5 Questions with Bloom Academy

Bloom Academy was founded by Sarah Tavernetti and Yamila De Leon after their complimentary experiences with the public school system led them to understand the dire need for educational reform in Las Vegas, NV. As a Spanish-speaking child, Yamila struggled to feel supported, valued, and safe within her public school classroom. The rigid structure and expectations placed upon her as she tried to improve her English and learn in ways that felt unnatural to her caused her to disconnect from school and seek knowledge through her own life experiences. As an adult, she learned about the Montessori Method and taught at Montessori schools in both Las Vegas and Vietnam. Alternatively, Sarah was a student in Las Vegas private schools and then became an educator at Title 1 schools within the public school system. Over the course of six years, she became increasingly concerned for the wellbeing of her students as she witnessed their innate curiosities, interests and strengths as well as their social-emotional needs being neglected all in the name of data and test scores. Due to these cumulative experiences, Sarah and Yamila decided that something new was needed if we wanted to ensure a positive future for the children in Las Vegas and Bloom Academy is the result.

Bloom Academy is the first and only self-directed learning center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Bloom Academy serves as an educational alternative to children ages 5-13 whose social-emotional, physical, or academic needs may not otherwise be met in conventional school. We operate under the philosophy that children are natural learners and will learn the skills and knowledge they need through their own interests and natural inclinations- whenever they feel it is relevant or important to their lives. Through self-directed learning, we aim to ensure that all children are given an opportunity to succeed- regardless of their race, economic status, or academic level.

At Bloom Academy, there is no mandatory or predetermined curriculum taught. Instead, our kiddos choose what they learn and how to spend their time. We believe that children can learn core academic skills if they are given the time, space, and support they need to explore their individual interests and strengths. Because we’re not bound by the restrictions of a curriculum, grade-level expectations, or state standardized testing, we have the ability to focus on ensuring our children are developing the characteristics and skills necessary to live a happy, healthy, self-sufficient life. We focus greatly on self-confidence and self-respect, empathy, integrity, self-control and adaptability, curiosity and creativity, perseverance, and optimism. We learn through inquiry, free play, real life experiences, free age mixing, individual goal-setting, workshops, monthly themes, and outings within our community.

Bloom Academy is located in the heart of Las Vegas, NV. Bloom currently serves children ages 5-13 and is open Tuesday-Friday, 9:00AM-3:00PM. Sarah and Yamila are always eager to connect with potential families, other microschooling leaders, or any interested community members so please feel free to contact them at info@bloomacademylv.com.

What is one unique (or uncommon) feature of your microschool experience your learners and families tell you they especially value? 

A unique feature of Bloom that we’re proud of and that our families have expressed their value in would be how we let our kiddos “bloom” at their own pace. Rather than holding them to expectations that are led by a predetermined curriculum and/or standardized assessments like you see in conventional school, we trust that our kiddos will learn what they need to when they’re ready. Removing this “one size fits all” expectation allows us to prioritize skills over facts.

Critical thinking, problem solving, communication, time management, informed decision-making, and emotional regulation are amongst the skills our kiddos are able to develop all while exploring their own interests and strengths. In addition, we aim to help our kiddos develop traits like confidence, empathy, integrity, and curiosity so that they feel confident in their abilities to tackle this wild world of ours as they grow up. Emphasizing these traits allows us to connect with our learners and their families in a more meaningful and human way.

What is one favorite aspect of your work that would have been especially difficult to deliver in traditional school settings? 

There are so many but the one that really stands out is the attention and care we’re able to dedicate to our kiddos social-emotional wellbeing. In conventional school settings, there is this underlying pressure to meet the grade-level expectations or master the content being taught or perform well on the assessments given so the data reflects the growth that is expected and all of this really takes away from what kids actually need which is a safe place to make mistakes, develop their own strengths, and learn how to coexist in a diverse world. Someone being able to do algebra proficiently is wonderful but means nothing if they don’t know how to manage their time or navigate stressful situations. Someone may be able to write a beautiful 5-paragraph essay but if they don’t have self-confidence or the ability to regulate their emotions then what kind of life will they really have after school?

At Bloom, we understand the importance of academic achievement but we also understand that a strong foundation of social-emotional skills and characteristics helps set them up for a successful future where they are eager and able to learn throughout their life. Because we are not bound by the pressures of curriculum or assessments, we are able to take as much time as is needed to help our children resolve conflict, develop the understanding and respect of various perspectives, and learn how to communicate clearly. 

Please share a story about what success looks like in your microschool! 

One of our young bloomers came to us new to Las Vegas after his mom fled their home state due to an unsafe home environment. They moved to Las Vegas with nothing other than an apartment with the first month’s rent covered due to help from a family friend. As his mom worked tirelessly battling the court system to be able to stay in Las Vegas, Bloom became a safe space for this sweet kiddo. Almost every day, he came to Bloom with a smile and big hugs to share and did his part to make sure every child felt seen and included. He was such an eager learner and participated in any workshops and outings he possibly could. There was one day that his mom’s car broke down and she was struggling to find a way to get him to Bloom and as much as we tried to alleviate her stress and encourage her to take the day to focus on fixing the car, she said that there was no way her son would accept missing a day at Bloom.

Bloom became a place for her son to separate from the stresses his family was experiencing and relax into the joys of being a kid. There were, naturally, days where he would come to Bloom feeling heavy, sad, and crying due to the circumstances of his homelife but rather than forcing him to set those important emotions aside and “get to work”, Bloom became a space that validated what he was experiencing by gently and empathetically supporting him as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Had he been in conventional school, chances are, as we can say from experiences, he would have been left to sit with these traumatic experiences and difficult emotions on his own all while trying his best to keep up academically in a relentless and unforgiving learning environment. We all know how hard it is to focus on a task at hand, especially one that doesn’t feel relevant or important to us, when we are going through something that is out of our control.

While at Bloom, however, he was able to tune into his incredibly creative brain to help him process what he was experiencing- creating art that demonstrated different emotions and writing songs that inspired hope. Unfortunately, this family was unable to stay in Las Vegas, but we know that their time at Bloom was impactful nonetheless. We consider him to be a success story because he was able to experience so many moments of joy, friendship, love, and empowerment at our space all while navigating trauma and we hope that he is able to use his experiences at Bloom to continue to find those moments wherever he is.

What is one piece of advice you give new microschool founders?

We’d say it is really important to find the balance between having a strong philosophical foundation within your microschool while also remaining flexible and open to what changes may occur as you continue to operate. It’s a fun balancing act trying to make sure that what you implement within your microschool is not only in alignment with your philosophy and your “why” but is also actually benefiting your kiddos. On the flipside, receiving and always being open to feedback from your families, especially the kiddos, and the community is crucial, yet you also want to be able to filter what ideas support your overall mission and values of your microschool.

Please describe one facet of your microschool’s experience that you’d like people to think of when your microschool comes up in conversation.

When people think of Bloom, we hope that they are reminded of how fun and natural learning is for humans- especially kids! We are naturally curious beings who want to understand and contribute to the world around us so learning only becomes tedious and traumatic when we break it down into grades and expectations. If adults are able to sit back, observe, and support the child as they play, explore, and engage in their own inquiry then you’d be surprised at how quickly children are able to acquire and attain knowledge. As we continue to follow each child on their learning journey, we hope people witness the beauty of happy children “blooming” into their most authentic and best selves.