At Alternas, Parent Choice Comes First
Alternas was born out of the belief that all children learn differently. Education comes in many forms, and traditional schooling may not always meet every child’s needs. The name Alternas is inspired by the latin word for "alternative."
Our mission is to empower parents with the knowledge, resources, and navigation tools to make informed decisions.
We educate parents on available funding options they can use towards their child's education and connect them with education options based on their child’s needs.
Who We Serve
We serve the 63 million parents in the US with K-12 school-aged children.
When children are struggling in traditional school settings, parents report feeling “stuck,” isolated, and unheard. Now more than ever, parents need information about choices and available funding in order to make better decisions about their children's education.
It can be difficult and overwhelming for families thinking about leaving traditional schools. Many parents don’t know where to begin.
What options even exist? How does one pay for these options? Will my child go to college if I choose a non-traditional option like microschooling? Will my child have friends if I choose homeschooling? What if my child has special learning needs?
If you’re a parent and have wondered about any of these questions, then you’ve come to the right place.
About Us
JoAnn Kilpatrick
Co-Founder
Nicole Hoyt
Co-Founder
Alternas Co-Founder JoAnn Kilpatrick was inspired to launch Alternas to support parents no matter where they are in their child’s educational journey. As a mom of an 11-year-old boy, she watched her son change from experiencing joy in learning at a young age to slowly “getting by” at school and becoming bored, anxious and disconnected.
During her 20+ years in traditional K-12 public schools as a teacher and high school principal, JoAnn worked with thousands of students and their families. Some students felt successful in school, and many others did not. While she loved helping students grow and develop as learners and as people, JoAnn sometimes felt powerless when they struggled in the existing school structure. JoAnn realized just how important education choice is for parents and made it her mission to build a community of hope, innovation and education choice.
Co-founder Nicole Hoyt joined JoAnn to launch Alternas because she benefitted from nontraditional education options her entire life, and experienced how powerful alternative learning models were on a deeply personal level. She attended a Montessori school as a young child, an all-girls high school, and later earned an MBA in an innovative, online format.
These education experiences shaped Nicole’s perspective in countless ways and have inspired her to build her career at the intersection of education and technology. When Nicole realized that she and JoAnn shared the same passion - helping students learn when, where, and how they learn best - she knew they were the right pair to create Alternas.
Parents Choose. Start Here.