HomeMy WebLinkAboutPA2023-0187_20231006_Project NarrativeNarrative for 20352 Cypress
The Learning Studio is a pod of homeschools aged 5-14,located in the equestrian
neighborhood of Santa Ana Heights in Newport’s Back Bay.We currently work with 10
students/children but would like to have a permit for as many as 25 in the future.We have two
lead guides (professionally trained and certified Montessori teachers)and one assistant on the
property.The program is from 9am-3pm,Monday through Thursday but we would like to expand
to five days a week.
The Learning Studio uses a methodology that combines Montessori,Waldorf and Nature School
philosophies.We benefit the community by offering families an alternative to the current school
system without having to take on all the heavy lifting of homeschooling by themselves.We are
an enrichment program for homeschoolers and not a "school"since each student is a registered
homeschooler with the state of California.Additionally,each family is responsible for their own
child's education.We do not follow any kind of state or federal academic standards or grade
levels.Our job at the Learning Studio is to augment and support home learning for each child.
The Learning Studio is one of thousands of homeschool pods and micro-schools popping up
across the US offering a different way to educate our children.The current educational system
is simply not designed to offer individualized attention to each child.These pods offer an
alternative to families whose children are not finding success in the current system and for
families searching for a more progressive method of educating their children.
The entire property is 19,803 sq.ft (0.45 acres)and features an 800 sq ft main house,an
outdoor learning pavilion,and a barn workshop space.The children will have access to home
grown fruits and vegetables,a nature play area,and a butterfly pavilion.By cultivating their own
farmland,our goal is to teach these youth the importance of sustainable farming practices and
to provide opportunities to develop a profound appreciation for the earth and environment.The
surrounding area helps foster this appreciation due to our equestrian neighbors plus the close
access to the Back Bay wetlands,and we are a welcomed addition to the neighborhood.We are
a small scale community looking to make a huge difference in the lives and minds of the future
generation and community at large.