Forrás (Fountain) Educational Centre is a Christian institution under ecclesiastical control. Its story started in 2003 when eight Christian families in a small Hungarian town called Mezőkövesd cooperated to make a school. Their aim was to make such a school where their children can study in safe condition with warm atmosphere just like in a family. We chose two parents to teach our eighteen children in a house. This system was on half-way between homeschooling and institutional education.
After three years, we admitted children from other families apart from the founder families. As a cooperation of these families, we could buy a bigger building that we grew out of two years later. In 2008, we moved to a village called Tard. It is 12 km far from Mezőkövesd. There, we rented the empty part of the school-building. Next year, we started a kindergarten in our previous headquarter in Mezőkövesd. The teaching of Art and Music began in 2013. Besides learning fine arts, the students can play the piano, the keyboards, the recorder or the oboe. In 2014, we became an independent institution and in this way, our development came to a bigger step. Since then, our supporter has been the Hungarian Pentecostal Church. In 2015, we built a stable with a riding hall where students can practise horse-riding during the P.E. lesson. As a next step, in 2016, we started a technical school and we established a training farm. Here, we train young people up to twenty-five-year-old; they can learn how to be good farmers. Next year, our students can choose three other trainings: rural host, gardener or food producer.
30-35% of the students come from committed Christian families. Parents from other families find us because their children have learning or behaviour difficulties and they search a school that accepts and receives their children. First, we visit the family in question and we speak with the parents. We want to know if we can cooperate with the parents in order to fulfil the child’s educational needs in a trustful atmosphere on both parts. We love our students; most of them go through an inward recovery joining our school. Besides teaching, we think that nurture is equally important. Our teachers are committed Christians who regard God’s will and moral values with the students during morning devotions and R.E. lessons. They also turn to the children with Christly love every day. The school pastor promotes the spiritual and inward nurture.
Our kindergarden was established in 2009. 3 kindergarden teachers and 2 nurses look after children from 3 to 6 years old in mixed age groups. We create a relaxed, safe and a family-like atmosphere where we aim to mentor with love and to teach with fun.
A feedback from a parent: „I like my son’s kindergarden because it is like a family. The teachers are kind, patient, accepting and recipient and they provide an atmosphere with full of love day by day and they teach childen to love, respect each other and how to behave in a right way. At the same time, they are fully-prepared professionally as well.”
„I like the fact that my children are growing up with understanding and being aware of God’s existance, they sing songs and listen to stories related to faith and God on a weekly basis… I also like that my children do not have to live in fear. I like watching them as their intellects and personalities are unfolding and I do not need to be afraid of their wings are being cut off. The consistent and acceptance-based education has such a high level in this kindergarden that I have never been able to dream about.”
Our primary school was established in 2003. Students are from the age of 6 to 14 in an eight year and there are 8 classes, one for each agegroup. Being Christian, we would like to hilghly emphasize the importance of education as well as teaching. Since our institution’s main focus is acceptance, we take students with special educational needs as well. Besides their personal development, we also work hard to prepare our students for gaining good results even in the toughest secondary schools as well- we have succeeded so far.
According to our researches, the reason why parents choose our school is that it is believed to be personality-centered. The further reasons are the good reputation and the assurance about being the best solution for their children’s needs. Parents also think that the expectations towards the children are reasonably high. The strengths of the school is its atmosphere and the teachers’ personalities, and their unique way of teaching and educating.
After 3 years of planning, our vocational training started in 2016. Previously, we purchased a land, a property and our farm was built by all of us working hard together. Growing and getting prettier is still continous. Parallel to this, we created the stable. Here, children can ride a horse during their PE lessons and in the summer, the stable also hosts camps. Besides horses, there are also pigs, chickens and goats. Based on the benefits of our region, we provide competitive professions:
– Farmer,
– Food producer, Hosts in villages,
– Gardener
Our experienced trainers who are open for innovations are experimenting together with the students. One aim is to teach them to work, the other is to teach and show them how to establish a family farm with a small amount of funds even in their own homes. Therefore, we would also like to teach eco and business skills to our students. Our final aim is to produce eco products with our own label and to sell them later. We are also aiming for opening a restaurant. Students can apply for our 3 year courses from the age of 14 to 25. Currently, the number of girls and boys are equal and some students have special educational needs.
School
Address: 3416 Tard, Béke tér 3.
E-mail: [email protected]
Principal’s phone: +36 70/492-8470
Kindergarten
Address: 3400 Mezőkövesd, Mártírok u.10.
Phone: +36 70/492-8472
E-mail: [email protected]
Find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/Forras.O.K