Our Vision
At Emberlight Academy, we believe every child deserves a school where learning feels safe, joyful, and achievable. Our vision is to create an environment where children grow through their strengths, build confidence through mastery, and move forward at the pace that fits their needs. We nurture students academically, emotionally, and socially so they rise into their fullest potential.
Discover Emberlight Academy
Families everywhere are frustrated with what school has become. Classrooms are crowded. Teachers spend most of their time trying to manage behaviors instead of teaching. Students move from one lesson to the next even when they have not mastered the skills they need. Technology and testing take up more space than real learning. Many children feel overwhelmed, lost, or invisible.
Emberlight Academy was created as a direct response to these concerns. We believe children learn best with clear structure, warm guidance, and high expectations delivered with compassion. Our classes are intentionally small so students can receive steady, focused support. We use mastery learning to close learning gaps quickly and build the strong reading and math foundation every child deserves. We return to hands on work, paper practice, and meaningful projects. Technology is used as the supportive tool it was meant to be, not the center of instruction.
We also recognize that behavior affects learning. Emberlight provides a calm, predictable environment where accountability is paired with support. We do not accept the disruptive patterns that have taken over many classrooms. At the same time, we welcome students with special needs or behavioral challenges that come from skill delays, communication needs, or regulation difficulties. Our therapeutic partnerships help children grow instead of feeling punished or misunderstood.
Parents want a school that teaches well, protects learning time, and treats children with respect. Emberlight is that school. Here, children are seen. They are supported. They make steady progress. And they finally have the space to thrive.
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A Smarter Way to Learn
Built on twenty years of experience.
Designed for real results.
How We Teach
Reading
We use an analytical approach that helps children see the patterns in language. This builds confidence, strengthens decoding, and creates readers who understand how words work, not readers who simply memorize. Students learn to apply their skills across many types of texts, so reading becomes clear and enjoyable instead of overwhelming.
Math
We teach math in a way that finally makes sense. Instead of memorizing steps or guessing through worksheets, students learn why and how math works. Our approach builds understanding through simple, hands on experiences that lead naturally into independence. Every lesson is intentional, structured, and designed to prevent confusion before it starts.
We slow down the process and make math clear, concrete, and manageable. Our instruction focuses on real understanding, not shortcuts, so students leave feeling confident, capable, and ready for more. When math clicks, confidence follows.
Music and Art
Music and art are essential parts of our school day. These subjects strengthen memory, creativity, focus, and emotional growth. Students engage with rhythm, movement, color, and design to support cognitive development and deepen learning across all subjects.
Play and Breaks
Children learn best when they are not overwhelmed. We schedule frequent breaks throughout the day so students can move, play, and reset. Free play helps build social skills, emotional regulation, creativity, and healthy peer relationships. When they return to learning, they are calmer, happier, and ready to focus.
What Makes Emberlight Different?
Small by design.
Classes are intentionally small so instruction can adjust in real time and every child is seen.
Mastery before moving on.
Students build strong foundations first, reducing gaps, frustration, and guesswork.
Direct, structured teaching.
Lessons are clear, purposeful, and focused on real skill building not busy work.
Hands on, not overstimulating.
Learning centers on thinking, doing, and understanding, with technology used only when it truly supports learning.
Time to be kids.
Frequent breaks, movement, play, and peer connection are built into the day so students return to learning ready to focus.
Emberlight at a Glance
Emberlight Academy is built on intentional design, clear structure, and strong partnerships.
Because our work looks different depending on your role, we share tailored information for families and for educators and therapists who may be interested in partnering with Emberlight.
Meet the Founder
I’m Tamara Clarke Castillo, founder of Emberlight Academy.
I’m an educator, curriculum designer, and parent of two neurodivergent children who believes that children thrive when learning is intentional, humane, and built around how they actually grow — not how systems expect them to.
Emberlight was created from years of experience working with students and families who needed something more thoughtful than a one-size-fits-all model. Our approach blends strong academic foundations with flexibility, movement, and meaningful support, creating an environment where children can build confidence, curiosity, and real mastery at their own pace.
Who Emberlight Is For
Emberlight Academy is designed for families who know their child is capable of more — and want a school that honors how children actually grow.
We serve students who thrive with:
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Strong academic foundations
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Thoughtful pacing and flexibility
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Movement, breaks, and regulation built into the day
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Clear expectations paired with compassion
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Support that adapts to the child, not the other way around
Emberlight is especially supportive for families seeking a calm, intentional environment — whether their child learns typically, differently, or somewhere in between.
Welcome Home
Emberlight Academy is a mastery-based micro-school built with care for children who need something more thoughtful than a traditional model. Through a balance of academics, therapeutic support, creativity, and movement, we create a calm, sensory-aware environment where children feel safe, supported, and capable of meaningful growth.
