Laura Sandefer Co-founder of Acton Academy and author of Courage to Grow, the story of Acton’s origin and learner-driven model.
An Acton Academy · Vancouver
A learning community that takes children seriously.
Trellis is a full-time weekday Acton Academy learning studio for children aged five to eight, opening in Vancouver in September 2026. Children attend Monday to Friday, 9:00–3:00, in one small mixed-age studio with a maximum of nine founding families.
Children do real work, make real choices, and practise responsibility from the beginning.
Book a parent conversation
A 30-minute video call with Saba, to answer all your questions.
Full-time, Monday–Friday 9:00–3:00 · One mixed-age studio · Ages five to eight · Nine founding families maximum · Opening September 2026
Part of the Acton Academy network
Acton Academy began in Austin in 2009, when Jeff and Laura Sandefer set out to build a different kind of learning environment for their own children.
Today, Acton has grown into a global network of learner-driven communities — all built around Socratic discussion, mastery-based learning, real-world challenges, and the belief that children are capable of far more than conventional school often asks of them.
Trellis brings that model home — an Acton Academy in Vancouver, opening September 2026 for children aged five to eight.
Our Advisors
Jeff Sandefer Co-founder of Acton Academy and founder of the Acton School of Business, with a long background in entrepreneurship and Socratic teaching.
Founders
You already knowyour child is more capablethan most rooms make space for.
So did we.
We're Mosi and Saba — husband and wife, parents of two daughters.
Long before Trellis had a name, we began thinking seriously about the kind of learning environment we would choose for our elder daughter.
One question kept returning: who would take her independence, her curiosity, her character, and her academics seriously — at the same time?
So we went looking for a place that would take her seriously — not manage her, not entertain her, not rehearse her for later. Not dim her down to make the room easier to manage.
We knew the kind of environment we were looking for. Then we found its name: Acton.
Mastery instead of grades. Character built by doing. Adults who guide without taking over.
There wasn't one in Vancouver.
So we stopped waiting. We're building one here. It's called Trellis.
Trellis isn't something we're building from a distance. It's the place we're choosing for our own family — and on day one, our elder daughter will be in the studio, right next to yours.
— Mosi & Saba
You have questions? Start with a 30-minute parent conversation.
Book a parent conversation
A 30-minute video call with Saba, to answer all your questions.
Inside Acton
Watch the model in practice.
Learner-driven does not mean loose.
At Trellis, freedom sits inside structure. Learners are trusted with real choices, but the day has rhythm, expectations, focused work, shared responsibilities, and reflection.
The model
What makes Acton different?
Acton is not built around lectures, grades, and adults directing every step.
It is built around a harder question: what happens when children are trusted with meaningful work, real choices, and the responsibility to grow?
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Learning to learn
Learners move through core skills — reading, writing, math — at their own pace, advancing by showing mastery, not by waiting for the calendar. Guides don't stand at the front with answers. They ask questions, help learners set goals, and protect the conditions for deep focus and independence.
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Learning to do
Learners collaborate on hands-on projects that ask them to build, test, present, revise, and solve problems that matter outside the page.
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Learning to be
Learners share their work, keep promises, resolve conflict, and contribute to the life of the studio. Character isn't a poster on the wall. It's built through daily choices.
Our mission
To inspire each person who enters our doors to find a calling that's uniquely theirs.
Our beliefs
We believe each person has a gift that can change the world in a profound way.
We believe in learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
We believe in a closely connected family of lifelong learners.
We believe in economic, political, and religious freedom.
Our educational philosophy
We believe clear thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
Our promises
We promise, through Socratic guiding and experiential learning, to encourage each member of our community to:
- Begin a Hero's Journey.
- Learn to be a curious, independent, lifelong learner.
- Develop a deep respect for economic, political, and religious freedoms.
- Cherish the arts, wonders of the physical world, and the mysteries of life on Earth.
- Discover your most precious gifts and learn to use them to serve others.
The structure
How Trellis works
Trellis is a learning community for homeschooling families — not a school. Parents register their children as home learners each year and remain their child’s educational decision-makers. Trellis provides the studio, the guides, and the program. You stay in the driver’s seat.
Fit
Is Trellis a fit for your family?
Trellis is intentionally small, learner-driven, and built on real responsibility. That is not the right fit for every family.
Trellis may be a fit if you want your child to:
- Build independence early.
- Move toward mastery, not grades.
- Do meaningful work, not just complete tasks.
- Learn in a close community where choices matter.
- Grow through challenge, reflection, and honest accountability.
Questions parents usually ask
FAQ
What is the weekly schedule?
Trellis runs Monday to Friday, 9:00–3:00, five days a week. It is a full-time learning community and resource centre.
What ages is Trellis for?
Year one is for children aged five to eight.
Every child must have turned five by the program start date. This is firm, with no exceptions.
Will Trellis grow over time?
Small is not the warm-up version.
It is the whole point of year one: a close community, a clear culture, and enough space for each learner to be known.
Only once that culture is clearly established will we open our doors to more families in the years that follow.
What does it mean to be part of the Acton Academy network?
Trellis: an Acton Academy is part of the network of over 300 Acton Academies around the world. We follow the same exact Learning Design and learning model that Jeff and Laura Sandefer helped create at the original Acton Academy campus. As an Acton affiliate we have access to their comprehensive selection of learning resources and lesson plans. We also engage in regular meetings with other Acton Academies worldwide to learn from each other's experiences.
Why do some Acton Academy videos show children using laptops if Trellis is screen-free?
Acton studios serve different ages, and older learners often use technology for independent work, research, writing, and projects.
Trellis begins with children aged five to eight. In the first year, our studio will be screen-free because this cohort does not need laptops to do excellent work. Learners will have access to strong resources for math, reading, writing, hands-on quests, discussions, and real-world challenges.
As the studio grows and the needs of older learners change, technology will be introduced intentionally — as a tool for meaningful work, not as a default environment.
What is an independent learner?
Someone who can research questions, follow instructions, solve problems — admit that they don't know something and figure out a solution when they hit a roadblock without asking an adult for help — participate in discussions, and strive for mastery. The guides are always present to offer support and Socratic questioning to assist learners as needed.
The best way to understand Trellis is to talk with us.
Book a parent conversation
A 30-minute video call with Saba, to answer all your questions.