Microschools are popping up where we live, and we’re seeing them a-buzz on the Internet, but I don’t think that they’ve made it to the dictionary yet.

When I began ours in Wake Forest, NC, in 2019, I’m sure I didn’t know that I was launching a microschool; I was just trying to solve a couple of problems that had become overwhelming for my family and me.

• Problem #1: I had been teaching in celebrated public and charter schools for 16 years. I was successful in the classroom and had three postgraduate degrees – in bilingual special education, equity, and Montessori teaching; but, what I had learned along the way about child development, diversity, inclusion, and best practices for childhood learning was in conflict with the policies that we were applying as standard procedure in the districts and schools that I worked in.
• Problem #2: My children, then in second and third grades, were wildly successful by every measure at school; but also, melting down on car rides to and from school, struggling to keep peace in our home, and reported that they were “just doing all my work really fast” and that “everything is so easy” in school.  They would only “do work” if it was assigned and had begun to lose their motivation for play, creativity, and their own learning.

Our commitment to institutions was draining the energy we needed to develop the communities of learning I imagined as a teacher, and to commit our family to our own values and relationships.

The Underlying Challenge

After 16 years teaching in traditional public and charter schools and nine years as a full-time working mom,  I finally came to an extremely logical but not-so-easy- to-accept conclusion:  the primary source of our problems was the same – large, institutionalized models for leadership and learning didn’t align with my own experience or the goals for our family. We needed to bring it all home and share a more focused path with families who were having similar experiences and reaching similar conclusions.

The Solution – Microschools

The definition of “microschool’ varies  (and, I did look it up, it’s not even in the dictionary yet); so, we’ll stick with this one for now: “A microschool is an intentionally small learning community, with meetings for fewer than 25 children, focused on sharing common values and approaches to learning.”

Microschools are intentionally small learning communities, focused on sharing common values and approaches to learning.  They are made to serve children and families.  Microschools are a good fit for families seeking connection in community, school leadership that knows them and their kids, flexible scheduling, and personalized learning and support.  They can also be a great fit for children who are just more comfortable in smaller groups, are bored or unhappy in conventional school, have a unique learning profile, or prefer to make more choices about how they spend their time and learn.

Micro-schools are, well, micro, and that comes with trade-offs that sound ideal for some and not-so-great for others. In many communities like ours, families are highly involved, often homeschooling themselves and attending and helping with events and trips. With a handful of families, the social pool is small; this can make connections easier but also make it difficult to promote diversity in every way we might wish to.  It should also be noted that leadership in microschools is very likely to hold tight to their mission.  If you or your family’s values or needs are in conflict with the model or policies that are in place, it’s probably going to be more effective to pursue enrollment in another program that is closer to what you’re looking for.

Microschools provide smaller learning communities, where every child is known and seen.  In our case, this also happens across grades and groups,  with multi-age, Montessori learning, and family events and field trips key offerings for connection. Our families celebrate flexibility of schedule and pricing, deep individual attention and understanding, a break from institutional practices in favor of strong community, responsive decision-making, and ample opportunities for clear communication.

Microschools are funded primarily through tuition; these fees are used to collectively compensate leaders and educators to deliver programming and to pay for meeting spaces and materials aligned with the learning community’s goals.  For us, and programs like ours, collective tuition fees allow us to provide consistent scheduling and high-quality programs with certified content, Montessori, and special educators; access to our Montessori and curated materials library, project-based learning supplies and tools, a meeting space that is designed for self-directed learning; family field trips and events, community service days, and parent support.

The list above isn’t short.  Carefully consider what is offered and what you need when determining your investment.  Microschool tuition for full-time programs, like any private school, can range from $5,000-$25,000/year. Part-time programs should have tuition that is proportional to the number of days attended and to the quality of the staff and setting provided. While the range of tuition can be wide, so too can the qualifications and experience of leaders and teachers.  Private and microschools do not participate in accreditation or have the same staffing requirements as public schools; it is important to learn more about staff qualifications, the school’s policies and charter, and any associations when exploring programs.

Benefits of Microschools

Turns out,  intentionally small learning communities, focused on sharing common values and approaches to learning, can solve a lot of troubles with schools and learning for families – and along the way improve attitudes and confidence, relationships and self-identity, time and balance.  I’m not the only one who started and stayed small when building a thoughtful approach to learning for their children and communities.

Microschools and other hybrid approaches to learning are growing rapidly.  While doing “school-at-home” during the pandemic, many families found new approaches to learning with and for their children – and enjoyed the flexibility and freedom of learning that they noticed was available to them in their homes.  Many educators simultaneously took a step outside their “school bubbles” and began to view their experiences in their schools and classrooms in a new way. Many shared in a collective re-examining of the purpose and effectiveness of large-scale educational institutions – and many shared a common conclusion: it’s no longer (and maybe never was) a good fit for our children and a good use of the resources that we have available to us.

Alongside this, access to quality learning resources at home also increased, making way for academics outside of large institutions and into more personalized spaces, allowing for effective independent and personal study at home, but not also providing the human connection and foundations of academics that consistent in-person meetings with classmates and highly-qualified and experienced educators. Pre-schools have been using this model for a very long time, balancing and celebrating learning of the alphabet, counting, and other skills both at home and at school. Now, with access to a multitude of public resources in our libraries, communities, and, yes, online,  the same balanced learning can occur across an entire lifetime.

Many co-ops have commonly remained small, but most often, parents are required to stay and provide instruction.  Private and charter schools, while sometimes unconventional, are also commonly highly traditional and employ large-scale, institutional practices.  These institutions tend to be led by decision-making boards that are not directly concerned with the experiences of teachers and students and instead emphasize income and test scores, as well as conformity and compliance.

Our Microschool

Unique to microschools like ours is a sense of home and celebration of the gifts of childhood in our settings. Microschools find all sorts of places to meet – houses, offices, church basements, community buildings – and make them places to welcome children and families to learn together.

At Dandelion,  you won’t find an intercom or a buzzer to get you in the door; but you will find safety and comfort.

You’ll find direct contact with your kid’s teachers every day, and decisions that can be made quickly with the experiences of our families, teachers, and children in mind.

You won’t find behavior or reward charts either.

But you will find happy, responsible, confident students who know and share common expectations, support, and a sense of community.

You’ll also find that all of our groups are multi-age for students 5-12 years old and notice that our students begin every session with time for connection and free play outdoors, plan from our k-8 academic menus, share a teacher- supported work-cycle with all academic content, close with written reflection and review, and share responsibility for clean up and care for our Schoolhouse and outdoor areas.

We’re delighted that other organizations are also creating new and unique microschools around the world – and excited to continue to learn with them as other microschools, too, often lean into networks of sharing and mutual support.

Microschools are small enough that we don’t need to compete with each other. This creates connection and community – and opportunities for growth at a global level.  We also notice that other microschool leaders across the country, and around the world, are passionate and deeply invested in creating learning environments that honor what we know about child development, family relationships, personal growth, and meaningful education – and, like all teachers, aren’t in it to get rich, in the bank account way, that is.

If you have the opportunity to join a microschool, or are trying to find one now,  I hope you find a place that began with an educator or parent who saw a need for something in their community, and, not finding it, came to either a wildly ambitious or just plain necessary conclusion that it had to be built, and they knew for sure why.  Their stories often begin with some version of mine: “Something was really wrong with what we were doing/with what I was seeing.  I knew we could do better. I knew we were on the wrong path.  I knew what to do about it, and I knew that it couldn’t be done in an institutional setting.” \

Microschools in NC

In many states, including North Carolina, children with identified learning differences or special education needs may qualify for ESA+ Scholarship funding.  Qualified individuals and organizations, including Dandelion, are eligible to accept ESA+ funds because they are staffed by certified special educators who are certified to provide professional instruction and support that meet the unique needs of children with disabilities.  This may be a feature to keep in mind when considering your purpose for enrolling in a microschool.

Like “Montessori,” just about anyone can say they’re a “microschool,” and there’s no official overseeing body to say otherwise. A school can be small but still have policies, programs, and practices that mirror those of institutions and, in our opinion, therefore aren’t microschools; they’re smaller conventional schools or grade-level learning pods.

Just as we are committed to applying our understanding of Dr. Maria Montessori’s teaching with fidelity, we are also committed to ensuring that common values and approaches are embedded in our policy and practice. For Dandelion, this means that Montessori, project-based, self-directed, and multi-age learning are always practiced.  That’s why you’ll see that our work is child and family-centered and applies self-determination theory.  We do this by providing multi-age and multi-grade access, choice, and opportunities for all, high-quality programs and educators, personalized learning, and part-time enrollment for homeschoolers.

Looking for a microschool near you?  Because they’re small, they can be hard to find – even on the Internet. Dandelion Learning Collaborative continues to accept enrollment in downtown Wake Forest, North Carolina. You may also check out the National Microschooling Center directory, VELA Education Fund map, or try search terms like “microschool near me,” and tap local word of mouth in Facebook homeschool or parent groups.

Microschools are personalized and in-person; so, the best way to learn more is to walk one yourself and with your kids!  If you’re near us, reach out to ask about a visit,  or sign up for an upcoming Open Schoolhouse here. We love to share what we do and can’t wait to meet you!