Digital Country Day Online Program

Most families have a sense of whether their child is ready for enrichment, a passion project, or more focused support. Course listings include grade ranges and descriptions to help you choose. If you are unsure about placement, reach out before enrolling and we will help you find the right fit. If you want a fuller picture before deciding, we also offer a Skills Consultation: a first conversation about where your child is. Thirty minutes one-to-one with them, a written summary of what the teacher finds, and twenty minutes with you. It is an experienced teacher’s read of where your child stands in reading or math rather than a formal evaluation. It is $250, and the whole fee is credited against tuition if you enroll in a course that term. Families who already know they want to enroll do not need it: in Focused Support the teacher establishes where your child is starting in the first sessions, at no extra cost.

Yes. Digital Country Day is an online program developed by Dedham Country Day School and taught by DCD-trained teachers. Enrollment is open to any family and is not connected to admission at Dedham Country Day School.

Yes. Digital Country Day is open to all families, including those already at DCD. If your child wants to go deeper in a subject, explore a passion project, or get additional support, this program offers that outside of the school day.

No. Digital Country Day is a supplement to your child’s current education. Students continue at their own school and join sessions in the evenings or on weekends for enrichment, focused support, or student-driven inquiry. It is designed to extend what school offers, not replace it.

No. Digital Country Day is a supplemental program with its own curriculum. Enrichment courses follow an inquiry-based sequence that goes beyond the school day. Passion Projects guide students through independent research, writing, and presentation on a self-chosen topic. Focused Support provides structured instruction targeting specific skill gaps, not driven by school assignments. Students come here to grow as learners, not simply to finish homework.

Yes. Courses run sequentially and continuity matters, so we ask families to commit for the full term at enrollment. You can withdraw for a full refund at any time before the first session. After the term begins tuition is non-refundable, with one exception: if a section does not reach its minimum enrollment. That is set out in the registration agreement.

The teacher will send a short note on what the group covered and the work to do before the next session, so nobody falls behind. Sessions are recorded, but for the program’s own quality review rather than to be shared between families: recordings are seen only by the teacher and the Director of Online Learning.

Each live session runs 50 minutes on Zoom.

Reach out and let us know. For 1:1 sessions, we have more flexibility and can often find a time that works. For group courses, scheduling is set by the cohort, so options are more limited, but it is always worth asking.

In Focused Support, the first session is where the teacher establishes where your child is starting. The first piece of work they do makes that concrete, and the picture gets more precise as the teacher sees more of their work rather than being fixed on day one. For Enrichment, the teacher begins the course curriculum in the first session while getting to know the group, listening for how each student thinks and reasons so the sequence can be paced to them. For Passion Projects, the first session is where students begin shaping the question they will spend the term pursuing.

We do not offer trial sessions, but we are happy to schedule a call so you can ask questions and get a sense of whether the program is the right fit before enrolling.

A computer or tablet with camera and microphone, reliable internet, and a quiet place to work. Sessions run on Zoom; students join with a link and need no account. Between-session work goes through Google Classroom, which is free but needs a Google account. Google accounts have a minimum age of 13, so for younger students a parent’s account is the right choice and the one we recommend. We will help you set that up if you need it. With younger children it also helps to have an adult nearby for the first session or two.

Digital Country Day follows DCD’s approach to technology: it is used when it deepens learning and set aside when it does not. Beyond Zoom and Google Classroom, teachers may use software tools, including AI-assisted ones, to organize progress data and track patterns across a term. That work sits behind the scenes. Your child’s work is read by their teacher, and every assessment, comment, and report is the teacher’s own judgment. Any tool the program uses is required by its terms not to train on student work, and that is checked before it is adopted.