York Academy of Discovery, Inc.

"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."  Louisa May Alcott

York Academy of Discovery is a no cost (for those who qualify), faith-based enrichment program with a focus on children and families in need, enriching young lives through the arts, community exploration, and play-based academic achievement opportunities.

Our mission is to advocate on behalf of children through enrichment experiences with a focus on meeting the needs of children and families in need.

In its developing stages, York was looking at the engagement of elementary school children, looking at student discipline and who was receiving discipline as well as attendance, achievement, etc.  This research led to questions such as:  When should we start to take action to close achievement gaps, address stressors brought about by poverty, build social-emotional skills, establish relationships that create a foundation of trust...?  Later, our thoughts also centered on:  What programs do we implement to overcome the impact of COVID?  How do we build equity in the experiences of young children?  How do we provide support to families?  Our surveys of children and families led to many of the components of our program.

Poverty can produce stressors that have a lasting impact on people, even their health.  Our goal is to make a difference and quickly!  The way to do that is through early childhood education with highly trained teachers who understand the social and emotional adversity that may come about during the early years.  These highly trained teachers know the lasting impact of adversity and the importance of early intervention.

York Academy of Discovery genuinely cares about children.  We know that early childhood is the most important and formative time in the life of a child.  It is our desire to build a foundation of support, love, and relationship and with that provide opportunities and experiences that some children may not have access to.

York Academy of Discovery provides a unique program for all children from various income levels, races, religions...  We believe in a diverse environment.  We also keep our ratio size small (1 to 5 in a classroom) to fully meet the needs of each child in our program.  The ratio is a very important component of our program.  York children are enriched with the arts as we develop the whole child (socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, artistically, spiritually).  

"There are two gifts we give our children - one is roots, and the other is wings."  This begins in the early years of a child's life and in early childhood education.  You can make a difference and become a part of our story.  We are York Academy of Discovery!