FAQ

Microschools are innovative, personalized multifamily learning environments. These can be organized as shared learning opportunities for homeschooled children, as licensed private schools, as unaccredited nonpublic schools or even with public charter or traditional public school space, as long as pertinent state and local rules are followed.

There is no typical model and that's a good thing! Each microschool we work with is unique and varied, meaning that there truly is an opportunity for every child to find a place where they can thrive and be successful.

It depends on the regulatory frameworks in the state the microschool is located in. The majority of microschools operate as either a learning center serving homeschooling children or a nonpublic school. There are microschools inside the public schooling sector and this is a growing interest.

Depending on how the microschool chooses to operate, the schedule can be very flexible. If the microschool is following private or public school regulations, the microschool must follow any mandated seat time requirements. Many microschools offer hybrid or part-time schedules.

Microschools are often the primary source of education for the learners. This is done in partnership with the familiy. In a hybrid setting the learner may have other learning programs and classes in addition to the mciroschool.

This will depend on the governance model that you choose as a microschool founder, however often times the answer is no, microschool educators do not need to be licensed teachers. Many microschool educators are currenrly or formerly licensed teachers, but a growing number of microschool educators come from different backgrounds. It's exciting to be in a microschool where an industry expert is teaching on the subject they're most knowledgeable about. Think about a chemist teaching your science class, an engineer teaching math, a journalist teaching literacy, and on and on.

Again, this answer will depend on your governance model and the state that you are located in. Teaching state academic content standards is not always required and many families reject that their state's academic content standards will adequately prepare their children for the future. A growing number of microschools are focusing on nontraditional skills, such as collaboration, critical thinking, information literacy, etc along side with traditional academic content. The choices are endless in how you design your teaching and learning.

Unfortunately, this is not a simple answer. First, you need to determine if you live in state that offers a school choice program (i.e., Educational Savings Accounts, Vouchers, Tax Credits, Opportunity Scholarships, etc). Next, you need to determine if what requirements you must meet for eligibility and decide if those requirements align with your microschool (i.e., will you need to take standardized tests? Will you need to be accredited?). You must also work with parents to determine if your learners are eligible for these school choice programs. Accessing government funding for outside-the-system education can be difficult, the Center team is here to help you every step of the way.

Yes! One of the beautiful things about microschooling is building a program to fit the eneds of your commnuity. Some microschools are Montessori, some of nature-based, others focus on self-directed learning, some choose experiential learning, the list goes on and on.

There really isn't a magic number when it comes to microschooling! Determine your budget and how many learners you will need in order to be sustainable. Plan to start small in the beginning. Many microschools start very small and grow organically after opening.

Reach out to the Center and we can talk with you about what your priorities are and help you find a good match! You can also talk to other local parents, usually once you start talking microschooling you'l soon find others in the community just as excited about microschools as you are!

We at the Center think that it's really important for families to evaluate what they know about accreditation. Some microschools are accredited, but many are not. The accreditation process is simply not meant for flexible microschool, it is meant for large systems. Many microschools choose to purposefully not become accredited because it takes away from the hearty of the program (i.e., limits switching curriculum for children who are not responding well to current curriculum, high costs associated with accreditation that are not feasible for microschools committed to keeping their tuition low for families, etc.).

You know your child and you know what is best for your child. When trying a microschool, we recommend touring the microschool, meeting with the founder and lead educators and asking for a trial day. 

As microschooling parents ourselves, we feel this. No one wants to unintentionally set their child up for failure and shifting to such a different style of teaching and learning can feel intimidating to a parent. Keep in mind that so many microschools are focused on the rapidly changing world. We don't know what the future will look like for kids that are in school today, but we do know that kids need to know how to ask, and answer, their own questions.  Many microschools bring in experiential learning, real-life experience and work-place skills into their program. Keep in mind, many higher education institutions are becoming more interested in attracting students from nontraditional backgrounds.

This is a movement of builders and we are here to help you build a solution for your child. Reach out to our team and we can connect you with other families in your area that are also interested in microschooling. Together, you, the Center and the families can move towards creating a microschool for your community.

School choice programs vary widely in their specifics. Education Savings Accounts are generally a great match to support families in microschools. Details of these programs do matter a great deal, and it is important to be mindful that microschools’ vast potential is often realized by their ability to draw educational content from a wide range of different sources, and not be restricted to using only learning content from one accredited program. Microschools should be free to innovate in ways traditional school systems cannot. 

Depending on the state you are in, many microschools operate under homeschool or private school laws. Families and microschools are diligent about ensuring they are following these laws. The Center is happy to talk with you about your state and what we see there.

These incredible microschool leaders in your community are the leaders you want. They are actively solving problems for the community without waiting for government to catch up. In some states, burdensome overregulation of private schools compromises their ability to adapt to meet the needs of their families – seat time requirements, rules stipulating minimum square footage per child, and rules restricting curricular or staffing choices are all examples. Microschools not forced to jam their programs into tight compliance requirements like these can truly innovate to personalize their program to live up to their potential as the best match for the specific needs of each child they serve – because no two children are ever exactly the same.

No. The Center does not publish lists or directories of microschools. This is intentionally done to keep microschools out of harms way. If you would like to learn more about microschools near you, connect with them and even tour a few, please reach out to us today. We are happy to tlak with you and connect you to microschools.

Removing barriers is a crucial step. In order to understand what these barriers are, the Center asks you to listen. Listen to the microschools near you (we can connect you to them), listen to the families who have children thriving in these schools. Understand the benefit a microschool offers the entire community. Then join us in protecting these incredible spaces and leaders. We are happy to talk with you about removing barriers. Reach out to discuss your state.