Homegrown learning strategies are essential to non-traditional learning, and a new pilot program at Commodore Options School on Bainbridge Island will provide just that.

Mosaic K-8, a partnership between homeschooling families and the BI public school district, now features a program called Co-LAB-oration Academy, a new “micro-school” that focuses on project-based learning and support for neurodivergent learners from 4th through 6th grade. The pilot is fully enrolled, with eight students attending an abbreviated school day Monday through Thursday.

“It feels incredible to finally have a place in the public school system for our son to learn,” said Kim Screen, a parent of a Co-LAB student. “Being able to drop him off at Co-Lab knowing that he has a safe, small learning environment is a gift. Instead of asking my son to fit into a classroom, the classroom is fitting around his needs.”

Co-LAB was designed by families of neurodivergent students and Commodore leadership, including principal Trish Corsetti and director of student services Maria Kuffel. There are three instructors; two are new hires. Each student’s instruction is highly individualized based on their learning goals.

Like other programs at Commodore, such as Odyssey K-8, the goal of Co-LAB is to offer an accessible environment for students to learn on their own terms, Corsetti said. What makes Co-Lab distinct is that it caters to homeschooled students whose needs are not served by a standard classroom learning environment.

“Students can learn at their own pace with a supportive staff who help facilitate the learning activities. We are supporting their social-emotional learning skills in addition to academic enrichment,” Corsetti said.

A typical class schedule includes a morning check-in, followed by about an hour of project time. Then students break for lunch, then return for games, exploration and class bonding time. Each month, Co-LAB students’ projects will be based on a community theme: this month, it’s “Everything Pirates.”