Optional Program

The Eagle River Open Optional Program first opened its doors in 1984, after a dedicated group of parents were inspired to expand the Chugach Open Optional philosophy to families in Eagle River. Since the beginning of our program, we have been part of Eagle River Elementary. The relationship between Neighborhood and Open Optional programs serves as an anchor for our mutual dedication to community development. Our program has overcome great obstacles, including the COVID pandemic and our temporary relocation to Fire Lake Elementary after the 2018 earthquake. In 2021, the Eagle River Elementary school building reopened and we returned to our home school with renewed passion and a drive to rebuild our program for today’s families.
 

Goals of Eagle River Open Optional

• ​To provide a program with high standards of academic competence, and hands-on educational experiences
• To encourage children to think independently, act responsibly, become self-motivated, and to think of learning as a life-long process.
• To create a learning environment that fosters positive self-image.
• To encourage children to show concern for others and to value the opinions of others in solving problems, thus promoting the understanding of democratic processes.
• To encourage learning experiences which will cultivate critical and analytical skills.
• To provide a school experience in which children may learn at their own rate and stage of development and in learning styles best suited to them.
• To enable children to make increasingly more responsible learning and time management decisions.
• To encourage children to know, utilize and care for their community.
• To promote a team process in which family, staff and students work together so that school becomes an integral part of living.
• To nourish natural curiosity and love of learning in each child.

Find out more information, visit the Open Optional website at http://eagleriveroptional.org/index.html. You can also contact the Open Optional board members at contact@eagleriveroptional.org