WELCOME TO our
Alternative education FAMILY!
We take great pride in providing alternative education services for families and educators! We know you'll love it!
HI! I'M Lauren!
I can't wait to meet you! Let me tell you a little about myself.
I have a Bachelors degree in Child Development, hold a valid Multiple Subject CA Teaching Credential, and my Masters in Education. I taught at the elementary level for eight years in first, third, and fourth grade. When I'm not trying to help enrich the lives of others, my dogs and I enjoy visits to the dog park, going on walks, and snuggling on the couch.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a teacher! What many people don’t know however, is that I have always wanted to own my own business. When the pandemic hit, I did what many of us did, reflect on what is truly important in life and if I was genuinely happy with where I was at that point in time. The truth was I wasn’t, and so the soul searching began. In May of 2021, I decided to take a leap of faith and trust God’s plan and resigned from my full time teaching position of eight years. In the months that followed I was on what I call my “discovery phase”. I was researching and learning about what it was I could create and still do what I loved most, work with children and helping others. This is what eventually led me to discovering the wonderful world of alternative education. I immediately realized that there is this need right now for us as adults to advocate for children and the educational experience they deserve to receive. I founded ElevateU on the premise that I want to help children, families, and educators elevate to their highest potential. We are able to do this through empowering families and educators to “unschool” their minds and own perceptions of what a great education really is and then teaching them how to create a warm, inviting, safe, and empowering environment for children to thrive.
We provide enrichment opportunities taught by a credentialed teacher and academic coaching for both parents and credentialed educators!
Enrichment Program:
The Hybrid Homeschool Approach
We are calling this our Hybrid Homeschool program! This approach truly allows parents to enjoy the freedom of homeschooling with the partnership of a credentialed teacher! Our enrichment program helps your child to further both their academic and social skills.
We can’t wait for your child to join our enrichment program!
Ages Accepted: 5-11
School Year: We offer a Fall, Spring, and Summer Enrichment Program
Discounts available for committing to BOTH Fall & Spring programs!
Non-refundable Reg./Supply Fee:
Summer 2023: $75
Fall 2023: $150
Spring 2024: $150
Fall 23-Spring 24: $250 (Discount for full year commitment)
Additional Fees During the Year: field trips and guest teachers may require additional fees
Smallest Class Sizes in the Bakersfield area: Only 10 students per class
Enrichment Program Rates & Schedule:
Summer Enrichment 2023: NOW ENROLLING!
Non-refundable Reg./Supply Fee: $75 per child
Tuition: $375 per child
June 13- July 26th (6 Weeks)
Closed July 3-7, 2023
2 Days/Week:
Tuesdays & Wednesdays
AM: 9:30am-12:30pm
PM: 1:30pm-4:30pm
Only 10 students per cohort!
Ages 5-11 years old
Provide enrichment opportunities for students both academically and socially!
Bring your own snack
Our Life Lab 2023: NOW ENROLLING!
Non-refundable Reg./Supply Fee: $50 per child
Tuition: $375 per child
June 15- July 27th (6 Weeks)
Closed July 6, 2023
1 Day/Week:
Thursdays
7th/8th Graders: 9:30am-12:30pm
9th/10th Graders: 1:30pm-4:30pm
Only 20 students per class!
Discount code available for first 10 registrations per class! Email or Text for discount code!
Spring Enrichment 2023: NOW ENROLLING!
Non-refundable Reg./Supply Fee: $150
January 10-May 25, 2023 (19 Weeks)
Closed for Spring Break April 3-7, 2023
3 Days/Week: Tuesday-Thursday
AM: 9:30am-12:30pm
Only 10 students per cohort!
Ages 5-11 (Grades K-5)
Includes 60 Minute 1:1 Beginning of the semester check in to review assessments and help with homeschooling planning
Includes 30 minute 1:1 Mid semester check in to review child's progress & assist with homeschooling planning
Additional 1:1 meetings provided at parent's request!
Provide enrichment opportunities for students both academically and socially!
Bring your own snack
Parent & Teacher Workshops
Our parent and teacher workshops were created to help further develop your teaching and behavior management skills to help ensure a positive homeschool experience for you and your child!
Intro to Alternative Education: This workshop is designed for both parents and educators wanting to learn more about how to legally provide alternative education outside of the traditional school system here in California. This is a great workshop to start your journey in Alternative Education if you are new and have not home schooled before!
Homeschooling for Beginners: Join our NEW course for homeschooling beginners! We are excited to launch this 4 week course that helps new homeschooling families start their alternative education journey on the right foot! This course starts with our Intro to Alternative Education Workshop, takes you through record keeping, discusses curriculum and materials, and our last meeting ends with teaching you how to lesson plan and look for academic experiences in your everyday life! This course is held as a small group to help connect other homeschooling families. Spaces will be limited so join our waitlist for priority registration today!
1:1 Academic Coaching Session available for both parents & credentialed educators:
Sessions are planned based on your individual needs! Contact us today to help us see how we can best serve YOUR NEEDS!
Packages available to receive discounted prices!
2 hour minimum IN PERSON or ZOOM sessions
1:1 Reading Strengths Assessment for Students
This option includes a personal literacy assessment of your child. It is great for both strong and struggling readers.
We will sit with your child and use our favorite literacy assessment kit, Fountas & Pinnell, to assess your child's literacy skills.
We then will schedule a follow up meeting where we will review your child's results, what their literacy strengths are and areas for improvement! After reviewing your child's results we will then go over our suggested resources and lessons you can do at home to improve your child's skills!
1:1 Listen to Learn Math Strengths Assessment for Students
This option includes a personal mental math assessment of your child. It is great for students who are strong or struggle with math.
This is a interview tool used to help you discover how your child reasons numerically.
At the end of the assessment you will be given a report that allows you to see your child's numerical reasoning strengths and areas for improvement, as well as next steps.
Packages available to receive discounted prices
Choose what works best for you:
Intro to Alternative Education Workshop
Homeschooling for Beginners Course
1:1 Academic Coaching Session-Parents & Teachers
1:1 Reading Strengths Assessment for Students
1:1 Listen to Learn Math Strengths Assessment for Students
Packages available to receive discounted prices
Check out our sample schedule below on what a day in our enrichment program looks like from start to finish!
9:15-9:30am – Welcome, Free Time
We are so excited for everyone to arrive! During this time students come in, put their things away and have free time to play, ask for help on assignments, and catch up on any unfinished work they may have.
9:30-10:00 – Morning Meeting
During this time students will come together for a morning meeting with their teacher where we will discuss what to expect for the day, check in with students, and participate in different team building activities to build community amongst out class.
10:00-12:00 – Academic Learning Time
During this time students will be working on core subjects such as language arts, writing, math or STEAM activities. They will be pulled in small groups and receive instruction that meets each child's individual needs. Children will rotate between different teacher led and independent activities throughout this time and are allowed to take brain breaks as needed. Small groups are fluid and constantly changing to meet the needs of every child. This allows for each student to receive a more individualized education.
15 min. – Recess/Snack Time
Throughout our Academic Learning Time, children will be allowed to have breaks at their discretion! However, we will make sure to have a designated snack time during the day. Our playground area is still developing! We have a large grassy area covered with two beautiful trees that provide shady areas for children to play or lounge under. Our location allows us to go on nature walks, and even do some of our learning outside on days that weather permits!
12:00-12:30– Closing Circle
At the end of the day, we will wrap up and come back together as a class. Here we will review students highs and lows from the day. I like to have students reflect back on areas they felt strong in and areas they believe they have room to grow.
OUR Enrichment Program provides a fun, engaging, and positive learning environment for children!
Every day is an adventure! From our engaging and bright classrooms to our exciting hands-on activities, your child will develop a love for life-long learning!
At ElevateU, we follow a “whole child” philosophy where we partner with you to improve your child’s Social, Emotional, Cognitive, Language, and Physical skills. Your child will learn to socialize, make friends, develop social and emotional skills, and further their academic knowledge!
We provide lessons that feature a balance of teacher-directed and independent activities that meet the needs of each child.
We also incorporate Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Program to further develop each child's literacy skills. This includes a one on one oral assessment that allows for us to determine our students' instructional and independent reading levels. This information then helps guide our instruction to best meet each child's independent academic needs.
We aim to help children become independent, self-confident, inquisitive and enthusiastic learners by actively exploring their environment.
In fact, one of the best ways we can teach is to ask THEM questions. "What are you creating?" "How does it work?" "Tell me more about what you are working on." etc.
We routinely assess our students to discover what areas they're strong in, and what areas still need more work. This also allows us to provide a more individualized education and place them within small groups of students to receive direct instruction at their level.
We keep you in the loop on what we're working on, and we also let you know exactly how your child is doing.
Progress... Not Product!
One of my favorite things about alternative education is we focus on the progress each child makes, and go at your child's individual pace when it comes to learning. If they already have a skill mastered, why waste time and make them continue to work on it?
Children enjoy learning when they are challenged! Our small class sizes allow us to keep children highly engaged and motivated because lessons are able to be tailored to the individual child.
Every few weeks, we dive deep into a new, exciting theme based on our upcoming field trips, the weather, holidays, or whatever the children are dying to learn more about.
We would love to have you review us on Facebook and Google. These reviews are a testament to the phenomenal community we all work so hard to build at ElevateU. Thank you for your support!
Check out what parents say about their past experience with our owner, Lauren!
"Lauren was an incredible teacher. My daughter still talks about her and loves when their pictures pop up in our memories. Lauren is patient, but structured. She has a heart that is so capable of loving children like her own. Thank you so much for loving our child so well. "
-Bridgette L.
"Miss Lauren, I don’t think I can say enough good things about you! We appreciate you being so patient with our little guy! You really helped him develop not only a love for water but a level of confidence in the pool that we are so thankful for. You were always on time, showed interest in our son, and were able to get the results we were looking for."
-Caitlin B.
"Lauren was a patient and dedicated swim teacher. My toddler greatly resisted learning the first couple of days, but Lauren stayed in the water with him the entire length of the lesson and just kept going. After a couple of days, he quit resisting so much and Lauren taught him how to swim. She was positive and encouraging to my son and myself, when I was ready to give up until the next summer. By the end of two weeks he was swimming and really enjoying the time with her. The following summer Lauren returned and helped improve my sons skills and also comfort in the water. As always, she was patient, kind, and understanding when he had a rough day. She kept a positive attitude and continually changed up the lessons to ensure that my son did not get bored! My husband and I cannot thank Lauren enough for teaching our son such an important life skill. We are forever grateful!"
-Nicole C.
LET'S CHAT: 661.379.7270
We would love to answer all your questions about ElevateU.
Please call us today to schedule an interview and reserve your child’s place in the Bakersfield/Shafter Area premier private enrichment program.
Contact Us:
Call or Text:
661.379.7270
Email: lauren@letselevateu.com
Follow us on Facebook & Instagram @elevateu.inc
CALL TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
Hurry! spots are Limited and filling up fast!
We can't wait for you to join us so we can show you can see why we are a premier enrichment program in the Bakersfield/Shafter Area.
Check our Reviews!
When you're at ElevateU, you're family! We're conveniently located in the Bakersfield/Shafter Area. You'll love our warm, bright & inviting classroom and your child will love our 1-on-1 attention with our small class sizes of just 10 students!
We are strictly an enrichment program (not a daycare) for children ages 5-11 (Grades K-5). We offer MORE THAN just academic lessons... Not only do we help your child socialize, we also offer extracurricular options such as field trips & events for your entire family so we can experience the magic of learning... TOGETHER.
Step #2: Register
Enrichment Program
Now Enrolling for
Spring 2023!
Spring: Jan. 10-May 25, 2023
3 Days/Week: Tuesday-Thursday
9:30am-12:30pm
Only 10 Students per cohort!
Ages 5-11
Fees
Non-Refundable Reg./Supply Fee: $150
5 Monthly Tuition Payments from January-May
Additional Learning Opportunities
Step #3: Schedule an interview
Call Now: 661.379.7270
Due to high demand, our classes fill up ridiculously fast. Please call as soon as you even think about enrolling so we can see if we can start our interview and registration process!
During the interview process, we'll tell you all about us, but we also want to hear about you! The beauty of alternative education is that parents have the power to find the right fit for their child and family! If we are the right fit for you, we will ask "Would you like your child to come to ElevateU's enrichment program?" If so, that's when we'll have you fill out the registration form and we'll collect the registration fee.
© ElevateU Incorporated
561 North American Street, Shafter CA 93263