There is a path to healing this summer...

Our 8-step healing protocol helps you break the anxiety cycle, rebuild their confidence, and create the emotional safety they so need.
Whether you're preparing for a return to school with new tools or discovering that home education might be the sanctuary your family needs, this roadmap meets you exactly where you are and guides you toward the transformation your child needs.
DOWNLOAD FREE ROADMAPWhat You'll Discover in Your Recovery Roadmap

Step 1: Breaking the Anxiety Cycle
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Your child's emotional reset button that stops the fight-or-flight response from hijacking their days with our instant 3-part physiological reset routine.

Step 2: Creating Your Family's Sanctuary
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Building the safe haven your child's nervous system craves including how to design a physical comfort zone that becomes their refuge & retreat.

Step 3: Unearthing Hidden Triggers
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Detective work that finally reveals what's really causing your child's distress with gentle investigation techniques that won't re-traumatize.

Step 4: The Re-connection Protocol
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Rebuilding your child's trust in their own abilities after anxiety has convinced them they're 'not good enough' including the powerful strengths inventory activity.

Step 5: Gentle Strength Training
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Fortifying your child's emotional muscles without forcing them to 'toughen up' with the anxiety surfing technique and courage ladder.

Step 6: The Summer Bridge
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Transforming fear into anticipation for whatever comes next whether returning to school or transitioning to home education.

Step 7: Your Advocacy Arsenal
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Becoming your child's unwavering champion with confidence and clarity.

Step 8: Open a New Door
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If school just won’t work, consider opening the door to becoming a Light Way Home Educator. Starting late summer, we open the doors to The Founders Lounge and The Foundations Journey online course.Â
Parents Are Finding Their Way Out
of the School Anxiety Nightmares

“Before using the kinds of tools in the Recovery Road Map, Matthew was tense, stressed and depressed. He hated school and simply wasn’t thriving.
I knew my son was at a crossroads and our family had to do something drastically different. We used the Recovery Road Map tools. Matthew started sleeping peacefully again and happily engaged in learning projects together. I was worried that his confidence would never return."
- Patty S., mother of a
now thriving 20 year old.
“My son found reading and anything to do with school super stressful. I was at my wits end. With the tools outlined in the Recovery Road Map, we were able to calm his nervous system and look at the world with new eyes. We never looked back. Now he can’t put his book down.”
Cherrie, Houston, mother of 12 year old struggling to stay engaged with learning.
“Zahra, I realized this week that I'm not only learning how to help my son heal, I'm becoming a better mother too. I can't thank you enough. This is amazing."
Rio, San Francisco Mother of 11 year old bored with school.
Created By Educators Who've Witnessed the Damage—And Know the Way Out
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The Light Way team combines decades of experience in progressive education, child development, and transformational healing.
Co-founder of Light Way Learning, Zahra Lightway didn't just teach in traditional classrooms—she left in sadness after watching too many sensitive, brilliant childrens' spirits slowly crushed by systems that prioritize compliance over wellness. That sadness became purpose: in her former school in Texas, she developed an enlightened learning system, the Light Way System, and guided families through the healing journey from school anxiety to educational freedom.Â

Zahra Lightway, M.Ed, BA
Zahra Lightway, M.Ed, BA, is a co-founder of Light Way Learning and creator of the Light Way System. A seasoned educator and community design facilitator, she helps families reclaim learning as a joyful, relational journey. Zahra blends holistic pedagogy, emotional intelligence, and sociocratic shared decision-making tools to support parents worldwide in becoming confident, conscious home educators.

Kim Swaffield M.Ed.
Kim Swaffield, co-founder of Light Way Learning, Director of Coaching and a Light Way Coach is an early childhood educator & accreditation specialist. Kim brings expertise in NAEYC standards, Reggio Emilia, and project-based learning. She’s designing the Light Way Coaching Certification, weaving her deep respect for play, emotional attunement, and whole-child development into a transformational coaching experience for home educator coaches and parents.

Patricia Sprenger BA
Patty Sprenger is a co-founder of Light Way Learning, Somatic-Educational Integration Consultant and trauma-informed parent coach. With 30 years in somatic movement and education, she helps families align body and brain to unlock joyful, resilient learning. Her own home educated children earned associate degrees by age 17, and she now coaches parents using the very system that helped her family thrive - the Light Way System.
We Understand Your Concerns
(Because We've Been There Too)
