Parents want education choices for their children.

Co-founder JoAnn Kilpatrick shares her thoughts as a parent in search of better alternative education options and why she started Alternas.

Now, more than ever, parents want education choices for their children. I am also on this journey as the mom of a 10-year-old boy. I’ve watched my son change from experiencing joy in learning at a young age to “getting by” at school every day feeling bored, anxious, and disconnected.

It took me a while to understand just how important education choice is for families. During 20+ years in traditional K-12 public schools as a teacher and high school principal, I worked with thousands of students and their families. Some students felt successful in school, and many others did not.

While I loved helping students grow and develop as learners and as people, I sometimes felt powerless when some students struggled in the existing school structure.

In 2017, I made a change to work in higher education technology and build online learning programs and partnerships. At the same time, the potential increased for high-quality online education to engage kids in K-12 and make learning more personalized. I wondered if my son could love learning again in the right environment.

Now I help parents choose among alternative schooling options as co-founder of Alternas. It’s an exciting time for students and families who want education choices.

It can also be overwhelming. When children are struggling in school, parents report feeling “stuck,” isolated, and unheard. There’s also new terminology when learning about education options (What is a “microschool,” anyway?? Is it the same as a “learning pod”?). It can be difficult for parents to think about leaving public schools when public schools are all they know.

Parents also wonder, What options even exist? How do we pay for these options? Will my child go to college if I choose an alternative to traditional schools? Will my child have friends if I choose an option like homeschooling? What if my child has special needs? Can public schools improve and innovate to better serve students? I don’t have the time or resources to homeschool my child, so how can I make this work?

I’ll share what I am learning through my own journey and provide resources to help with those questions and more.

Building a community of hope, innovation, and possibility.

Our community believes in the freedom of education choice, providing parents and students with a variety of options, and improving education for all. We ask the question: If all children deserve to learn when, where, and how they learn best, then why shouldn’t all parents have options?

I was inspired to launch Alternas’s newsletter, Parents Choose, to connect with parents no matter where they are in this process. School choice-curious? Making decisions right now about your child’s education? Fully embracing alternative schooling? Starting from the beginning and not sure where to get help? Already using an innovative learning model? Launching your own microschool or learning pod? Looking to support parents and the education choice movement?

Join our community by subscribing to our newsletter, Parents Choose.