In Loco Parentis

NCCA operates in loco parentis – a Latin phrase meaning “in the place of a parent”. We believe that the Bible clearly instructs parents, not the church or state, to "bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord" (Eph 6:4). The church’s commission is essentially to spread the Gospel and train believers (Matt 28:18-20). The state has been directed to enforce God’s laws and protect the innocent (Rom 13). The church trains parents and the state protects families. The family raises and educates children (Eph 6:1-4). Therefore, under the delegation of the family, we seek to teach and discipline in a manner consistent with the Bible and a godly home environment.

We want to help parents teach their children that all they do should be done "heartily, as unto the Lord" (Col 3:23). Therefore, we seek to encourage quality academic work and maintain high standards of conduct. This necessarily includes biblical discipline principles, which we encourage from the parents of our students. We have a full Preschool-12 program because we believe that as long as a child is under the parents' authority and undergoing formal education, he should be trained biblically (Deut 6:6-7; Prov 22:6).

Christian Education

Here are the reasons we believe a distinctly Christian education is vital:

  1. We desire to trust in the Lord and not lean on human understanding, acknowledging the Word of God in all of our practices (Prov 3:5-7). Scripture is ultimately authoritative and sufficient for all of life (2 Tim 3:16-17; 2 Pet 1:3,20,21).

  2. We believe that a Christian environment is the most conducive environment to developing disciples and an accurate understanding of truth, goodness, and beauty (Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 15:33; Ps 1:1-2; Phil 4:8).

  3. We believe that God's character is revealed not only in His Word but also in every facet of the creation. Therefore, we teach that all knowledge is interrelated (integrated) and can instruct us about God himself.

  4. God wants us to love Him with our minds, as well as with our hearts, souls, and strength (Matt 22:37). Therefore, we seek to individually challenge children at all levels and teach them how to learn, by using the centuries-old, proven classical method, incorporating instruction in Latin.

  5. We want to help parents teach their children that all they do should be done "heartily, as unto the Lord” (Col 3:23). Therefore, we seek to encourage quality academic work and maintain high standards of conduct. This necessarily includes biblical discipline principles.

Classical Education

NCCA emphasizes Classical Christian education (CCE) using a time-tested educational system which establishes a biblical worldview (or paideia, cf Eph 6:4) in the liberal arts tradition. This classical model is designed to free (or liberate) students to learn how to think, rather than merely what to think, in the stage of development most suited for that student’s particular age.

In the 1940s the British author, Dorothy Sayers, wrote an essay entitled “The Lost Tools of Learning.” In it she calls for a return to the application of the seven liberal arts of ancient education, the first three being the “Trivium” – grammar, logic, rhetoric. For thousands of years of Western education, these disciplines have been considered essential for:

  1. Training students in reasoning and persuasion through the Trivium.

  2. Engaging children in “the great conversation” through the historical Great Books.

  3. Preparing each recipient to flourish as a human and contribute well to society.

  4. Cultivating individual virtues and collective cultures

  5. Developing understanding of the transcendentals of truth, goodness, and beauty

Classical education is a time-tested method for these objectives, preparing students for lifelong learning and the pursuit of future endeavors with excellence. NCCA is committed to graduating disciples of this caliber who are equipped with the freedom and virtue to slay dragons.