FAQs

Students arrive between 9 and 9:30 am, ready for a day that balances structure with flexibility. We begin and end with short small-group meetings where students share their plans and reflections. Throughout the week, students also participate in shaping the schedule and community through culture meetings, conflict resolution, budget discussions, field trip planning, and other shared processes.

Offerings vary widely, and students may choose to attend many, a few, or none on a given day. Unscheduled activities, informal time, eating when hungry, and resting when tired are also valuable parts of the day. At 3 pm, everyone helps clean the space before gathering for reflection; students typically leave between 3:20 and 3:30. Independent travelers may stay until 4 pm.

Learning at ALC takes many forms. Students may choose classes and workshops, but they also learn through projects, play, conversation, observation, experimentation, collaboration, and following questions or interests that matter to them. Over time, their own goals may lead them toward more sustained or structured study—a student may decide they want to strengthen their writing, work through a sequence of math, prepare for an exam, or learn something specific in order to pursue a next step.

Self-direction is supported by close relationships with facilitators who help students notice where their interests are taking them, understand what different goals might require, and find ways to move toward the things they have decided matter. Depending on the student and the moment, that might mean a class, direct instruction, a resource, a collaborator, regular practice, or simply enough time and space to keep working something out.

Much foundational learning grows through having real reasons to use foundational skills. Students encounter math while building, cooking, gaming, measuring, handling money, or solving everyday problems; reading and writing are part of stories, messages, instructions, research, projects, games, and the many small acts of communication that fill a day. Especially when children are younger, we make room for these skills to develop through meaningful use, curiosity, repetition, and practice at a pace that makes sense for the learner.

Focused instruction and practice are also available when a student wants to become a stronger reader, writer, or mathematician, or when particular skills will help them do something they care about. Facilitators can offer materials, strategies, direct teaching, and ongoing support while respecting that students develop along different paths and at different rates.

Children are already in the real world. When given time, trust, and access, they can practice real responsibilities now—navigating the city, interacting with a cashier, cleaning up after themselves, working through conflict, making plans, and contributing to a community.

As they grow, they also need skills such as project management, collaborative problem-solving, digital literacy, and self-regulation. They need practice breaking a goal into manageable steps, finding reliable information, adapting when something doesn’t work, and understanding how they themselves learn best.

Academic knowledge matters, but learning is more than accumulating information. We want students making connections, deepening understanding, solving problems, creating, and sharing—developing both academic knowledge and transferable capacities they can carry into a rapidly changing world.

Kids don’t need to be pushed into every new experience to keep growing. They are more likely to stretch when they have access, feel safe taking risks, see other people doing interesting things, and know they can build skills over time. We cultivate an invitation-full environment—with tools, materials, games, music, technology, New York City, and people eager to share what they know—while providing scaffolding where safety or competence requires it. We also model mistakes as useful information rather than evidence that someone shouldn’t keep trying.

We take the same approach to digital life. Rather than treating screens as either unrestricted or off-limits, we help students learn to evaluate information, choose where to place their attention, recognize manipulation, and decide when a tool is useful—or when not to use it. Learning to navigate new possibilities with curiosity, judgment, and increasing independence isn’t something we fit around the curriculum; it’s central to what we do.

We’ve seen students with a wide range of abilities, interests, learning styles, and support needs flourish at ALC. Students do not need perfect executive function or effortless independence. They do, however, need to be ready for the responsibilities that come with being trusted as a member of a shared, self-directed community.

That means being able, with appropriate support, to navigate our space safely, participate in conflict-resolution processes, help care for the school, and follow safety expectations around tools and materials. Admissions conversations help us consider whether our environment and available supports are a good match for a particular student.

Families looking specifically for tightly controlled food or screen environments are likely to be better served elsewhere, as we do not police sugar or processed foods, though we work with students and families around food allergies and safety. Similarly, we approach digital tools by helping students develop fluency, judgment, balance, and intentionality rather than prohibiting access.

Students pursuing an ALC diploma complete the units of study required by New York State, a community graduation process centered on a capstone project, and the preparation necessary for whatever they plan to do next. Students typically work closely with facilitators on this process over their final two years.

Graduation is also about growing into greater independence and responsibility. Older students are encouraged to take on meaningful roles within the school community and to extend their learning beyond ALC through opportunities such as internships, volunteering, outside classes, and paid work when appropriate.