Every Child Deserves an Education Uniquely Suited to Them♥️: 4 Bold Alternatives to School

Every child deserves an education uniquely suited to them.

Before I started my journey into alternative education, I had no idea how many choices and options there were out there for parents. It’s now my calling to ensure that every parent knows that if school isn’t serving your child, there is another path!

4 School Alternatives Every Parents Should Know About

1. MICROSCHOOLS: The microschool movement is moving fast and driving innovation in truly astonishing ways! Excellent microschool programs👇

   1. Kai Pods offer flexible drop-off times at most locations. You can send your kids full-time or you can do a hybrid model where they go a few mornings a week and you homeschool the other hours.

   2. Prenda has a similar microschool model with school 20-24 hours/week. You drop your kids 4 mornings a week. They currently don’t have a full-time option but they accomplish everything that public school does in a shorter time frame leaving time for you to explore the world with your kids. (Disclosure: We used Prenda when we first started homeschooling & my husband worked with them for 2 years. I receive no financial benefits from discussing them here)

   3. If neither of these are available near you, you should check out Kerry McDonald’s podcast LiberatED which interviews microschool founders from all over the world.

2. ONLINE LEARNING: There are amazing online programs that go from full-time to part-time. You can pick from accredited programs that are like “school at home” or you can pick more alternative education models. In my opinion, I think online works better for older kids but you should decide what’s best for your family. Options include👇

   1. Socratic Experience: They promote a classical education but with self-driven mission. It’s a lovely middle ground that takes advantage of the excellence of old and new teaching pedagogy.

      Michael Strong
      also writes here on Substack.

   2. Memoria Press: Memoria Press offers a traditional classical education online for students. You can also pick only some of their classes. They are known for their language arts program. I use their offline literature & writing programs for my children.

   3. Khan Academy: Khan has nearly everything now including great supplemental classes for your kids who are at conventional schools like photography, animation, advanced computer programming.

   4. Acellus or Power Homeschool is a full-time accreddited K-12 program. it’s straight-forward and similar to school but offers the online flexibility. I know people who are using it while they travel so their kids still get what their peers are getting at school but they still get to be anywhere in the world.

   5. Synthesis. This online "game" type school is famous because Elon Musk was involved in it's inception. They are leveraging AI and games to keeps kids engaged and in love with learning.

   6. ASU Prep Academy: A fully online, accredited program. It’s associated with Arizona State University so it a college prepatory program if that’s important for your family.

3. PART-TIME PUBLIC/PRIVATE SCHOOL: I had no idea that a lot of public and private schools often allow parents to send their kids part time! You can pick and choose classes that work for your family. In my state, the public schools are required to let you attend - there is paperwork but you can send your kids for whichever classes you want (art, music, PE, or academic if you prefer). Private schools also often this option - there are fees but if you are in an ESA state within the US (there are several now!) you can use those funds to pay for them.

4. LEARNING HUBS: There are more and more of these every day. They range from small to HUGE! Generally they offer enrichment classes but they can be really awesome and creative! These are typically 1-2 days a week and you can spend the rest of the time working with your children. Moonrise , Branches (links vary by state), and Classical Conversations are all nice options depending on your family.

There are as many ways to educate children as there are children. If your kid is struggling, don’t put up with it. Break free & find something that fits them perfectly.

Know a family or a kid struggling? Share this post and offer them a brighter path♥️

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