It’s been an amazing journey!
Our program was co-founded by Cheryl Cintron and Debra Hodgson, area teachers, in 2000 that desired to bring a quality Christian education to the Winchester area. In the first year, Enrichment Services opened and begin serving area students who needed individualized tutoring. This program served over 100 students within the first year and the students served ranged in grades from Kindergarten to Grade 12. Professional teachers were hired as tutors and immediate success was met for these area children. To date, over 500 students have been served in a tutoring capacity.
In 2001, the second phase of Enrichment Services, Inc. was created. Winchester Junior Academy was founded to serve the younger children within the community. A high-quality preschool program was put together to raise the bar for all preschool programs in the area. Small class size, quality educational opportunities, foreign language, and computers were all progressive educational experiences for this growing community. This program began with just under 40 students in 2001 and was started in a small Methodist church in Frederick County. The following year this program outgrew the church building and an opportunity came available to move to downtown Winchester. This opportunity doubled the growth of our preschool. We were able to offer a summer preschool, which was new to parents in this area, and expand to meet the needs of working parents. To date, over 500 young children have been served in our preschool and it has developed a reputation among area public and private schools that our students are more than prepared for any Kindergarten experience.
In 2002, Winchester Academy started with our first class of 8 Kindergarten students. These students were provided with a developmentally appropriate program that stretched the minds of all children and allowed for creativity along with meeting their individual needs. This success of this small class led to the expansion of our school by increasing to grade 3 the following year. This school has no academic requirement and the students are met where they are, allowing for growth and development within a small class ratio.
In 2004, upon moving into a different facility and some organizational changes, Winchester Academy became the entire preschool and elementary school.