Center for Redemptive Education
The Quest to Align with God's Design for Teaching and Learning
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Truly Christ-centered education quests to align with God's design for teaching and learning. Often, well-meaning Christian schools, churches, and home schools are not able to deliver the powerful, fruitful, lasting gospel-infused education that comes from an approach that is Biblical, Relational, Integral (holistic) and Experiential. In many places here in the United States and around the globe, teachers, parents, administrators, missionaries and other educators do not have access to the kind of training and resources that can propel their learning communities into life-giving communities of both Truth and Grace. They want and need to be equipped: with curriculum, practices, and culture-building educational liturgies which cultivate virtue. They yearn for an approach to classroom management and discipling that eschews the usual "sticks and carrots" for better methods. School leaders seek best ways to honor the image-bearers in their classrooms and teacher teams. They need help!
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Boots & Roots
An outdoor education program for home schoolers, in which children are invited into exploration and engagement with nature in a multi-sensory and holistic experience.
Scent of Water Learning Community
Scent of Water (SOW) serves as a robust support to home schooling families by offering a primarily outdoor three day/week program serving K-8th grade students.
Where we work
Awards
$10,000 Next Step Grant and $50,000 Grant award 2022
VELA Foundation
External reviews

Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children, Adolescents, Preteens, Students, Teachers
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
There are currently four REACH member schools, each averaging approximately 100 students. Additionally, in our Boots & Roots and Terebinth programs, there have been approximately 100 students enrolled
Number of teachers trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Teachers, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through our on-site and video professional development workshops, and through our annual conferences, we train increasing numbers of teachers in the US and internationally.
Number of schools affiliated with the Redemptive Education Association of Christian Schools (REACH)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Teachers, Students
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We seek to invite schools that align with Redemptive Education and to support the work of their teachers and administrators.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Center for Redemptive Education exists to articulate, cultivate, demonstrate and facilitate an approach to teaching and learning that is Biblical, Relational, Integral, and Experiential. Our mission is to help equip teachers, school leaders, parents, missionaries and other educators in their quest to align with God's design for Christ-centered education. Building a soundly Biblical philosophy gives birth to soundly Biblical practices which honor ALL of God's Image-Bearers in the school community: children, adolescents, young adults, teachers, parents, administrators, leaders. Redemptive Education specialists in the US and overseas seek to infuse homes, ministries, schools and communities with beauty, joy, and effectiveness using curriculum and methods that work with God's design, not counter to it. We are committed to providing Redemptive Education training in print, video, digital media and in person. We are committed to supporting educators desiring to align with God's design!
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide workshops, programs, videos, publications, digital media, conferences, retreats, professional development, ongoing training, coaching, and support in Redemptive Education here in the US and around the world. We help educators to employ whole-child curriculum and methods to increase student engagement, academic progress, life-long learning and the pursuit of virtue. We travel to underserved and overlooked populations in locations from rural southern India to urban Metro Washington, D.C. The Center for Redemptive Education is a young but swiftly developing organization, offering programs such Boots & Roots (early childhood outdoor education and nature study); Scent of Water Learning Communities (supporting home schooling families of K-8th grade children in primarily outdoor learning spaces; tutoring for students who struggle in reading; workshops in Redemptive Discipline; an association of Redemptive Education schools (REACH Schools); resources for teachers; an annual conference offering workshops in teaching from a Biblical worldview, effective leadership of learning communities, blessing the image-bearers in your home and school. The CRE publishes redemptive literary fiction, non-fiction, music and poetry for use by families, teachers and children' ministry workers.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have a small but growing team of deeply committed board members, specialists, educators, writers and volunteers who provide trainings, workshops, video, podcasts, print and digital media, retreats, conferences, coaching and training. We employ Redemptive Educators to teach at our Boots & Roots and Scent of Water Learning Communities. This year, a priority is to transition some of our top leadership who have operated as volunteers for the past several years to salaried employees for sustainability of the organization. Currently, our staff includes five part time employees who teach and direct programs as well as a number of independent contractors who provide bookkeeping, web management, curriculum writing, print and digital media, and other services. We seek to create more longterm permanence in these roles in 2021, if resources allow.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In January 2018 the CRE was officially founded as an educational 501(c)3. We established the Redemptive Education Association of Christian Schools (REACH Schools) with four founding member schools; we published a book of essays in Redemptive Education (Wind from the Sea); held a Benefit Concert; held Dessert & Discussion Nights for teachers; offered a Day Retreat for teachers; created instructional videos on Redemptive Education methods; wrote curriculum; did teacher training of K-12 teachers, college education professors and students in rural southern India; conducted professional development at our Founding Member Schools; conducted a Redemptive Education conference; presented at other conferences such as Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and Christian Deeper Learning; created our website; created and built our social media presence through Facebook, Instagram, blogs and a digital newsletter; developed donor relationships; launched Boots & Roots outdoor education program.
In 2019, our board determined to focus on developing programs and resources to support home schooling families. With providential timing, we were swiftly prepared to help the exploding growth in the home schooling population as schools closed for COVID 19 and families responded by an over 500% increase in decisions to teach their children at home or in small learning communities. The development and inauguration of the Scent of Water Learning Communities (SOW) launched in Sept 2019 with robust enrollment and a waiting list. The success of this program is leading us to establish additional SOW programs in the coming year, in multiple locations. Each program requires us to identify and train teachers, find hospitable hosting locations, receive applications from families, register and enroll students. We project ability to double or triple our student enrollment in 2021-22.
Another endeavor to support parents teaching their children at home or in small localized learning "pods" is the development of units of stand-alone curriculum that a family or families can use to teach all of their preschool through 8th grade children. These will be available with other educational resources on our website.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Center for Redemptive Education
Board of directorsas of 02/02/2023
Amy Imbody
Center for Redemptive Education
Term: 2017 -
Abigail Westbrook
Susan Martin
Caitlin Nunery
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable