative, innovative ideas for improving education. Congress must continue its efforts to return control, decision-making authority and money back to the local level-back to the teachers, parents and school boards to whom we entrust our children.
In 1997, the House Education and the Workforce Oversight Subcommittee began an intensive review of federal education policy. After extensive visits to schools across the country, the Oversight Supcommittee released its report entitled, "Education at Crossroads: What Works and What's Wasted in Education Today". The report is the only such review ever performed by the Committee on Education and Workforce or by Congress. The information discovered is mixed to say the least.
Specifically, the report found that there were more than 760 federal education programs that require mountians of paperwork with a "shadow" Department of Education implementing the policies at the state level. This has resulted in as little as 65-70 cents for each dollar spent actually reaching the classroom.
Based on the findings of the General Accounting Office and the hearings conducted by the Oversight Subcommittee, the Subcommittee found that successful schools and school systems were not the product of federal funding and programs, but instead were characterized by parents involved in the education of their children, local control, emphasis on basic academics and dollasrs spent on the classroom, not the bureaucracy and ineffective programs.
The field hearing continued this review as we were able to hear the witnesses detail the massive number of mandates and paperwork requirements (i.e. the hundreds of pages of grant proposal compiled by the Governor's office but rejected by the federal government) imposed by the federal government on state and local governments. We were also able to examine the size and scope of the federal bureaucracy and reform efforts such as charter schools. All of these issues will be addressed when Congress reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the primary federal law which provides funding for K-12 schools).
I hope that the field hearing generated awareness among Coloradans that state and local education leaders know best how to tailor their education programs to meet the unique needs of their students.
Your participation was not only a service to the Education and Workforce Committee, but also to the country as a whole. If I can be of any assisstance to you in the future, please do not hesitate to call."
Tom Tancredo, Member of Congress of the United States, House of Representatives
Letter from Dr. Les SimonsenDear Home Schooling Friends,
I am writing to introduce you to the Christian Cottage Schools home education program. Writing this letter was something I have felt led to do for a long time. Since coming to Colorado in 1989, I have been so impressed with the unsurpassed quality of the CCS program that I am moved to share my feelings and discoveries about it with you. First, let me state from my personal experiences in education, that CCS is one of the most outstanding educational programs I have ever seen. I say this after thirty-two years of teaching in the public school systems and five years teaching special programs to home schooled students. During these years I have worked with students in all grade levels from elementary through high school. I have also taught graduate and post-graduate students at the university level. I have served as a master teacher to over twenty student teachers and was even selected Teacher of the Year for the Conejo Valley Unified School District, and Ventura County, and also nominated for Teacher of the Year for the State in California. I am author of the WIN Story Writing curriculum which is currently being published and marketed nationwide to the home school community. I have also written four additional reading and writing books for publication. Here is what I find to be the most impressive aspects of the Christian Cottage Schools program:
P.S. Mike and Teri: please share this letter with potential homeschooling families. I believe that the unique program CCS offers can be an answer to prayer for countless families.