What is Heart-led Education
(and why does it matter)?

Heart-led education means that we approach

all interactions from the heart before all else- we are people first.

This is a commitment to authentic, person to person, connections.

Perhaps you're wondering why this matters for your child's education?

Research tells us that children learn best when they feel safe and loved. Children are in a critical stage of development during their preschool years. 85% of neural pathways are forged by the time a child turns 3! This means that their first 5 years sets the tone for their whole future. Early education is a remarkable time to be a part of a child's life! To make the most of this window for learning, children need to love coming to school. While the classroom setting absolutely matters, it is fostering real relationships with their teachers, and knowing they can trust them for support, that is paramount. When your child can relax into their environment, they are free to explore with confidence; they are more inclined to take calculated risks and make connections in learning through play. We want our students to become comfortable being an active participant in their own learning so our first work is genuinely getting to know our students and building that trust.

Heart-led education recognizes that we do not all learn the same way, or come from the same perspective; this is to our advantage! Every child deserves to be met where they are developmentally, emotionally, socially and physically! There is no one size fits all in life so neither is there at The Wilds. Our approach focuses on the needs and pace of each child as an individual learner. Yes we have goals, but it matters more how we reach them than when.

Heart-led means that our teachers are here to develop a strong educational foundation with your child and a desire to learn, not condition them to conform to expectations for control. Learning at this age should be filled with curiosity, interaction and fun! We are here to put joy into learning so they might carry it forward with them as they grow. We do this through providing experiences which empower our students to experience success as they put their mind to it.

Our teachers bring your child into relationship with this learning environment and create fundamental connections between our materials, and our fellow learners. Everything we do here has mindful purpose and has been set with the intention though children will come explore their classroom on their own terms. Because the connections are purposeful, children will retain far more of their experiences to carry with them into their elementary years.

We are here to ignite a spark of wonder in each child's world. We are here to celebrate as children believe in themselves, embrace their own process, and experiment in their world with enthusiasm!

This is why Heart-led matters:

Children are empowered first through love.