Tomorrow's Leadership Collaborative Charter School (TLC)

TLC Charter School’s mission is to provide a transformative and inclusive learning environment that supports the success of all students while serving as a model for innovative education in Orange County and beyond. The school aims to develop strong academic skills while nurturing empathy, leadership, and collaboration through a whole-child approach to learning. The school emphasizes being “diverse by design,” bringing together students with varying learning styles, abilities, cultural backgrounds, and socioeconomic experiences in a supportive and collaborative classroom environment.

Founded in 2018, TLC is an acclaimed and high impact TK-6th elementary charter school offering a unique and fully inclusive model educational program. TLC is Orange County’s first and only “diverse-by-design” school, providing full access to general education to every child with all additional supports or services students need to learn, grow, and thrive together.

Academic Program
TLC Charter School provides a hands-on, arts-enriched curriculum designed to encourage curiosity and foster critical thinking. Key features include:
• Small class sizes of approximately 20–24 students to support individualized attention. (student-teacher ratio: 1:14)
• Arts-enriched instruction, integrating music, creativity, and project-based learning.
• Technology integration, including 1:1 technology access and iPads for younger grades.
• Social-emotional learning (SEL) through the school’s TLC C.A.R.E.S. program, which promotes empathy, communication, and respect.

Student Population
TLC serves approximately 200 students and reflects the diversity of the surrounding Orange County community.
The student body includes:
• Students with disabilities and diverse learning needs (SWD 24%)
• English learners and students from multilingual households (EL 17%)
• Many students from low-income or underserved families (SED 72%)

Community Network and Partnerships
University Partnerships: TLC Charter School partners with institutions including UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton, and Chapman University as a research and teacher-training site focused on inclusive education practices and professional workforce development.
Orange County Network: Since opening, TLC Charter School has partnered with local nonprofit organizations and support networks across Orange County (e.g.: First Five, United Way, CAPOC, Orange Rotary, First Christian Church of Orange, Orange County Community Foundation) to secure resources and provide supports to families in need.
State/Regional/National Partnerships: TLC Charter School is a model site for inclusive education, and partners with schools and organizations across the region, state, and country as a demonstration site for best practices in teaching and learning (e.g. Walton Family Foundation, Center for Learner Equity).

Since 2018, TLC has impacted hundreds of students and families in Orange County, and TLC remains the first and only full inclusion elementary school option in OC. TLC students demonstrate high academic growth and achievement at all grade levels, daily attendance is high, and we have a growing list of families hoping to enroll their children. TLC has established our school as a hub for teacher preparation, innovation, research, and policy development. TLC is a key research partner for UC Irvine and CSU Fullerton, and a training site for new teachers attending Chapman University or UC Irvine.

Recognitions and Awards
• Orange County
o TLC Charter School was named one of 12 regional “Impact Schools” awarded by the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) in recognition of the school’s innovative and model program.

• California
o TLC Charter School has been awarded multiple highly competitive state grants (e.g. California Community Schools Partnership Program, CCSPP grant) and hosts school teams from across the state of California to learn from their inclusive educational model.

• National
o The school was named one of seven National Innovation Schools by the Walton Family Foundation for our school model and community impact.

In the last two years, TLC has been called upon in new and unprecedented ways due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. As schools across the nation faced sudden closures in Spring 2020, TLC immediately launched our Kindness Campaign to provide 1:1 tech and wireless access to all students. TLC parents, staff, and families all worked together to raise over $60,000 and make sure no child was left out of learning. Weekly food distributions for families, daily communications with staff, and thoughtfully prepared and engaging learning activities for students has made it possible for our TLC community to remain strong even during such difficult times.

Looking ahead, we aim to expand our impact across OC and promote full inclusion for all students – regardless of ability, language, culture, or background. TLC will continue to grow over the next few years, reaching full enrollment of 450 students by 2025. With an eye toward the future of special education and diverse learners, TLC will drive innovation and improvement in the field through research, practice, and our unwavering commitment to each, every, and all.

TLC is the first and only option in Orange County for families seeking full inclusion and educational access for students with the most extensive and complex needs. As public school funding in California does not cover the real costs required to educate students with disabilities, TLC must raise additional funds each year to ensure that every student receives the supports and services they need. The unfortunate reality is that our small, independent charter school must cover these costs on our own -- without sufficient resources allocated or any additional support from local, state, or federal funding sources.

TLC's annual special education service funding "gap" is more than $150,000 annually for services and supports including:
* Staff to provide behavioral and academic support for students with disabilities in the General Education classroom
* Tools and technology to support
for self-care needs (e.g. feeding)

Orange County and surrounding areas. TLC Charter School enrolls students from:
48 schools of residence
15 Districts
3 Counties (Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernadino)

TLC is designed to demonstrate that schools can tackle the challenges of educating the next generation to succeed in a dynamic and increasingly interconnected world. We look beyond the basic and recognize that educational innovation targeting critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration is essential to preparing students for the future. At TLC, our mission is to demonstrate how to make real progress in education through authentic inclusion and arts-enriched education for every child -- especially those who have been persistently marginalized, underestimated and shut out for far, far, too long.

The TLC Leadership Board is a volunteer group of community leaders, educators, and a parent. The Board is committed to supporting TLC’s mission in a safe and beautiful environment with a talented team of teachers, staff and school leadership through fundraising efforts, careful budgeting and management of school facilities. We navigated through the challenges of being a new school and then the challenges of keeping the school safe during a pandemic. The Board is inspired by the amazing students at TLC and their stories of making friends, creating art and music and learning through collaboration.