Why It Works

Because your child is not a vessel to be filled — they are a whole being growing in complexity, confidence, and connection.

“When children are seen, heard, and invited to care — their learning becomes unstoppable.”


Our Approach:

Learning That Grows with the Child — and Gives Back to the World

A Living Approach to Learning

At DVIS, learning is not a checklist — it’s a living process. Rooted in global standards and inspired by the best of French, American, and Spanish education, our trilingual program cultivates more than academic growth. It nurtures:

  • Deep thinking and creativity

  • Emotional resilience and awareness

  • Curiosity, multilingual fluency, and cultural pride

  • A sense of purpose in every child

Our method combines rigor and joy, structure and spontaneity, individual voice and collective care. At its heart is what we call the Regenerative Learning Framework.

 The Regenerative Learning Framework

Education that Restores, Reimagines, and Reconnects

Most schools are designed to sustain. Ours is designed to regenerate — minds, hearts, communities, and the planet.

Instead of simply preparing children for the future, we ask:

“What kind of future can children help create — if we give them the tools, space, and trust?”

This approach is woven through every subject, project, and relationship at DVIS.


Here's how it comes to life:

Nature as Co-Teacher

Our proximity to the Blue Heron Nature Preserve allows children to learn from the natural world — not just about it. Weekly Forest School experiences connect students to cycles of life, resilience, and beauty.

  • Science and art are taught through natural observation

  • Projects include ecosystem restoration, climate awareness, and biomimicry

  • Children learn that they are part of nature — not separate from it

Learning as Contribution, Not Consumption

We ask students to create value, not just accumulate grades. Every trimester includes meaningful projects that serve the classroom, school, or wider community.

Examples:

  • Inventing compostable packaging from cactus-based bioplastics

  • Writing children's books in three languages for local libraries

  • Designing “laws for children” in civic inquiry groups

Learning Together, Across Generations

Our classrooms are spaces of co-creation, where students, teachers, and families collaborate to shape learning. We invite:

  • Family storytelling and cultural traditions

  • Grandparent circles

  • Interdisciplinary team teaching

  • Community members as guest mentors and makers

Emotional & Social Ecosystems

We treat emotions, relationships, and attention as essential components of learning.

  • Daily mindfulness practices

  • Visible Thinking routines (Harvard Project Zero)

  • Restorative communication circles

A classroom culture where students feel safe to reflect, take risks, and grow

Reflection, Revision, and Prototyping

We foster a culture where mistakes are not failures — they are beginnings.

  • Learning is iterative, like nature itself

  • Students build portfolios and prototypes

  • Teachers guide with feedback, not judgment

Trilingual, Project-Based, Whole-Child Learning

The regenerative approach is the soil beneath our daily curriculum. On top of it grows a rich, rigorous education that includes:

  • French, English, and Spanish instruction by native educators

  • Math aligned with both Singapore Math and French Common Core

  • Literacy development across three languages with Orton-Gillingham principles

  • Integrated science, social studies, and civic inquiry through thematic units

  • Visual and performing arts as tools for expression and understanding

  • Student-led conferences, presentations, and celebrations of learning