Welcome!
accreditation with icare
We are a whole-child education accrediting agency that is invested fully in holistic, relationship-based principles and practices.
At the International Council for Accrediting Relationship-based Education (ICARE), we help educational institutions integrate whole-child development principles and practices that support holistic education. We forge a true partnership by following transparent and fair evaluation procedures. We do this by staying in relationship to your program’s own mission and vision. Accreditation is based upon schools’ and organizations’ self-defined goals and methods of addressing the needs of evolving learners. We are sincere in our commitment to integrity, innovation, excellence, diversity, and holistic values.
Since launching ICARE, we have taken three small schools through the “beta” process. Unfortunately, Julia’s Garden Montessori School, our first beta school to complete accreditation, closed permanently, like so many others, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Progress School, our second client school, is on an indefinite hiatus. Most recently, Great Minds Learning Community completed the process and received full ICARE accreditation, and continues to operate with great success.
Why does the world need this kind of accreditation program? Read our thoughts on the problem, the need it has created, and the solution we offer. If you’re ready to explore our unique, comprehensive, and affordable accreditation program, please review the Steps to Accreditation. Then contact us to begin the process.
About the ICARE Team
The International Council for Accrediting Relationship-based Education (ICARE) is a project of Enlight Ignite, a group of education professionals based in Austin, Texas. We work in close collaboration with the holistic education experts at Portland, Oregon–based Luvmour Consulting and an international board of advisers. Together, we bring many decades of experience and diverse perspectives to the school accreditation process. Read below to learn more about both organizations, our advisory board, and the expertise, both broad and deep, that we offer.
ABOUT ENLIGHT IGNITE
Enlight Ignite is led by three individuals who live and breathe education and are deeply invested in shaping the future of learning. Our mission is to catalyze, synergize, and nourish diverse edu-ecosystems to “enlight and ignite” the evolution of education. Co-creating the ICARE holistic accreditation program is a labor of love and an expression of our utmost respect for our colleagues who are doing the vital work of relationship-based education in schools and other programs around the world.
ali ronder, M.Ed.
Co-Founder, Enlight Ignite, LLC
Development Director, Head of School, and Educational Nonprofit Consultant
Read more about Ali.
nishi andra, M.ED.
Co-Founder, Enlight Ignite, LLC
Program Development and Educational Technology
Read more about Nishi.
Teri Sperry, m.A.
Co-Founder, Enlight Ignite, LLC
Family Education Consultant and Publisher
Read more about Teri.
ABOUT LUVMOUR CONSULTING
The founders of Luvmour Consulting, Ba and Josette Luvmour, are developmental consultants with a knowledge of human development that runs both wide and deep. Their methodologies facilitate reflections on thinking and learning so that personal growth can emerge.
Ba and Josette use the Natural Learning Relationships model of nurturing the child’s underlying needs, a whole-child development approach that cultivates and encourages optimal development. They work with schools, individual educators, parents, whole families, and social service organizations. They also frequently present at conferences.
Learn more about Luvmour Consulting’s work here.
Josette Luvmour, Ph.D.
Specialist in human development, author, consultant, educator, and public speaker
Geoffrey “Ba” Luvmour, M.A.
Mentor to professionals in all matters relating to children, families, and education; meditation facilitator; family consultant; educator; writer; and podcast host about holistic education
ICARE’s Advisory Board
About Our Board of Advisers
The following education professionals have joined the ICARE team in an advisory capacity. They represent a diverse, international array of experience and scholarship in relationship-based education at every level, from early childhood through post-secondary institutions. We are grateful for their willingness to lend their expertise and wisdom to our holistic accreditation process, and we are confident that their support strengthens and amplifies our work.
BRANDON ATKINS, M.A.
Faculty coordinator, Adult Basic Skills (ABS), and Psychology Social Science faculty instructor at Rogue Community College
Medford, Oregon
PETER BERG, Ed.D., C.H.M.H.C.
Author of The Tao of Teenagers, founder of Youth Transformations, youth holistic mental health/empowerment coach, school counselor, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy practitioner, educational developer and consultant, Self-Design Graduate Institute faculty member, AERO representative and community organizer
Hooksett, New Hampshire
MARNI BINDER, Ed.D.
Associate professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies and teaching chair, Faculty of Community Services, at Ryerson University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
SAM M. CROWELL JR., Ed.D
Professor emeritus in the College of Education at California State University, San Bernardino; affiliate faculty of the UNESCO Chair and Center for Education for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter at the United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica; founder of the Master’s Program in Holistic and Integrative Education, founding member of the Network in Spirituality and Education, and faculty member at SelfDesign Graduate Institute; author of The Re-enchantment of Learning; Emergent Teaching: A Path of Creativity, Significance, and Transformation; and Mindshifts
Idyllwild, California
KATHLEEN FAITH, M.Ed.
Artist-activist, emphasis on curriculum design; past director of Yuba City Home Based Education; 25 years’ experience as a homeschool teacher
Chico, California
PAUL FREEDMAN, M.A.
President of SelfDesign Graduate Institute; founder and head of Salmonberry School
Eastsound (Orcas Island), Washington
YOUNGHEE KIM, Ph.D.
Professor in the School of Education, coordinator of Early Childhood Development, and chair of Undergraduate Programs at Southern Oregon University
Ashland, Oregon
BRANDY MOORMAN-MCCRAY, M.A.
Impact coach and analytics manager at City Year; emphasis on teacher-student relationships
Memphis, Tennessee
WEST WILLMORE, M.Ed.
Curriculum coordinator and development director at Rainbow Community School
Asheville, North Carolina