Why are you considering alternative options for your child's education?

Why are you considering alternative options for your child's education?

Perhaps they've developed anxiety, or they're bored and unengaged. Maybe they don't have enough space to explore creatively, or you fundamentally disagree with the one-size-fits-all box some schools attempt to fit all children into. Whatever brought you here, I’m willing to bet that once you started your search, you discovered a whole community of families asking the same questions. People creating new schools. Parents seeking something better. Educators stepping outside the system to reimagine what learning can look like.

This microschool and alternative education movement isn’t new. It stands on decades of research, wisdom, and lived experience from philosophers, teachers, and brave parents who dared to believe that children deserve more.

Just as innovation drives progress in every other industry, education is evolving, too, because our children deserve more than just worksheets and grades.

As I prepare for a new school year, I’ve been reflecting on what truly makes school work for children. And the more I read, observe, and learn, the clearer it becomes:

Care comes first.

Connection makes it real.

Curriculum only works when it’s rooted in both.

Care Isn’t a Bonus. It’s the Foundation.

In traditional schools, lesson plans often come before learning kids’ names. Not here.

At Lucas Literacy Lab, we begin with care. We ensure that we know our students well and work closely with parents to develop intentional, individualized lesson plans tailored to their needs.

Educator and ethicist Nel Noddings said it best:

“Caring relations, not simply caring individuals, are at the heart of education.”

Her work has inspired the way we craft each day. We are not just offering childcare or a drop-off spot. We are inviting you into a values-based, human-centered learning community. We believe care isn't a warm-up; it's the work.

Teaching That Starts With Knowing Your Child

This year, I’ve created intentional lesson plans not just for literacy and math, but for relationship-building. Tools that help us get to know each child’s rhythms, needs, strengths, and sensitivities.

I have taught in schools that required teachers to memorize scripts before learning our students' names. But good teaching doesn’t come from a script. It comes from knowing the human in front of you. Our job as educators is to be guides, not managers. Companions on the journey, not just instructors.

Love Belongs in the Classroom

When I read Bell Hooks’ All About Love and Teaching to Transgress, they affirmed my belief that school is a place for healing and freedom.

“To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students is essential,” she wrote, “if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin.”

At Lucas Literacy Lab, we believe love looks like patience, safety, clear boundaries, and joyful curiosity. Your child will feel seen, safe, and supported, because that’s where deep learning begins.

Creativity Isn’t a Subject—It’s a Way of Life

In Creativity, Inc., Ed Catmull (of Pixar) wrote:

“Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you share them with others. Show early and show often.”

That’s the kind of space we create for our kids. A place where they can take creative risks, work through mistakes, and develop real confidence, not from praise, but from practice.

Our children here are given freedom to explore, and teachers are given freedom to design experiences that flow with the kids, not against them.

Growing Their Circle of Care

One of the most powerful questions I’ve been asking myself, thanks to Peter Singer’s The Expanding Circle, is: How do we raise children to care deeply, not just achieve highly?

At our microschool, this shows up in the way we:

• Practice empathy through read-alouds and reflective journaling

• Invite mixed-age buddy reading and peer mentoring

• Talk about community, kindness, and belonging like they matter, because they do

What It Means for Your Child

All of this reading, reflecting, and planning isn’t just philosophical; it’s practical. It means that at Lucas Literacy Lab:

Your child will be known by name, temperament, and spirit.

They’ll be challenged academically and nurtured emotionally.

They'll grow in confidence, not just content knowledge.

They’ll be part of a learning community built on trust, curiosity, and care.

We will continue to grow, evolve, and innovate, and we want to do it hand in hand with you. because the body of wisdom informing this movement is continuously growing, and so are our children.

Want to Learn More?

If you’ve been searching for a school that feels more like family, where creativity is alive and care comes first, we’d love to welcome your child into our microschool community.

You can learn more or schedule a visit here. Or email me at amanda@lucasliteracyab.com.

Let’s build something beautiful, together.