What is Prenda?

A completely new take on education

Prenda is a new kind of educational experience. We combine flexible learning environments, cutting edge techniques, human-centered technology, and passionate people to help children develop creativity, problem solving, and 21st century skills. Our mission is to empower learners. Sounds cliche? Think about what it means to be a learner. We think it’s two things: 1) a learner makes a choice to learn, and 2) a learner has the skills and habits to learn whatever they want. It’s a powerful way of interacting with the world, and we want to help every student hone this power. We take our mission and values seriously.

How does it work?

Prenda microschools are small groups (8-10 kids) meeting in a home, office, or studio. We’ve found a great blend of in-person interaction, personalized learning through technology, and passionate adults committed to guiding the learning experience. We are more concerned with the helping kids learn how to learn than we are with regurgitating information. We care more about growing into confident, empowered learners than we do about getting the answers right the first time. In our model, kids take responsibility for their own learning, unlock their potential, and see amazing results. Read more about how our learning model works here.

Where do adults come in?

We're looking for passionate people who love learning and are committed to helping open doors for the kids in their community. Do you want to help us build the next generation of child education? Feel free to read more about how learning guides are critical to a Prenda class.

If you're interested in helping us build a Prenda microschool, apply today so you can help us build the future! 

The Prenda Story

In 2013, Prenda founder Kelly Smith started volunteering at the public library, teaching kids computer programming. Watching the kids come to code club each week and work hard to build cool projects, he realized that 1) learning can be engaging and fun, and 2) the model worked better when the adult didn’t know how to code. Startled, he dove into researching education and landed on a new model of informal microschools.