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Coram Deo Academy and Coram Deo Concept Schools

Starting a Satellite Campus or a New Coram Deo Concept School

Coram Deo Academy educates youth in a historic Christian worldview through a rigorous classical curriculum. The goal of CDA is to train ethical leaders and wise thinkers who will shape culture for the glory of God. We envision thousands of Christian youth trained over time through a system of Coram Deo Academy campuses in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and a support program for schools beyond.

Accomplishment of this vision includes practical planning and action and especially the favor of Providence. Following is a brief but orderly list of steps necessary to start a satellite campus or a separately constituted school with a different name but consistent with the mission, vision, methods and administrative model of CDA. If a reader is interested in collaborating with CDA leadership to accomplish such worthwhile goal, please use the following steps as a guideline.

Section One: Start a new school location in Dallas/Fort Worth (see section two for information on starting a school outside DFW)

  1. Gather a small core group of interested, capable and highly motivated people of the same mind that desire a school developed using the Coram Deo Concept.
  2. Request a Meeting with CDA officials to discuss the possibility by filing a letter addressed to extension@coramdeoacademy.org. Briefly address points a – d below.
  3. With a positive outcome a New School should form an organization and contract services with Coram Deo. Please go to Section Two and then proceed with step four. A Satellite School may simply proceed to step three.
  4. Prepare Satellite or New School proposal
    1. Define the service region and include a map
    2. If the service region is in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, file the proposal as a Satellite Campus. If it is outside of DFW file the proposal as a New School.
    3. Describe the regional draw
    4. Predict enrollment potential
    5. Analyze competition and other impediments to success
    6. Identify realistic facility possibilities with approximate costs
    7. Evaluate start up fund raising capability
    8. Determine target date for start up
    9. Clarify grades to offer at start up, first three years and build out
    10. Prepare Proforma budget, start up fund raising required and break even analysis
    11. Plan marketing strategy
    12. Organize timeline from proposal approval to first day of classes
  5. Present proposal to CDA administration for approval
  6. Upon approval initiate start up timeline
    1. Raise start up funding and pledges
    2. Execute letter of intent for facilities and permitting if necessary
    3. Begin marketing
      1. Edit web site to include and promote new school.
      2. Gather and maintain expanding data base of prospects.
      3. E-announcements to data base formed so they can be forwarded from friend to friend.
      4. Brochure distribution.
      5. Informal networking and word of mouth.
      6. Speak and/or display at private school and home school fairs.
      7. Place ad or ads (can be very expensive) in appropriate media. Most of CDA’s growth has come because of informal person-to-person marketing resulting in qualified leads.
      8. New Family Information Meetings.
    4. Revise enrollment potential and Proforma budget based on experience.
    5. Retain administrator or admissions coordinator for start up one year in advance of opening for classes
    6. Open office
    7. Expand marketing
    8. Add office assistance and/or admissions testing coordinator depending on volume
    9. Begin admissions process per web based policies
    10. Recruit and retain faculty and staff
    11. Equip classrooms
    12. Hold open houses and meet the teacher meetings
    13. Attend Coram Deo Classical Educators Training
    14. Open for classes

Section Two: Additional steps for a separately constituted and named school beyond the DFW Metroplex.

  1. A New School should form an organization and contract for start up services with Coram Deo ESC.
  2. Establish a small Board of Directors
  3. Develop Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
    1. A non-profit attorney reference is available upon request.
  4. File with the State
  5. Apply for non profit status with IRS
  6. Open a bank account and establish accounting procedures
    1. An accounting firm specializing in private school accounting reference is available upon request.
    2. Payroll and HR service firm, tuition collections firm, tuition assistance firm all available.
  7. Initiate fund raising
  8. Purchase insurance to include among other things officers and directors coverage
  9. Execute service contract with Coram Deo Educational Service Corporation
    1. Consulting services provided to develop the New School proposal and prospectus. Upon a decision to go forward with the new school, the rest of the services will follow.
    2. Upon decision to move forward with the school, start up consulting and services to coach the new board through to school opening.
    3. Coram Deo will recommend proven professional service firms for those services it does not provide directly including:
      1. Non-profit attorney to assist with corporate formation, non profit apppcation and ongoing counsel as needed.
      2. Accounting firm specializing in private school accounting and auditing.
      3. payroll and HR service
      4. Tuition collection and financial aid assistance firm.
    4. public web site launch
      1. Choose colors and format to differentiate from CDA site
      2. Contains all of the same capabipties as www.coramdeoacademy.org with a different address and unique appearance
    5. Administrative web site launch which supports
      1. publications
      2. Admissions module including on line family/student applications and payment.
      3. Registrar’s module
      4. Database
      5. Teacher grade books
      6. Report generator
        1. Report cards
        2. Award reports
        3. Administrator reports
        4. Demographic reports
        5. Contributor tracking for charitable development
      7. Teacher resources
        1. Audio/Video/Note for Classical Educators Training conference
        2. Original essays appropriate for school use
        3. Guide books and class preparation for many grades and courses taught in a Coram Deo Concept School
        4. A growing body of pedagogical helps and links to proven teacher preparation resources.
      8. Technology resources for maintaining computers
      9. Sample new school proposals, power point presentations, accounting spreadsheets, chart of accounts,
      10. Contains all of the capabilities of the Coram Deo Faculty & Staff Suite.
      11. Please contact rnorth@coramdeoacademy.org to gain limited access and peruse this powerful web based software.