We are public school teachers turned Montessori, with a healthy love and respect for all forms of alternate education including Waldorf, Reggio, and unschooling. We demystify Montessori and share how you can absolutely use this approach at home. Above all, we look to support the child and champion any approach that serves the child.

At Pine Hollow, we honor the parent-child connection and seek to understand and support each family’s unique needs. We bring expertise from the fields of public education, Montessori, child development, mental health, child psychology, and neuro-cognition and view our relationship as a partnership, working together to meet the needs of the child.

Curiosity, wonder, and authenticity are cornerstones of our work. We hold space for you, your child, your family, your needs, and take great care that you will be met with the warmth and understanding everyone deserves.

We recognize the impact of trauma and work to promote healing and safety in our environment. We focus on building trust and operating within a framework of compassion, collaboration, and connection.

We recognize neurological differences as natural and valid variations of the human brain. We focus on strengths and autonomy, reducing shame and supporting authenticity.

We believe children are always giving their best effort, and do well whenever they can. We draw heavily on the work of Dr. Ross Greene, following his model for Collaborative Problem Solving to respond to tricky behaviors and unsolved problems.

A child cannot engage in learning, or be expected to “do well” when their system is in a state of fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. When we are in tune with and support our children’s mental, emotional, and physiological needs, children feel safety and freedom to engage with learning.

Behind every behavior is a feeling. Behind every feeling is a need. If a child could communicate that need in a healthy way, they would. When we get to the root and meet that need, the child’s system is soothed and the problem takes care of itself. We fervently hold on to the goodness of children and model tools for effective communication, focusing on identifying the lacking skill rather than on shutting down the challenging behavior.