Our Story
Roots of Life Learning Cottage was born out of a mother's journey.
When my daughter was born ten weeks premature, weighing just 2 pounds and 14 ounces, I entered a world I never expected. Through early intervention services, therapy appointments, and countless conversations with professionals, I began learning how differently children develop and how important it is to meet them where they are.
As she grew, so did her personality. She was bright, curious, social, playful, wonderfully chatty, and full of energy. But as we navigated traditional education, I began to realize that the conventional classroom wasn't always the right environment for the way she learned.
Large class sizes limited individualized attention, while expectations to sit quietly for long periods left little room for the movement, conversation, and hands-on learning that helped her thrive. I watched her confidence begin to diminish, and eventually I found myself asking whether there was something wrong with how she learned—or whether she simply needed a different environment in which to learn.
Our journey eventually led us to homeschooling and alternative education. With more flexibility, individualized instruction, opportunities to move and talk, and the freedom to learn at her own pace, I began seeing what was possible when education could adapt to the child rather than continually asking the child to adapt to the environment.
But another question stayed with me:
What about families who know their child needs something different, but aren't able to homeschool themselves?
That question became part of the heart behind Roots of Life Learning Cottage.
I began imagining a place where children could be truly known. Where energetic and talkative didn't automatically mean troublesome. Where learning could be individualized, hands-on, meaningful, and joyful. And most importantly, where Christ would be at the center of it all.
Children deserve to be known.
Children deserve to be encouraged.
Children deserve the opportunity to flourish.
Hi, I'm Dora.
I'm a Christian mother, educator, veteran, former law-enforcement professional, and longtime advocate for children and families.
Service has been a consistent thread throughout my adult life. I spent seven years in the U.S. Army serving in Military Police, followed by six years in Religious Affairs with the Air Force National Guard. I later served for three years as a Special Agent for the State of New Mexico.
After leaving law enforcement, my work continued to center around serving people. My professional experience has included working with children and families, seniors, and individuals impacted by domestic violence, abuse, and other difficult circumstances.
Each chapter of that work shaped me differently. Military and law-enforcement service taught me the importance of responsibility, integrity, preparedness, sound judgment, and taking seriously the well-being of those entrusted to my care. Advocacy taught me to listen, recognize individual needs, and understand that people—and children—cannot always be served well through a one-size-fits-all approach.
Motherhood made those lessons deeply personal.
I've been a single mother since before my daughter's birth. From navigating her premature arrival and early intervention to therapy, education, and eventually homeschooling, advocating for her has profoundly shaped the mother and educator I have become.
Roots of Life Learning Cottage brings those parts of my life together: my faith, a life of service, my experience supporting families, my journey through motherhood, and my belief that children flourish when they are truly known.
My hope is to partner with families who want their children to receive a meaningful education in an intentionally small, Christ-centered environment where they are known, encouraged, challenged academically, and given room to grow into who God created them to be.
Meet the Founder
Our Mission
To partner with home-educating families by providing an intentionally small, Christ-centered learning environment where children are known, encouraged, and equipped to flourish academically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
We believe...
Christ is at the center of everything we do.
Every child is uniquely created by God and deserves to be known.
Families are our partners in learning.
Children learn in different ways and should be given opportunities to grow at their own pace.
Education should cultivate wisdom, wonder, character, and a lifelong love of learning.
