Private Christian K-12 enrollment has experienced a notable increase in the last few years. With the many changes that have occurred in public health, politics, and cultural agendas recently, I believe many parents of younger students are choosing to invest in private education that aligns with their values and priorities.  

In contrast, enrollment at many Christian colleges throughout the nation has been on the decline in recent years. In my current role as Executive Director of the North American Coalition for Christian Admissions Professionals, our researchers concluded that approximately 70% of our member institutions didnotmeettheirenrollmentgoalsfor the fallof2022.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the realm of admissions for a small, private Christ-centered university, I have had countless conversations with students and their families. There are several common questions and concerns that have surfaced in these conversations:

Dancing is often considered an activity for a select few, namely those who have a natural ability for creative movement, those who are graceful, and those who gravitate towards music and have an innate sense of rhythm. In recent years, youth dance has also been portrayed in a certain way thanks to media exposure such as the popular Lifetime television series "Dance Moms." These platforms cast dance as a dramatic, competitive, and even sexualized activity for children and youth, especially girls. Through my experience as a dancer and dance instructor for the last 15 years, I have come to see that these two basic understandings of dance--that it is for a select few and that it is largely dramatic and competitive--are misconceptions worth dispelling.

The Christmas season is often hectic. It seems that this time of year has almost become synonymous with busy-ness. Decorating, cooking and baking, shopping, scheduling out holiday events...all wonderful activities that can bring us together with family and friends. Yet all of this hubbub has the potential to drown out the deeper meaning of the season. Sometimes it almost feels challenging to find Jesus in Christmas.

As parents, it's worth asking ourselves, "What are my children learning about Christmas through the way I approach the holiday? What am I communicating, directly and indirectly, about the meaning of Christmas?"