Alera earned her BS from Baylor University and spent the next eight years teaching in both public and private elementary classrooms. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2015 and collected a long list of education awards along the way, but what stayed with her most wasn't the recognition. It was watching year after year as bright, curious kids were asked to sit still, fill in worksheets, and trade their sense of wonder for a test score, while the families who wanted something different kept coming up empty-handed.

Alera knew there had to be a better way, a place where academics could be rigorous and childhood could still be, well, childhood. So she built one.

Project Play started small, but it was never meant to stay that way. What began as a place for open play and birthday celebrations grew into something bigger: a hybrid Discovery School where children are known by name, challenged at their own pace, and given real time outdoors, away from screens, every single day. In 2026, that model earned Project Play national recognition as a VELA Grant recipient for its innovative approach to blending strong academics, play-based learning, and childhood-centered education.

Today, Alera brings her background in education together with her entrepreneurial spirit as the founder of Project Play, a growing indoor and outdoor learning studio in the DFW Mid Cities known for its hybrid Discovery School, camps, celebrations, and meaningful play experiences for children and families. She spent years in public education before creating Discovery School, so she understands firsthand how hard it can be to find a school that feels right. Project Play is what she wished existed all along, and she built it so no family would have to choose between a strong education and a joyful childhood again.