GUIDED GROWTH EARLY LEARNING

Guided Growth Early Learning was once Brandt Family Child Care (same license #). Started in 2014 by myself the owner and teacher as a means to stay home with my own daughter. At that time, I enrolled all ages infants & toddlers, preschool, and school age children. The children I cared for as babies stayed with me through preschool which encouraged me to integrate a preschool program to meet their educational needs. 

​As my experience and training grew, I fell in love with teaching preschool and realized early childhood education was going to be a long-term career for me. In Winter of 2019 I returned to college in pursuit of my Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education (preschool teaching) to learn the most developmentally appropriate teaching practices for birth-third grade (graduated Winter of 2022).

I believe whole heartedly in the power of the environment as the third teacher, as well as the innate need for children to spend time outdoors and with natural materials. As such I take care to provide an environment indoors and out that is rich in hands-on experiences for children to choose from and mess about with, and plenty of time in the outdoors rain or shine.

I see children as competent and capable of directing their own learning if given the time, space, and freedom of choice to experience childhood to its fullest. Because I view children as highly competent directors of their own learning, I view myself as much more of a guide than a teacher. My job is to prepare the environment to entice fascination and wonder, then step back and watch what the children can create. Should productive play stagnant I am happy to ask open ended questions and provide inspiration and provocation to guide children back on the path to creative and constructive play.