What is Ad Astra ALC?

The ALC stands for Agile Learning Center. Ad Astra ALC is a place for homeschoolers to come together and engage in self-directed education with a community of like-minded families. We’re focused on community building, fostering collaboration, following passions and developing new interests.

How can I get more information about Ad Astra ALC?

You can let us know of your interest by filling out this form. We will contact you as soon!

Is Ad Astra religious or secular?

We are secular; our learners come from families with a number of different religious and non-religious backgrounds.

Do you discourage the use of traditional curriculum or outside classes on non Ad Astra days?

Ad Astra is a self-directed learning center, and as such, we don't use traditional curriculum unless it is requested and/or agreed upon by the learners. Many students are fully self-directed learners who use no traditional curriculum or formal classes unless they have been self-selected. We believe that self-directed education can be fully embraced and Ad Astra’s facilitators hope to provide families with all of the resources, education, and support you need to shift your thinking, let go of fears, and embrace self-directed education fully for your child.

However, all of our learners are homeschoolers, so it is up to each parent to manage their own child’s education. Some families choose to supplement with more traditional curriculum, online or in-person classes, FLVS, or dual enrollment courses. Learners are more than welcome to take their on-line classes or do their work during Ad Astra ALC hours. Facilitators are there to guide and help the learners when they have questions.

Is Ad Astra an umbrella school?

No. Ad Astra operates as a homeschool enrichment center, not as a private school or umbrella school. The oversight of each child's education remains up to the parent. In the State of Florida, homeschooled students are either required to register as a home education student with the county, or enroll in an umbrella school. Ad Astra ALC is a part-time tutoring center, so your family will still need to register with the county or an umbrella school.

Does Ad Astra offer transcripts, grades, or any other formal documentation of learning?

We don't provide grades or transcripts, but we do provide photos! The facebook page for enrolled families will offer snapshots of our days so that parents can develop a portfolio or transcript as needed. We encourage you to speak with your child about their experiences each day, so you can keep your own records of daily and weekly activities as desired. Also, learners are encouraged and guided to create their own on-line portfolio using Google Sites to use as a storage collection of their work, to prompt reflection and goal creation, and to have a place to showcase their work or presentations.

How does Ad Astra deal with learning challenges or neurodiversity?

We do not discriminate on the basis of disability. Self-directed education can be a really good fit for neurodiverse learners. We focus on strengths and interests and leave the rest! When students can plan their own day, they are able to choose offerings and activities around their own personal goals.

Can my child’s tuition be reimbursed with the FES or PEP scholarship?

If your child qualifies for the FES (Florida Empowerment Scholarship for Unique Abilities / formerly Gardiner), or the PEP (Personalized Education Program) you should be able to be reimbursed for your Ad Astra tuition.

If you have more questions about whether your child will be a good fit with Ad Astra, please feel free to contact us.

What do the Ad Astra learners do all day?

Each day starts and ends with a community meeting, but otherwise every day is something different! The learners follow a spark of inspiration and follow where it leads. Sometimes that means a few hours of exploration of a topic, sometimes it could be days or even weeks. Allowing space for learners to follow their interests requires unstructured time. Time to learn, to think, to talk with friends and mentors, to watch youtube videos, and time to explore. Traditional education, even homeschooling, doesn’t usually provide time to explore in quite the same way. We ask the learners what they’re interested in, and that’s exactly how we seek to fill their days!

How do they learn things if nothing is required?

They will learn what they need to learn when they need to — it’s that simple!

Adults are already comfortable with this learning process when it comes to things in our own lives: when we need to learn to do something, we look it up online, we find out what we need to do to learn a new skill or solve a problem, we may even reach out to an expert for guidance. Everything we need to do in our day-to-day lives requires finding information, learning, applying it, failing, and trying again. When students leave school, self-directed education comes naturally!

At Ad Astra, we just embrace the same process sooner, without the coercion and burnout that accompanies more structured educational models. Our facilitators are there to help guide the learners to the right resources, but the students are in charge of focusing in on their own interests.

Does self-directed education mean my child will learn to be more self-centered?

Let’s re-frame “self” and think in terms of growth. Self-directed education will foster self-confidence! When learners feel empowered, heard, and respected, they will feel more confident exploring their curiosities. Having the freedom to pursue their intrinsic interests alongside a community of learners fosters collaboration, consideration, teamwork, and selflessness. We don’t spend time worrying about judging ourselves or others, because we are all trusted as individuals with personal goals.

ne of the most important (and amazing) parts of Ad Astra is our incredible community! We regularly come together to set goals as a group to keep our space kind, healthy, safe, clean, and welcoming. Considering others’ goals, feelings, interests, and talents is absolutely essential to our day to day experience at Ad Astra.

How will I know my kid is making progress if there are no standardized tests or graded assignments?

We understand that it requires a bit of a mental shift to let go of traditional markers of success. We know that learners are more likely to retain new information if they are actively engaged and interested. When we focus on “teaching to a test” we unnaturally inhibit curiosity and depth of understanding. Instead, our goal with self-directed learning is fueling passions and chasing interests down rabbit holes. The sky is the limit, but the proof is truly in the pudding. Our learners are thriving, creating incredible things, and growing as humans in astounding and noticeable ways. They are kind and helpful, they love their community, and they cherish their freedom.

One way that we do document each student’s progress is by routinely having one-on-one mentorship check-ins. We help facilitate each learner with goal setting and prompts for introspection. Students are encouraged to document their learning process through an online or notebook portfolio. It serves as a keepsake to capture their creations and progress over the year, and allows the older students a way to document accomplishments and transcripts for higher education and employment endeavors.

Self-directed learning requires a relationship of trust between learners, facilitators, and parents. If you watch closely, you will see the progress for yourself. Ideally, we would love for our families to become active participants in their children’s self-directed learning at home, too, and we are happy to share information and resources to help your family in your journey, so that you can more easily witness their successes and support their curiosity.

But what about math?

There are countless stories of unschoolers who had never taken any math in their lives, and then at some point decided they need to get up to speed on math concepts — and they were able to pick up k-12 skills within months. One of our own students is a perfect example of this: the first structured math class she ever took was a dual enrollment class at the local community college. This isn’t an anomaly, it’s just how our brains work. It’s been proven that when we are interested in something, and we are ready to learn it, it is easier to learn. Once young people find that they need math in order to progress in their interests, there’s no stopping them!

Many of Ad Astra’s learners interests are already STEAM-focused, so we regularly provide offerings to stretch the learners’ math, logic, and puzzling abilities.

What about screen time? I know my kid would just play video games all day long if they are given the option.

Have you asked your child why they like gaming so much? Watch their eyes light up as they tell you, watch how animated they become when you ask about their favorite games. Focusing on our children’s most fervent interests helps to create a shift in our mindset around them.

Most of the time, playing video games is not a passive activity: they are planning, executing, team-building, creating strategies, finding the best tools for various tasks. Sound familiar? Those are precisely the skills most employers are looking for on resumes, to say nothing of the fact that video games is a massive industry your child may very well grow up to work in!

At Ad Astra ALC, we emphasize balanced technology usage. Learners are encouraged to schedule video game sessions, limit phone usage to brief intervals, and take advantage of lunchtime for face-to-face interactions with peers. These guidelines promote a harmonious learning environment where digital tools enhance rather than dominate the experience. We are committed to creating a balanced learning environment where technology serves as a valuable tool while promoting face-to-face interaction and holistic well-being.

Read more about screen usage in self-directed education here.

Why is 8 the minimum age?

We're trying to create an environment where the kids can practice self-directed education, collaborate with each other and really get deep and follow their passions. 8 or 9 seems to be the age where they start to work better in a group together, and also where they start to learn enough about themselves to start guiding their day on their own.

8 to 18 year olds all hanging out together? Isn’t that awkward or uncomfortable?

We have found that having blended ages all together is so beneficial to all of our learners! Traditional schooling is the only time during our lives that we are segregated by age unnaturally. Generally speaking, we find that kids tend to congregate based on maturity level, but having access to learners of all ages means that all of their voices are equal, the older kids have the opportunity to be a role model for younger ones, and it creates a much deeper sense of community and responsibility when they have opportunities to care for (and look up to) each other.

I have more questions about what an Agile Learning Center does!

Reach out to us with questions: Ad Astra ALC Information Request

Check out the Agile Learning Center FAQ here.