Location: South Austin*
3515 Convict Hill Rd
Austin, TX 78749
*Other campuses in Central Austin (5112 Duval St) and Northwest Austin (8600 White Cliff Drive #3)
Students served: Infants–5 years
Current enrollment: Student:teacher ratios follow the Texas minimum standards for licensed childcare centers
Model/philosophy: CDC creates multisensory opportunities and provocations to take another look. Play as work sets the stage for growing social, physical, and cognitive skills. Each day is mostly spent out of doors in generous outdoor classrooms that serve both as spaces for gross-motor and muddy play and as provocations to learn about the fluttering butterfly or the seed that has just sprouted. CDC rejects the distinction between “childcare” and “preschool,” embracing care as a vital component of early learning. As children experience care, they learn about empathy and compassion, grow in social skills, and in turn care for their classmates.
Special features: Children’s Discovery Center–South Campus offers a homelike setting in large, naturally lit classrooms, large shaded outdoor play areas, greenbelt access for hiking, and a pool for preK.
Schedule: Children’s Discovery Center is a year-round school. Breaks closely align with AISD’s. Hours are 7:30am–5:30pm Monday–Friday.
Tuition: 6 weeks–23 months = $1,625 per month; 2–5 years = $1,475 per month. Prorated tuition for a 2- or 3-day school week is also available.
Contact: Jaya Harper, Children’s Discovery Center South Director | 512-899-2267
Each listing in this alphabetical directory gives you a snapshot of a small, independent, alternative school in the Austin area.
This frequently updated list spans several pages, with navigation buttons at the bottom. Clicking on the name of a school will take you to its own website. To easily find schools by geographical area, see our Alt Ed Maps page. If you know of a school that’s missing from this directory, please drop a note here, and see Alt Ed Austin’s criteria for “alternative” and “school.” You may also be interested in our directories of other recommended schools (which are mostly larger or more specialized or religiously oriented), as well as special programs for children and adults.
Full disclosure: Alt Ed Austin founder Teri Sperry has ties with several of the schools listed on this site. Her child, now an adult, attended two of them years ago. She has friends who direct, teach at, or are otherwise involved in others. Some programs choose to advertise from time to time on Alt Ed Austin as Sponsoring Partners. She firmly believes that all of the schools featured on this site (including the ones to which she has no personal connection and those from which she receives no advertising fees) are good choices for some kids, each for different reasons.
