Raising Kids in the AI Era

Yes, with adult supervision and clear limits — and often the best AI preparation is screen-free. The research on young children consistently favours hands-on activities over screen-based ones for building the thinking AI can't replicate. When you do use tools, "kid-friendly" doesn't automatically mean safe. Check what data is collected before you sign up.

We cover schools and programs that traditional rating sites miss entirely — newer AI-era options like Alpha School have almost no coverage on GreatSchools or Niche. Alpha's Palo Alto campus had no Niche entry and an unclaimed Yelp listing when we looked. So we go and find out ourselves: what it costs, what the day actually looks like, and what you give up. No paid placements, no algorithmic scores.

We write about things that are new, expensive, contested, or badly covered elsewhere — private schools, after-school and camp programs, AI tools and apps, and the research behind screen-time decisions. We don't try to list everything. Our full standards, including how we verify prices and how we make money, are on our How We Choose page, linked in the footer.

Alpha School, the only genuinely AI-first option, runs roughly $65,000–$75,000 a year. The self-directed alternatives cost far less for middle school: Khan Lab School is $38,850, and Acton Academy ranges from $24,070 to $28,920 depending on the campus. Expect registration and materials fees on top. We date every figure, because they move.

Start with free, visual tools that produce immediate results kids can see. Browser-based platforms like Google Teachable Machine let kids train an AI using a webcam — no accounts, no downloads, no coding. Combine hands-on AI experiments with honest conversations about how AI makes mistakes and why thinking critically about technology matters.