SubSchool Joins the National Center for Grow Your Own to Expand Support for Substitute Teachers Nationwide

Detroit, April 8, 2025  – The National Center for Grow Your Own (NCGYO) is thrilled to announce the acquisition of SubSchool, the best-in-class training and professional development platform for substitute teachers. Adding SubSchool to NCGYO will expand support for substitute teachers and strengthen the sub-to-teacher pipeline nationwide. 

NCGYO’s mission is to create a world where you can become a teacher for free and get paid to do so, and SubSchool’s expertise in substitute teacher training helps to lay a strong foundation for future educators. With an estimated 34% of substitute teachers aspiring to become full-time educators, SubSchool plays a crucial role in providing high-quality preparation to a commonly overlooked segment of the education workforce—an effort that aligns seamlessly with NCGYO’s Grow Your Own initiatives.

David Donaldson, Founder of NCGYO, shared his enthusiasm for the acquisition:
“We are beyond impressed with the quality of SubSchool’s content. As we explored the platform, it became immediately clear how beneficial this resource is for current substitutes and how much it could support those on the path to becoming full-time teachers. As someone who started my career as a substitute teacher, I understand firsthand the importance of strong preparation and ongoing support.”

Amanda von Moos, Co-Founder of Substantial, the nonprofit that created SubSchool concurred: “We are thrilled about this next chapter for SubSchool. When we set out to create training that honored the important work of substitute teachers, we wanted to help them build a sense of meaning, mastery, and community. With almost 20,000 course completions and positive feedback from thousands of substitutes nationwide, we know we've achieved our goal. Now, our focus is on reaching more educators who need this support, and NCGYO will make it happen. Subs are the largest grow-your-own pipeline, but are commonly overlooked in the sector.  It’s a tribute to NCGYO that they are willing to invest in the support and growth of this essential workforce.”

With SubSchool, NCGYO will be able to leverage its national presence to expand access to professional learning for subs to more states and districts across the country.  The strategic combination of SubSchool's validated approach and NCGYO's extensive network creates a powerful foundation to attract and retain home grown talent into substitute teaching. This acquisition represents a compelling model for how nonprofits can scale effective solutions and maximize impact in education.

For more information, please contact:
David Donaldson
National Center for Grow Your Own
subschool@ncgyo.org