Parents and teachers turning to 'micro-school' approach to educate students safely from home

LOS ANGELES - Parents and teachers across the country are turning to the "micro-school" approach to educate students from the safety of their homes, including here in Southern California.

After learning all Los Angeles Unified School District students will be remote learning once again this semester, a soaring number of parents are now counting on “micro-schools” as a solution to their dilemma. 

RELATED: LAUSD students won't be returning for in-person classes this fall

Barry Vince and his Long Beach neighbors say the answer is micro-schooling.

A micro-school is essentially you and other parents pooling your money and then hiring a full-time teacher to teach your children together.

Vince is considering it for his 13-year-old son, Eli. 

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"The thing we are not prepared for is creating an entire curriculum that is certified," said Vince. 

That's when something like the Coalition for Responsible Home Education could be helpful. 

They offer a course called "an introduction to home education "

"It's an eight-week long course and it walks parents through choosing a philosophy, creating a curriculum, and setting educational goals. Everything they need to know to get started homeschooling," said Rachel Coleman from the coalition. 

George Thomson is taking it one step further - he moved his family to Capistrano Unified School District from Long Beach Unified because Capistrano was planning for students to go back to campus. 

"We were seeking a school district, a smaller school district, that would put them in a position where they could have a great education and try to get them in the classroom this coming semester," said Thomson.

Unfortunately, Thomson moved before Governor Gavin Newsom mandated that all schools on the state's monitoring list learn remotely. 

RELATED: Most California schools will begin 2020-21 school year online under Newsom's reopening guidelines

"I don't think keeping the kids at home is the best thing. I'm pretty much against the online learning platform," said Thomson.

And with that sentiment, micro-schooling could be here to stay since we know COVID-19 certainly is. 

"I think you'll see people creating their own schools more and more," said Vince.

Pooling money together to hire a teacher could get expensive. So one way of making pods more economical is by hiring college students or recent college grads who can help with your child's online learning.

If you need help with creating a micro-school, go to https://responsiblehomeschooling.org/.