Can I use my Arkansas EFA funds?

Yes. Compass Life Skills is an approved Arkansas EFA vendor. Arkansas families can pay through ClassWallet Direct Pay, subject to their available EFA balance.

How much does a course cost?

Life Ready 1 is $249 one time. Pricing is identical for EFA and non-EFA families.

Does my student earn credit?

Each Compass course carries a suggested 0.5 high school elective credit, documented with instructional hours, assessments, and a certificate of completion. Parents make the final credit decision on the homeschool transcript.

Do I have to teach the courses myself?

No. Lessons are self-paced video taught by Daniel Shaw. Students work through them independently with parent progress tracking.

What ages is this for?

Compass courses are built for homeschool students ages 12 to 18.

Your kids will know what to do when it matters.

Our mission

Compass Life Skills is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Conway, Arkansas. Our mission is to teach young people the practical life skills that keep them safe, make them capable, and help them serve their families and communities, taught by qualified people who have lived those skills.

We're a nonprofit with no owners or shareholders. Course fees fund our educational program: producing lessons, paying our instructors, and building new courses.

Learn more about Compass Life Skills

Practical courses covering the skills every family needs, from first aid and car care to taxes, budgeting, and leadership. Self-paced, payable with your Arkansas EFA, with a certificate of completion.

Taught by Daniel Shaw

Daniel teaches every Life Ready 1 lesson himself. Retired Marine infantryman, career firefighter, and Advanced EMT.

Pay With Your Arkansas EFA

Use your Education Freedom Account funds for our courses. Compass Life Skills is an approved Arkansas EFA vendor, making real-world education accessible to every homeschool family.

Week 1: Emergency response

Week 3: Cooking and nutrition

Week 12: Fire and home skills

Built for Homeschool Families

No textbooks required. Our courses meet your family where you are: flexible, self-paced, and built around the real-world skills that actually matter.

Every class has been designed and presented with my teenage son in mind. No fluff, no filler. If it won’t help a teenager handle real life, it’s not in this course.

Daniel Shaw, Lead Instructor

We built Compass because the subjects that matter most were the ones nobody was teaching.

Preston also owns Palmer Music Company in Conway, an approved Arkansas EFA provider for music lessons.

Preston Palmer, Co-founder

You have math and reading covered. This is the part that gets skipped.

When Seconds Matter

Bleeding control, basic first aid, and staying calm in an emergency. The skills that turn a bystander into the person who helps.

When Life Gets Real

Money and budgeting, communication, leadership, and the everyday know-how that school never put on the schedule.

Taught by People You Trust

Retired Marine infantryman, career firefighter, and Advanced EMT with a master's in English. Daniel teaches every Life Ready lesson himself.

From the founders

“Your child has something worth saying.”

Can I pay with my Arkansas EFA?

Yes. Compass Life Skills is an approved Arkansas Education Freedom Account (EFA) vendor. Arkansas families pay through ClassWallet, subject to their available EFA balance. Families in other states can enroll directly with a card.

Who is Daniel Shaw?

Daniel Shaw is a retired U.S. Marine infantryman, career firefighter, and Advanced EMT. He holds a master's degree in English and is the co-founder of Compass Life Skills. He teaches Life Ready 1 himself, and any guest expert on a future course has to earn his approval first.

Do I need any prior experience?

No. Lessons are self-paced video built for teen learners, ages 12 to 18. Your student works through them independently, you do not have to teach a thing, and you get progress tracking along the way.

Thank you!

Start Learning Today

Compass Life Skills
2750 Tyler Street, Conway, AR 72034 · hello@compasslifeskills.org
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN 41-4467405.