Across the U.S., more states are offering Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) or similar programs that allow public education funds to follow the child, not the system. While the details vary by state, ESAs generally allow families to use funds for: • homeschool and microschool tuition • learning pods and part-time programs • tutors and academic support • curriculum, materials, and technology • some therapies and enrichment Why this matters for founders and parents: • families have more flexibility without paying everything out of pocket • programs don’t need to look like traditional schools to be sustainable • smaller, relationship-based learning models become financially possible This isn’t just a Florida thing. Arizona, Utah, West Virginia, Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, and others are expanding or rolling out versions of ESAs, vouchers, or universal choice programs. The big shift: Funding is slowly moving away from institutions and toward families. It’s one of the quiet mechanisms behind microschools, pods, and alternative learning models growing nationwide. If you’re navigating ESAs in your state (as a parent or founder), drop your state below and I’ll help point you in the right direction or break down what to look for.

This is the unsexy but freeing part of microschool life. The stuff that makes everything else lighter when it’s in place. Use this space for: Daily and weekly workflows Enrollment, billing, and tracking systems Attendance, communication, and documentation Tools that actually work (and ones that don’t) Simplifying instead of overbuilding “What system do I even need at this stage?” No one is expected to have perfect systems. The goal here is functional, sustainable, and appropriate for your size. If you want to start the convo, share: Your current enrollment size or launch stage One system that feels messy One system you wish you had Progress over polish. Always.

I want to share a tool some microschool founders are using called Prism (built by Tom Parker, former educator and microschool dad). Prism is best thought of as: A documentation and communication tool, not a full SIS A way to capture learning as it’s happening (photos, notes, reflections) A portfolio that ultimately belongs to the family, not the school What it works well for: Learning documentation and portfolios Sharing real learning moments with families Light attendance and learner tracking Making learning visible without grading or compliance-heavy systems Important realities to know (because ops honesty matters): Parent accounts own the portfolios, which is philosophically aligned but can add onboarding friction Getting parents set up is the biggest lift for pod leaders It’s not designed to replace billing, CRM, or enrollment tools Pricing (as shared directly by Tom): Microschools are paying about $7 per learner per month There are volume discounts over 20 learners and again over 50 Some schools pass this on as a small tech or portfolio fee This feels like a good fit if you: Care deeply about student experience and narrative assessment Want simple, humane documentation Are small or mid-sized and okay with light systems If you’re using Prism (or something similar), I’d love to hear: What you love What feels clunky How you handle parent onboarding And if you’ve chosen not to use tools like this, that’s just as valuable to share. The goal here is clarity, not one “right” system.