Laura Sandefer Co-founder of Acton Academy and author of Courage to Grow, the story of Acton's origin and learner-driven model.
A TUTORING AND RESOURCE CENTRE IN VANCOUVER
You already know what your child is capable of.
What happens when your child doesn't have to fit the mould? When the pace belongs to the child?
You've seen it. The quiet focus when the work matters to them. The persistence when they've decided to finish something. The questions no one assigned.
Trellis is where that's the whole day.
Trellis is a tutoring and resource centre. It is a full-time learning community for homeschooling families in Vancouver.
Ages five to eight · Monday to Friday, 9:00–3:00 · One small mixed-age studio · Vancouver
Book a parent conversation
Thirty minutes with Saba, one of our founders. Bring every question you have.
Trellis is an Acton Academy
Trellis is an Acton Academy affiliate — part of a worldwide network of over 300 learning studios.
Every Acton studio is built on the same conviction: children are capable of far more than conventional wisdom often asks of them. And on the same design: a studio where children lead their own learning, work at their own pace, and are held to a real standard — guided by adults whose job is to ask questions, not give answers.
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. Trellis brings that model home to Vancouver.
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.
A day in the studio
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9:00 — Launch
The day opens with a story, a question, or a challenge, and nobody is handed the answer.
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Core skills
Reading, writing, and math with Montessori-based materials, each child at the right level of challenge, moving forward by mastery.
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Free play
Real, unscheduled play. It is part of the serious part of the day.
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Lunch
Lunch comes from home, and it is unhurried. Each child decides whether they want quiet time alone or lunch with friends.
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Quest
Hands-on team projects that stretch across multiple weeks: building, testing, researching, presenting, revising.
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DEAR — Drop Everything and Read
Everyone reads, alone or together as the learner chooses, the guide and Saba included.
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Studio maintenance
The children care for the shared space, because the studio is theirs.
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Closing
The day closes with reflection: What did I finish? Where did I get stuck? What needs repair? What will I do differently tomorrow?
How Trellis works
Trellis is a tutoring and resource centre. It is a full-time learning community for homeschooling families in Vancouver.
Parents register their child as a home learner and remain the child's educational decision-maker. Trellis provides the studio, the guide, and the program. Your child comes to Trellis every day, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 3:00.
Trellis is a learning community for homeschooling families — not a school.
Trellis serves children aged five to eight in one small, mixed-age studio. The studio is screen-free.
The guide
One full-time guide leads the studio. The guide's work is measured by what the children become able to do without them.
So the guide asks instead of answering, because a child who works through a question owns what they find. The guide lets a struggle finish instead of rescuing it, because a child who comes out the other side knows what they can handle. And the guide holds the boundaries, so freedom never becomes drift.
Everything the guide does points at three things Acton names in order: learning to learn, learning to do, and learning to be.
Warm-hearted and tough-minded. Calm and consistent enough that children can predict them. Saba is on site every day, in a supporting role rather than a guiding one.
How will we know our child is progressing?
Learners work at their own pace and move forward by demonstrating mastery, not by following a calendar. And you will see it for yourself: the studio holds exhibitions, where parents take part and the children present what they have built during their quests.
Founders
You already knowyour child is more capablethan most rooms make space for.
So did we.
Long before Trellis had a name, we began thinking seriously about the kind of learning environment we would choose for our 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.
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 daughter will be in the studio, right next to yours.
— Mosi & Saba
If this sounds like what you've been looking for, let's talk.
Book a parent conversation
Thirty minutes with Saba, by video.
Mission · Beliefs · Philosophy
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.
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.
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.