August 24th, 2026
Good afternoon!
I had always dreamed of starting my own school and would often joke about it-knowing that it wasn’t a reality. And then someone said to me “That school you always say you are going to start, do you want to rent this space to do it?” I said yes within a day, not having any idea if it was actually possible. I started researching small schools around Columbus and around the nation and realized that it is actually a very large movement in the United States- it just hasn’t made its way to Ohio quite as loudly as in some other states. In my search I found so many microschool networks and groups. I quickly found the National Microschooling Center and became connected to other teachers with the same dream as me. I went to a conference put on by NMC in Indiana for Indiana microschools and learned that there are over 130 microschools in Indiana- this was a year ago so I am sure more have popped up! We are so glad to be on the front side of this movement in Ohio.
Academic Highlight
Reading- Children falling in love with books is magic. As an adult, I can not wait to curl up with my book or listen to a good story on a long drive. It opens us up to so many new ideas and worlds to get lost in. I have always loved books and one of my greatest hopes as a teacher has always been to instill that love of books in my students. At CCS, we base our entire reading and writing curriculum around living, beautiful books. We match what we are reading to what we are studying in science and history and dive in. We love the book A Literary Education by Emily Cook and highly recommend you read it to understand our reading philosophy.
Staff Highlight
We are so excited to add an art class to our week this year! Chelsea Kuhn started the school with us last year as a parent and through the year started teaching art classes every once in awhile. We are so excited to have her join us every week this year as our art teacher! Here is her bio from our website: Chelsea Kuhn is the Art Teacher at Creekside Cottage School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Smith College and later studied at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where she also worked in the theater department. Creativity has always been woven into Chelsea’s life. She comes from a family of artists, writers, cartoonists, weavers, and sculptors, and she married Blake, a graphic designer and fellow artist. Together they have created a home where paint, paper, clay, yarn, and imagination are always within reach. Their garage art studio is a favorite gathering place for their own children, neighborhood friends, and anyone inspired to stop by and make something. Chelsea believes art is about far more than learning techniques - it’s about noticing creation, cultivating curiosity, solving problems, and finding the confidence to create something uniquely your own. She is passionate about helping children discover the joy of making with their hands and looks forward to nurturing creativity, wonder, and a lifelong love of art in every Creekside student.
Nature Highlight
We hope all are safe after last week’s rains! The flooding came pretty close to our school. The inside of our school was untouched but the creek flooded. We are waiting for the mud to dry a bit so we can check out the damage to our outdoor space down by the creek. Hopefully you all did not have any damage from the rain!
Enrollment Update
We currently have no spots for the 2026-2027 school year. We are fine tuning our enrollment process for the 2027-2028 school year and will start sending out information about it in the fall. If you are interested in that process, please join our waitlist for those specific emails.
