Not Ready to Apply?

We welcome creative thinkers passionate about education and eager to build new learning pathways in their community. Ideal candidates include teachers, community leaders, parents, and professionals who share a vision for improving education equity. 

Anyone can start a school – but it takes real commitment and capacity to do the hard work. In our experience supporting Founders across America, we have seen that the most successful Founders have:

• • 10-15 hours per week to commit to building their school
    
    
  • Personal savings and/or a supportive partner to rely on for the first year (if the school doesn’t hit full enrollment right away)
    
    
  • A willingness to take a risk and fail

If this sounds like you, KaiPod Catalyst will be there with you every step of the way and for three years after. If you commit to this journey, we’ll commit to you.

Many of our Catalyst Founders have launched their Microschool within a year of beginning the program. It’s different for everyone, but that’s a reasonable time frame to strive for.

We’re excited about diverse, personalized learning environments. Whether your idea resembles a broad vision or a school focused on areas like STEM, Nature, or Neurodiverse learners, all microschools share the key values of student-centered learning, parental choice, and engaging environments.

There’s no up-front cost to join! Once you launch a Microschool, we partner with you for three years and receive ongoing support in exchange for a per-student fee.

Our curriculum is delivered in a course format so you can work through it at your own pace. You’ll be a part of a small group, join regular synchronous group meetings, and have access to regularly scheduled webinars, workshops, and coffee chats. In addition, you’ll also receive regular 1:1 feedback and coaching. 

Initially, expect to spend 10-15 hours per week, increasing as the launch date for your Microshcool approaches. Full-time dedication is anticipated post-launch. 

Yes! We help with introductions to funders, grant application support, and recommendations to secure initial capital to get your school up and running.

1. Personalized support through monthly meetings: You’ll meet monthly with an Account Manager who understands your unique program needs. This includes strategic guidance, administrative support, and ongoing professional development, ensuring you can focus on running your Microschool effectively.
   
   
2. Professional development: You have access to monthly professional development sessions tailored to your needs throughout the year. These sessions cover a wide range of topics, from community building and student assessment to marketing strategies and financial planning, ensuring you have the knowledge and skills to lead your Microschool successfully.
   
   
3. Microschool curriculum resources: These provide guidance on curriculum selection and development, as well as access to KaiPod’s curriculum discounts. This support ensures you have high-quality educational materials that meet your students’ needs and align with your educational goals.
   
   
4. Vibrant Community of Microschool Founders: You’ll maintain access to our vibrant community of Microschool founders and experts, including monthly founder coffee chat meetings, and small group support meetings. These activities foster collaboration, shared learning, and mutual support among Microschool leaders.

Great question! KaiPod has been operating its own Microschools (we call them pods) for nearly three years. We quickly realized that our long-term success depends on helping others start their own Microschools. We’re unique because we have the knowledge and experience from operating our own KaiPod Learning locations across the country, and that experience is reflected on the success rate for creating new Microschool Founders. With Catalyst, we’re passing our vast knowledge onto you. The only difference is your Microschool will be entirely your own! We’re also the only program of its kind that continues to support Founders for three years post-launch, with the option for continued support beyond that.

We’re happy to discuss any questions you have. Send us a message at [email protected]