When A Microschool Founder Has To Step Away episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 30, 2026 · 35 MIN

When A Microschool Founder Has To Step Away

from LiberatED Podcast · host Kerry McDonald

When Niki Harris and her husband launched Farm School on their working farm in Northern California in 2018, they were simply looking for a better educational option for their own four children. What began as a part-time co-op quickly grew into a thriving place-based microschool serving dozens of students through multiple programs. But after nearly a decade of growth, unexpected circumstances forced Niki to make one of the hardest decisions any school founder can face: halting operations in the middle of the school year. On this episode of LiberatED, Niki shares the remarkable story of Farm School's evolution, the emotional and operational challenges of pausing a beloved microschool, and the lessons every education entrepreneur can learn from her experience. *** Sign up for Kerry's free, weekly email newsletter on education trends at edentrepreneur.org. Kerry's latest book, Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling, is available now wherever books are sold!

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 30, 2026

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When A Microschool Founder Has To Step Away

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