The Family That Started It All: The Journey Behind Creative STEAM Academy
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d be running a homeschool learning center. I was a designer, a wife, and a stay-at-home mom these roles that filled my heart and reflected my passions. What I knew for certain, though, was that I wanted to be deeply involved in my children’s lives while they were young. I wanted them to spend their days learning in meaningful ways, not sitting in a classroom for long hours, away from me.
Why Homeschool Felt Right From the Start
Even before I had children, I sensed that the traditional education system needed reform. Long school days, endless homework, and the repetition of the same classroom, the same teacher, and the same peers year after year never felt natural to me. Worse yet, if a child ended up with a poor teacher, it could mean an entire year of lost growth and sometimes even a broken love of learning or diminished self-confidence.
So homeschooling felt like the obvious choice. But here’s the catch: I never saw myself as the teacher. I deeply value credentialed educators who are passionate, skilled, and able to connect content to students in inspiring ways. My vision was clear: hire teachers for my children so they could enjoy purposeful, focused learning without the wasted time, long hours, or endless homework that comes with traditional schooling.
From Pod to Community
Like many parents, I wasn’t alone in this vision. Early on, I started a small pod before pods became a trend with like-minded families. That’s when I realized there were many more “accidental homeschoolers” out there: families who hadn’t originally planned to homeschool but found themselves drawn to it for the very same reasons.
Raising twins (plus their “tag-along triplet,” born just a year later) revealed how different children can be, even at the same age. Different strengths, different learning styles, different paces. This inspired me to imagine a curated education, one where children could master the basics before moving on, follow their interests, and thrive at their own level.
I’ve always valued both teacher-led learning and peer-to-peer collaboration. I wanted my kids to experience community, but with intention and purpose behind their studies. Let’s be honest, learning is a social experience it happens best when students engage, share, and grow together. And so I set out to create Creative STEAM Academy. At CSA, learning is a social journey where we design environments where students connect, collaborate, and inspire one another.
The Spark of Creative STEAM
Over time, we explored different learning centers, co-ops, and homeschool programs. Each had positives and challenges most were started by other moms with their own visions of education developed for their passion of their children.
It wasn’t until COVID-19 hit, when one of our programs closed, that the real shift happened. Our family and a few friends needed a science and STEM option, so I hired a teacher and opened a small pod. That little science pod became the foundation for what is now Creative STEAM Academy a nonprofit homeschool learning center built for families who need something more than the public or private school system can provide.
Why Families Choose Us
Today’s traditional classrooms often have too many students, overworked teachers, and rigid structures that force all kids to move at the same pace. For many children, this one-size-fits-all model just doesn’t work.
Creative STEAM Academy was founded to change that. We focus on:
Small class sizes (12–16 students) so teachers can truly know and support each child.
Flexible groupings based on skill rather than age or grade.
Academic rigor with project-based learning to build both knowledge and critical thinking.
Life skill applications like executive functioning, problem-solving, and organization that prepare kids for the real world.
A supportive community where students gain confidence and rediscover the joy of learning.
Our CORE Academy Program
At the heart of Creative STEAM is our CORE Academy, which provides instruction in math, language arts, science, and history. Unlike traditional schools, we use a block schedule with one to two subject immersions per day. This reduces wasted transition time and allows for deeper, more meaningful engagement with each subject.
Because we’re a learning center and not a public or private school we have the flexibility to meet students exactly where they are, whether they’re behind in a subject, working ahead, or simply lost in the shuffle of a larger school system. Our environment is structured yet flexible, offering the best of both worlds: the community of a school and the personalization of homeschooling.
Looking Ahead
What started as one family’s search for meaningful education has grown into a thriving nonprofit serving families across Orange County. Creative STEAM is for those who believe children deserve more than a cookie-cutter education. We’re here for students who need smaller classes, intentional teaching, and a place where curiosity and confidence can flourish.
Because at the end of the day, education should be about more than memorization and test-taking. It should be about creating lifelong learners who are confident, capable, and excited for the future.