There is a question that lives rent-free in the mind of nearly every homeschooling parent in Southwest Florida. Some days it whispers, some days it shouts:
Am I doing enough?
Close behind it come the others. Are my kids actually learning? Are they where they need to be? Am I qualified to be doing this? And the one nobody says out loud but everyone feels:
Can I please just have a break? Do I even deserve to want one?
If any of that sounds familiar, Courtney and Gabriela want you to know something: they have heard every single one of those questions. They have been hearing them for more than 25 years.
Two Educators. One Vision. A Community That Needed Both.
Courtney and Gabriela have been teaching since 1998 — long before homeschooling became a mainstream conversation, long before pandemic pods and hybrid learning entered the vocabulary. They built their careers in the classroom and in the community, watching families, understanding their needs, and quietly taking notes. And both of them were homeschooling their own children long before it was a trend — at a time when there were no scholarships, no support networks, and no roadmap. They did not just study this life. They lived it.
In 2021, that lived experience became something larger. Homeschool families in the Lee County area had heart, intention, and commitment — but they were carrying an enormous load with very little support infrastructure. Courtney and Gabriela had the expertise, the credentials, and the personal history to change that. So they did.
WISE Up Educational Services was born.
What WISE Up Actually Is
WISE Up is a Spanish Immersion Academy in Fort Myers, Florida — and it is unlike anything else in Southwest Florida.
It is not a co-op in someone's garage. It is not a drop-off tutoring center. It is a structured, professionally designed program built around real curriculum — curriculum Courtney and Gabriela created themselves — delivered in both English and Spanish by educators who have been doing this for more than two decades.
The program runs Monday through Thursday and is organized around two types of days. Core Days focus on the academic foundations: English Language Arts, Math, History, and Science. Elective Days bring in the experiences that make learning memorable, taught primarily in Spanish, because at WISE Up, language is not an afterthought. It is woven into everything.
Built Around Your Family's Real Life
WISE Up offers three program tiers so families can find the fit that actually works for their schedule, their budget, and their child's needs.
Whether your family needs one day a week or four, there is a place for you. And most tiers include both core academics and enrichment electives — because a child's education should never have to be either rigorous or joyful. At WISE Up, it is both.
Families who hold the Unique Abilities (UA) or PEP Scholarships through Step Up for Students are welcome and encouraged to apply. WISE Up accepts both, making professional bilingual enrichment accessible to more families across Lee County.
The Real Thing WISE Up Gives You
Here is what Courtney and Gabriela understood from the very beginning: a homeschool parent's biggest challenge is not finding curriculum. It is the weight of not knowing if they are doing it right.
When you walk through the door at WISE Up, that weight starts to lift.
Your child is being taught by credentialed educators with 25+ years of experience. The curriculum is not pieced together from five different online sources — it was written by the same people teaching it, with your child's age and stage in mind. Progress is visible.
Structure is real. And the community around you is full of other families who understand exactly what you are navigating.
As for whether you deserve a break? You do. Full stop. And for the hours your child is with WISE Up, you can actually take one.
Come Meet Us
WISE Up Educational Services was proud to be a sponsor of the Bell Tower Shops’ School's Out Family Fun Night — because community is not just a value we talk about. It is how we show up.
After connecting with so many of you at our May 28th event, we are thrilled to be back at the Bell Tower Shops on June 14th. If you are a homeschooling family in the Fort Myers area — or if you have been thinking about making the leap — come find us. Bring your
questions, including the hard ones. We have heard them all, and they will not make you feel small for asking.
Learn more at wiseuped.com or reach out to connect with us directly. The right fit for your family might be closer than you think.
