Unschooling in community
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Maybe school isn't working for your child. Maybe it's working fine but something feels off—like they're spending their days being managed instead of actually learning. Maybe you've been questioning the whole thing for a while and didn't know there was an alternative.
Philly ALC is a learning community in Philadelphia built on a simple idea: children know how to learn, and they do it best when they're trusted to direct themselves. We run two different programs in two different parts of the city, and both are built on that same foundation. Cost is not a barrier. We have never turned a family away for inability to pay.
Our Programs
Our Programs
Two programs, two very different corners of Philadelphia, one philosophy.
Philly ALC School
Philly ALC School
Ages 4-18 | Full-Time & Part-Time
A learning community in South Philadelphia where kids direct their own days. No curriculum, no grades, no prescribed path. Younger students learn through play and hands-on discovery; older students design their own projects and pursue what actually interests them. The whole multi-age community learns alongside each other, which turns out to be one of the best parts.
Roots at Awbury
Roots at Awbury
Ages 4+ | Part-Time
Three days a week at the Farm at Awbury Arboretum in Germantown—a working farm and Education Center with fields, gardens, and open space to roam. Screen-free. All weather. Kids climb, build, forage, and figure things out together. Facilitators hold space and keep community; children decide what the day looks like.
Our Philosophy
Our Philosophy
Most schools are built around control. We built ours around trust.
Trust
Trust
We trust kids to know what they need—and to grow into themselves when given the space to do it.
Learning
Learning
Learning is happening all the time. It doesn't need to be forced, managed, or graded.
Self-Direction
Self-Direction
When people get to make their own decisions, their learning becomes deeper and more their own.
Experience
Experience
The culture you're immersed in teaches more than any curriculum. We build that culture deliberately.
Success
Success
Real growth comes through intention, creation, reflection, and sharing—rhythms we practice every day.
Ready to explore self-directed education?
Ready to explore self-directed education?
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