Are Florida scholarships accepted — and which ones?+
Yes — Berek Fano accepts both of Florida's main scholarship programs, and between them they cover most of our families. The FES-EO (Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options) is now universal — any Florida K-12 student can apply regardless of diagnosis, with an average award of around $8,000 per year. The FES-UA (Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities) is for students with a qualifying diagnosed disability — autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and others — with an average award of around $10,000 per year. If your child has an IEP, 504, or documented diagnosis they likely qualify for FES-UA. If not, FES-EO is available to everyone. We help families understand which program fits and navigate the application from day one — it's one of the first things we do together.
My child has never thrived in a group setting. Will this be different?+
We expect this and design for it. Every new student gets a personal onboarding visit before their first day — to see the space, meet their guide, find where their things live, and learn the daily rhythm without other children present. The first weeks are low-demand and high-trust. A calm re-entry space is always available, transitions are always supported, and nothing requires performance before a student is ready. What we do need is that a student can be present in the same space as others without significant risk to themselves or the group — not because we set a high bar, but because a community of under 10 students only works when everyone feels genuinely safe.
How do I know what my child is actually learning?+
Every student has a living portfolio — work samples, photos, and observation notes — that you can access at any time. You'll receive a weekly update. There are no report cards or standardised tests. Instead, we use a three-layer curriculum model: Layer 1 ensures every student encounters all five foundation domains (literacy, numeracy, science, arts, social reasoning) across the year. Layer 2 — agreed with you at enrollment and revisited each term — captures what your child specifically needs. Layer 3 is pure student-owned depth. You'll always know exactly where your child is and why.
What about subjects my child actively avoids?+
This is one of the most important questions we get. When a guide notices a consistent gap, our protocol is: first, look hard to see if the domain is actually present in an unrecognised form. Then bring the observation to the family — before any action — because you likely have context we don't. Then guide and family together design a specific, student-transparent approach. We never act unilaterally. The student is always part of the conversation.
Do you teach literacy and maths directly, or only through projects?+
Both — honestly. Most learning at Berek Fano happens through student-directed projects, where literacy, numeracy, science, arts, and social reasoning emerge naturally from the work. We also run short weekly workshops (40 minutes, Monday through Thursday) that focus on one foundation domain at a time. These workshops are always connected to what students are currently making — they're never standalone drills. Monday is literacy, Tuesday is numeracy, Wednesday is scientific thinking, and Thursday is flexible based on what the week needs. This hybrid model is how High Tech High — the most studied project-based school in the US — actually operates too. Pure embedded learning sounds appealing but isn't reliably sufficient. We're honest about that, and the workshops are our reliability mechanism.
Who is Berek Fano actually for?+
Gifted and neurodivergent learners in first through fifth grade who are capable, curious, and not well-served by standard schooling. That includes gifted children who are bored and beginning to disengage, twice-exceptional children (gifted and neurodivergent) who are being pulled in two directions, and children with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, or other profiles whose way of thinking is an asset in the right environment and a liability in the wrong one. What our students share is not a diagnosis — it's a learning profile that goes deep rather than broad, and a history of schools that didn't quite fit. We are not the right fit for every child. Students need a reliable way to communicate, the ability to engage in project work for meaningful stretches, and the capacity to be present in a small group safely. If you're not sure, tell us about your child — that conversation is always honest, and if we're not the right school we'll try to help you find one that is.
Is this a Montessori school?+
Berek Fano is a problem-based, curiosity-driven learning environment — not a Montessori school in the traditional sense. Our learning design draws on several decades of evidence including Montessori principles, project-based learning research, and self-determination theory, combined into a model built specifically for autistic learners with AI integrated throughout. Most learning happens through student-directed projects. We also run short weekly workshops in literacy, numeracy, and science — always connected to current project work — because we take foundation coverage seriously enough not to leave it entirely to chance. We take what works from multiple traditions and leave behind anything that doesn't serve our specific students.
What happens if my child has a really difficult day?+
It depends on what difficult means for your child — and we want to know that before they start. Some children dysregulate loudly. Some go very quiet. Some need to leave the room. Some need to stay close to an adult. The quiet nook is available at any time, no questions asked. The guide won't draw attention to a child who needs to step away, and re-entry is always calm and private. We'll tell you if something significant happened — within 24 hours, not at the end of term. And we'll ask you what works at home, because you've been figuring that out longer than we have.