Light Way 
Home Educator Academy

Full certification course, community, coaching & tools for new home educators - all in one place. 

You don't need to be a professional teacher.
You just need the right foundations.

Explore The Foundations Journey Level I Certification

Light Way
Home Educator Academy

Full certification course, community, coaching & tools for new home educators 
- all in one place.

 

You Don't Have to Be a Professional Teacher.
You Just Need the Right Foundation.

For parents who are heart broken from watching their child's spirit fade in a system that doesn't see them…


You've found your way here because you're the kind of parent who notices when something feels off with your child's school experience.

You are starting to trust that inner voice that says 'There has to be another way.'  

You would love to take the leap into home education and want to feel fully caught, held & guided when you do.

If you have a child in traditional schooling who is struggling with anxiety, boredom, or losing their natural curiosity - you're definitely not the only one. 

Right now, there's a growing movement of over 4 million families in the US and more worldwide choosing home education, with 87% of studies clearly showing home educated children consistently outperforming their traditionally schooled peers in academic achievement, social development, emotional well-being and overall life satisfaction. 

But the problem is that for many of you parents considering this path who aren't trained teachers, several significant obstacles stand in your way, usually in the form of a nagging voice saying -  

  • "I don't know how to teach. What if I let my kids down?"

  • "What will friends and family say?"

  • "Which curriculum is best?"

  • "My kids will be alone. How will they get socialized?"

  • "Is homeschool the right choice? I know I want something different and better for my kids."

  • "Will they still be able to go to college?" and on it goes. 

In the meantime, the stress and anxiety of mainstream schooling is destroying family life. 

If you're at all like most parents, you're  attempting to solve these challenges by:

  1. Cobbling together free Googled resources that create overwhelming confusion.

  2. Madly joining huge Facebook groups where you get 50+ different opinions for every question along with links to a million offers - overwhelm! 

  3. And even purchasing expensive boxed curricula that recreate the same rigid school environment at home with the same struggles getting them to "do the work". 

These solutions fail for two reasons:

  • They don't address the root cause: traditional educational models don't honor how children naturally learn and thrive. 

  • They leave you scrambling without a compass which does nothing to calm your nervous system. 

    In my 20+ years as an educator working with hundreds of families, I've witnessed this struggle firsthand. Struggles similar to Patty's story below. 

Case Study: Patty's Story

Part 1: When everything felt impossible...

In 2013 Patty's 13 year old son, Matthew, was struggling with anxiety and depression. He hated school and learning and getting him out of bed on school mornings was a chore.  Her daughter, Arianna, was in better shape but still hated going to school. They had been begging her to homeschool for quite some time.

Patty wanted to homeschool desperately but everyone around her — including her husband, Paul — thought home education was a risky idea. "You're not a teacher," they kept saying. "How could you possibly give them what they need?" 

But Patty had something that mattered more than credentials. She had love, she had instincts about her children that she trusted, and she was willing to try something different - despite her fears.

And guess what? That's exactly what you have too. You don't need a teaching degree to be the person your child needs. But you do need a system to give you the right foundation, some clear guidance, and the confidence to trust what you already know about your child.  

Patty called me. 

 

Hear what happened next in Part II

How The Light Way System Was Born

Zahra Lightway,M.Ed,

Vision Catalyst with a passion for education innovation & community. 

 

Zahra is a true global citizen. She has lived and studied in five countries including England, Scotland, US, New Zealand and France seeing what works and what doesn't in education systems. 

In the US, she taught all ages, trained teachers, initiated school-wide reform & founded a micro-school to see what was possible free of system constraints. There she developed the Light Way System.  

Now she is co-founding Light Way Learning with a mission to make learning a liberating force for change by empowering parents to become confident, highly qualified home educators and find joy in parenting.

 

 

When Patty called me in 2013 I was ready & willing to help her with the Light Way System- but I didn't call it that yet.  This is the story of how it came to be.

Between 2004 and 2009, after leaving the traditional system and studying alternative educational approaches internationally and at home, I discovered something transformative:

Children learn best when they follow their own curiosity and interests, guided by supportive adults who understand child development and learning processes. 

From my research and years of teaching frustration a burning question had evolved -

"What would learning look like if we left the system constraints behind and combined the best research-based practices with the knowledge & experience from alternative learning environments together into one ecosystem of learning?" 

To answer it, I founded Light Way School, my micro-school in Texas. It became the development and testing ground for such a system.  It also became the inspiration for my last name - a longer story. 

What resulted was a system of "learning as a way of life" that brings joy back to learning and heals body, mind and soul.

The results were spectacular - anxious kids somewhat or a lot traumatized by the school system? They healed and recovered their natural curiosity. 

Through Light Way Home Educator Academy, we now offer it as a gift and solace to worried parents. It illuminates your child's natural learning path while giving you a light touch structure, confidence and tools to guide them effectively. 

What Makes Light Way Home Educator Academy Different?

In researching the home education landscape — courses, memberships, communities, certifications, and support programs — I noticed how fragmented everything was.

  • Curriculum here (and everywhere). Oh sooo much curriculum to choose from.

  • Mindset work over there.

  • Support for meeting state regulations somewhere else.

  • Coaching of all kinds, none with in depth training attached. 

Overall, the offers were scattered, inconsistent, or missing key pieces altogether — and searching through it all was overwhelming for new home educators already on edge.

Light Way Home Educator Academy was created to bring it all together.

To our knowledge*, it is a one-of-a-kind integrated ecosystem designed to support home educators in one coherent pathway — combining:

  • structured training grounded in the Light Way System

  • ongoing coaching

  • community support

  • practical tools 

  • and a clear certification pathway — all in one place.

This means you don't have to keep searching, piecing things together, or wondering if you’re missing something important. It’s here, ready for you.

And for the first time, this full pathway is available as a comprehensive online program, accessible to families anywhere in the world.

 

  *This conclusion emerged from initial independent research into existing homeschool offerings and was later confirmed through an AI-assisted landscape review of programs, courses, communities, and certification pathways available at the time of writing.

Case Study: Patty's Story

Part II: When trust begins to unfold. 

I traveled to Chicago to support this beautiful family in transitioning out of traditional schooling.

Over two workshops, I explained how the conventional system creates stress and resistance — because it isn’t designed around how children actually learn.

I shared over 150 years of research and lived experience from alternative education, distilled into modern learning principles like project-based learning, self-direction, and whole-child development.

I showed them how to:

  • shift from “power over” to “power with” children (what we at Light Way now call Famli)

  • move from parent to confident home educator

  • create a learning environment that balances structure and freedom

  • honor children's natural learning ability

  • trust learning even when it looks different than expected 

During our time together, after demonstrating how to closely observe the interests of the children and really listen to them, we saw how much they both loved baking and, with two entrepreneurial parents, they naturally got excited about the idea of starting a cupcake business which they did very successfully that same week.

This one project integrated math, marketing, physical skills, language, sales, speaking, reading, writing—everything they needed to learn, but through something they actually cared about. Now that's not only powerful. It's joyful. And fun. 

After our time together, the kids never went back to school. Patty's husband Paul agreed to try home education for a trial period. He ordered curriculum workbooks and wanted them scheduled a couple of hours daily. Sound familiar?

But Patty sensed her children needed something different. She wanted them to reconnect with learning as something joyful, not just another set of requirements to meet. So the workbooks stayed on the shelf, and Matthew and Arianna began learning in ways that honored who they actually were.

And something magical started to happen. They began to remember that they loved learning. They started asking questions again. They pursued interests with the kind of depth that's impossible when you're moving through predetermined lessons at predetermined speeds.

Matthew got involved in local theater. Arianna discovered fiber arts. They studied history through reenactments, explored science through hands-on investigation, and learned math through real projects that mattered to them.

The children who had been begging to leave school were now begging for more time to explore what fascinated them. 

See part 3. 

 The Foundations Journey

The Foundations Journey: 
Your Path to Confident Home Education

A step-by-step certification course to get clarity, find your footing, and start your home education journey with growing confidence.

SWap above for one narrower banner across. 

Your Pathway To Confident Home Education

Get clarity, find your footing, and start your home education journey with growing confidence.

 

The Light Way System™ forms the core of Light Way Home Educator Academy. 

Inside, we'll show you how to:

  • Create a personalized learning environment that ignites your child's curiosity

  • Implement Famli™, our unique decision-making, empowerment system to build family harmony

  • Develop a flexible learning plan tailored to your child's unique interests and needs

  • Navigate legal requirements with confidence

  • Build a supportive community of like-minded families

Plus, you'll get:

  • Monthly group coaching calls with expert guidance

  • A community of fellow home educators

  • Comprehensive workbooks and learning journals

  • Access to exclusive resources and templates

So you can:

  • Watch your child's natural love of learning flourish

  • Form deeper connections with your family

  • Feel confident answering questions from skeptical relatives

  • See your child develop into a self-directed, confident adult

  • Create an educational experience that honors who your child truly is.

Why Get Certified?

And yes — it also means something many parents have been quietly wishing for:

A way to say, with clarity and confidence,


“I am qualified. I know what I’m doing. I am a certified Light Way Home Educator.”


You’ll gain teacher-level knowledge, practical skills, and real support — without needing a teaching degree.

After successful completion of The Foundations Journey, you'll be entitled to say "I'm a certified Light Way Home Educator" giving you the confidence and credibility you need to reassure concerned coparents, friends and family members who just don't get it yet. 


And the best part? You don't have to wait to finish the course to get started. From day one, you'll be learning by doing. We've crafted an experience that guides you step-by-step through our proven system while you're actually implementing it with your child.

      

Inside The Foundations Journey

Module 1: Start Here -
Your Journey to Confident Home Education

Welcome to the beginning of something beautiful. Here you'll meet the Light Way System, understand what makes this different from school-at-home, and receive your first invitation: to breathe, trust your pace, and know that you don't have to figure it all out before you begin.

You'll discover:
  • You are not alone.
  • Why you're already more prepared than you think.
  • How to approach this journey without overwhelming yourself.
  • The Light Way values that will guide your family's unique path.

Module 2: Facing Your Fears - What If I'm Not Enough?

Let's gently address what's really underneath those 2 AM worry sessions. Every concern you have about home education is understandable, and most are much more workable than they feel right now. We'll explore socialization, academics, family dynamics, and that persistent voice that wonders "What if I mess this up?"

You'll discover:
  • What socialization actually looks like for thriving children.
  • Why children often learn more readily outside traditional school environments.
  • How to respond to family members who don't understand your choice.

Module 3:  
Creating Your Nourishing Home Learning Space

Transform your home into a place where learning feels natural and alive, without turning it into a classroom. Discover how to create sacred space, establish gentle rhythms, and design an environment that supports both focused learning and joyful family life.

You'll discover:
  • How to optimize your space for learning, whatever your living situation
  • The gentle power of ceremony and ritual in education
  • Which tools and materials truly matter (and which don't)
  • How to extend learning naturally beyond your home

Module 4:  Famli - Empowering Children Through Shared Decision-Making 

This isn't about letting children make all the decisions. It's about building genuine respect, critical thinking, and collaboration through gentle tools like rounds, proposals, and family learning circles that honor everyone's voice.

You'll discover:
  • How to include your child in meaningful decisions while maintaining your guidance
  • Tools that reduce conflict and help everyone feel truly heard
  • The difference between healthy consent and endless negotiations
  • How to cultivate leadership skills from an early age

Module 5:  
Parenting as a Home Educator

Your role is expanding in beautiful ways, which can feel both exciting and uncertain. Learn how to embrace this growth, release the pressure to be perfect, and build the kind of trust that allows learning to flow naturally.

You'll discover:
  • How to see this journey as growth for everyone, not just your child
  • Ways to earn trust in your expanded role without losing yourself
  • How to listen deeply without feeling like you have to fix everything
  • Communication approaches that invite connection rather than compliance

Module 6: When Your Child Hurts-
Emotional and Mental Wellness

Support your child's inner life through healthy rhythms, conscious relationships with technology, and emotional intelligence. Address anxiety, overwhelm, and digital balance in ways that feel manageable and real.

You'll discover:
  • How simple daily rhythms support emotional well-being naturally
  • Research-based understanding of what's really affecting young people's mental health
  • How to create boundaries with technology that feel supportive, not punitive
  • Tools for helping children recognize and express their emotions safely

Module 7: Beyond Labels -
Honoring All Ways of Learning

Discover how your child naturally engages with the world, not to limit them with categories, but to understand their gifts while encouraging growth in all directions.

You'll discover:
  • The many ways intelligence shows up beyond traditional "book smarts"
  • How to recognize learning preferences without boxing anyone in
  • Teaching to natural strengths while gently expanding capabilities
  • Creating learning experiences that honor individual differences

Module 8: 
Creating Personalized Learning Experiences

Design meaningful, individualized learning journeys using both intuitive planning and modern tools. Move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches to education that truly fits your child and your family.

You'll discover:
  • How to plan learning experiences that work backwards from what matters most
  • The Light Way System for nurturing the whole child
  • How to use technology and AI tools thoughtfully to personalize learning
  • Templates and resources to bring it all together in your own way

 

"Zahra, I realized this week that I'm not only learning how to teach my son, I'm becoming a better mother too. I can't thank you enough. This course is amazing."


— Rio, San Francisco

Your Bonuses

Bonus 1: Empower the Parent; Empower The Children 

Conscious Parenting Course Series I

 

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6 Essentials Videos, 6 Recordings + transcripts + 80+ page Playbook (Value: $297) 

Empower The Parent; Empower The Children will help you:

  • Spend more time enjoying your kids and less time  lost in conflict

  • Increase empowerment, respect, and clear communication

  • Decrease conflict, reactivity and undesirable behavior

"I just heard the first part of the series. It's just what I needed to hear. I had a big cry at the end with the music. It was a release and a realization that I want to thank you for. Thank you for all that you do from the bottom of my heart. It's very special work that is the most important on this planet right now."

— Rhiannon, Australia

Bonus 3: Light Way Village Lifetime Access

 (Value: $497)

Light Way Village is our online community housed on the same platform where you'll find The Foundations Journey and access Shine The Light Coaching.

As a founding member, you receive lifetime access to The Founders Lounge Circle inside the village, our thoughtfully designed community space where new Foundations families will connect, share resources, and support each other's journeys.

This isn't a Facebook group—it's a dedicated platform with its own app created for meaningful connection and ongoing growth.  After the BETA launch, Light Way Village will be a monthly subscription, so you save infinitely by joining now with a lifetime membership. 

Bonus 4: Monthly Shine The Light Group Coaching Sessions plus an Accountability Buddy

(Value: $397)

 Join our sacred monthly gatherings where Foundations Journey parents come together for 2.5  hours of deep connection, learning, and support INSIDE THE FOUNDERS LOUNGE. These aren't sales webinars—they're intentionally designed community experiences that honor both practical guidance and the deeper journey of conscious parenting.

Each call includes:

  • Sacred opening with candlelit intention-setting and heart-centered check-ins

  • Targeted teaching on topics chosen based on your real questions and challenges

  • Interactive Q&A with personalized guidance from our certified Light Way coaches

  • Small group breakouts for deeper connection and accountability partnerships

  • Closing ritual to integrate insights and carry the light forward

Plus, you'll be matched with an accountability buddy—another Light Way parent to connect with between sessions for ongoing support, encouragement, and shared learning experiences.

These calls create the village support that home educating families often miss—a place where you're truly seen, heard, and guided by both expert coaches and fellow parents who understand your path.

All Foundations Journey parents get three monthly calls included with the course.  After 3 months, a low monthly fee about the price of a cup of coffee keeps you in the Lounge. 

Bonus 5: The Foundations Journey Playbook & Personal Journal

(Value $197)

Your detailed playbook transforms any complex concepts into simple, actionable steps you can implement immediately with your family, while the guided journal creates space for the deeper reflection, emotional processing, and personal insights that most parents never get. Together, they ensure you're not just learning about home education—you're actually becoming the confident, intuitive guide your child needs.

The Foundations Journey Includes:

 

Value    What You Get

$297      Bonus #1 Empower the Parent Audio Series

$297      Bonus #2 Empower the Teacher Audio Series

$497      Bonus #3 Life time access to the Light Way Village

$697      Bonus #4 Three Monthly Light you UP Founders Group Coaching Sessions

$197       Bonus #5 Foundations Journey Workbook & Personal Journal 

 

$1,985   Total Value of Support Bonuses

$1,297    Lifetime access to all course materials and updates to The Foundations Journey

$3,282   Total Value

 $997    Founder's Price*

 

* Only the first 25 families will receive founding member pricing, lifetime community access, AND the personal attention that comes with our intimate cohort size. Once we reach 25 families enrolled, we close this exact package—and this price—will never be available again. 

 

3 Payments of

$349

  • Lifetime access to all course materials and updates to The Foundations Journey ($1,297 value)
  • Empower the Parent Audio Series I ($297 value)
  • Empower the Teacher Audio Series I ($297 value)
  • Light Way Village Community Lifetime Access ($497 value)
  • Three monthly Live Light You UP Founders Group Coaching Sessions w/ Accountability Partnership (Value: $697)
  • Your Foundations Workbook & Journal ($197 value)
  • Plus: Complimentary Founders Lounge access
ENROLL NOW

Save $50 - One Payment of

$997

  • Lifetime access to all course materials and updates to The Foundations Journey ($1,297 value)
  • Empower the Parent Audio Series I ($297 value)
  • Empower the Teacher Audio Series I ($297 value)
  • Light Way Village Community Lifetime Access ($497 value)
  • Three monthly Live Light You UP Founders Group Coaching Sessions w/ Accountability Partnership (Value: $697)
  • Your Foundations Workbook & Journal ($197 value)
  • Plus: Complimentary Founders Lounge access
ENROLL NOW

Complete The Foundations Journey within 3 months, engage fully with all materials, exercises & coaching and implement the Light Way System and if you don't have clarity about your home education path by the end of it, we'll return your full investment.

Meet Your Guides

Zahra Lightway, M.Ed, BA

Education Consultant

Co-founder of Light Way Learning and creator of the Light Way System. An experienced educator, education consultant and community design facilitator, I help families reclaim learning as a joyful, relational journey. After teaching in traditional schools for over a decade and witnessing children lose their spark, I spend four years researching and developing the Light Way System-testing it in micro- programs in my home and then a small school in Texas where it proved children could thrive when learning honored who they truly are.  I weave together holistic approaches to education, emotional intelligence, and collaborative tools to support families who want to create something beautiful together.

"Zahra, I realized this week that I'm not only learning how to teach my son, I'm becoming a better mother too. I can't thank you enough. This course is amazing."

— Rio, San Francisco

 

Kim Swaffield M.Ed. BA

Certified Coach

Director of Coaching and certified Light Way Guide. As a longtime early childhood educator and program specialist, Kim brings deep expertise in child development, project-based learning, and creating environments where children thrive. She approaches coaching with warmth, wisdom, and a profound respect for both children and parents.

"Thank you so much for all your hard work. It has been such a pleasure having you as a second set of eyes. Helping rearrange our room and adding new things has been a great success. The young authors' area is continuing to grow. We are so looking forward to completing books and watching the children reach new heights. It won't be the same without you and I will truly miss you."
 — Teacher, Cincinnati. 

Case Study: Patty's Story

Part 3: What becomes possible...in her own words. 

I messaged Patty for an update in early in 2020 and this is what she shared. It started with a remarkable contrast for you to keep in mind as you read.

She said "In traditional school over the last four years, Arianna and Matthew would have spent 200+ hours taking standardized tests, another 300 hours preparing for them, and 3,600 hours sitting behind a desk being talked to about all the things they have instead been living. Instead…

Matthew is in his last semester at the community college--will graduate in May with an associates degree two weeks before he officially graduates high school. He was accepted to 6 universities, and will be competing in February for drama and German scholarships. He wants to teach German, and is looking forward to living in Germany next year as a foreign language student. He is back in martial arts this year. And he now performs stand-up comedy! Matthew spends lots of time writing his material, observing comedians, and trying to find the funny in human behavior. He is brave, happy and so excited about moving on. Oh, and he gets to vote this year. That is important to him with the disaster America is in right now.

Arianna is still attending the community college. She will be done next year (technically her junior year of high school), with an Associates of Science and Applied Science in Sustainable Agriculture, and has already earned her Permaculture Certificate. We are just starting to explore options for her senior year. Maybe I send her to New Zealand! That program you are running is her dream. Arianna would love to run a permaculture farm/apple orchard. She has it all planned out, and works at the campus farm every week.She is busy playing the harp, and is getting hired quite regularly now. She is raising ducks in my backyard, still volunteers at the goat farm, and is always learning something. Last week she was exploring how to make jewelry out of leaves, and spinning alpaca fur on her spinning wheel. She is creative, nature loving, and happy. Oh, and she is about to be a licensed driver.

Both kids love to cook, so they make us dinner at least once a week. It is awesome for Paul and I.”

Here's what moves me most about their story: These young people essentially designed their own education. When Patty trusted her children to let her know what they needed to learn and gave them a flexible schedule and the support to pursue it, their authentic selves and natural gifts flourished.

What Patty did was remarkable, but it wasn't complicated. She showed up consistently, trusted the Light Way System, trusted her children, and trusted herself. She facilitated their learning rather than controlling it.

And that's exactly what The Foundations Journey will help you learn to do.

  

1:1 Foundations Journey Complimentary Q&A Call

30 min
•
Free

Have a chat with me, Zahra Lightway, co-founder and actual human, to answer any questions you may have about The Foundations Journey or anything related to Light Way Learning. I look forward to getting to know you and helping you to understand more about what we can offer.

Questions Families Often Ask

Your Choice is Waiting

Right now, you have three paths in front of you:

  1. You can stay where you are. Continue hoping things will improve while watching your child's natural curiosity and joy slowly fade away.

  2. You can try to figure this out alone. Spend months scrolling through conflicting advice, feeling overwhelmed by curriculum choices, second-guessing every decision, and feeling isolated in a journey that doesn't have to be solitary.

  3. Or you can take this step into home education with support. Join 24 other families who are choosing to trust their instincts, receive clear guidance from people who’ve trained others successfully, and discover what becomes possible when learning feels alive and meaningful again.

The children who will create positive change in our world aren't being trained to follow instructions and seek approval from authority figures. 

They're growing up in homes where their curiosity is honored, their questions matter, and their unique gifts are seen and celebrated.

They're learning from parents who chose trust over fear, connection over control, and love over convenience.

Your child is one of these children.

The question isn't whether you're capable of guiding their education beautifully. You are.

The question is whether you're ready to trust yourself and take the first step.

.

Enroll Today