Heartworks Early Education

Happy #WorldChildrensDay, a day devoted to promoting international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare! We are especially proud of our place in the Babilou Family global network today, and our work alongside our international colleagues to advocate for the field of early education. We couldn't be more excited for their timely release of the "Sustainable Education" book, too - check it out below! This collection of best practices - from experts and organizations in the field across the 10 countries that comprise the Babilou Family network - aims to support the continued evolution of early education in the modern era. #SustainableEducation #PedagogyForTomorrow

Our position within Babilou Family allows us to leverage powerful relationships with some of the most talented advocates of the early education sector, like Sridevi Raghavan. We’re proud that her passion, experience, and leadership continue to be recognized and utilized around the world. Congratulations, Sridevi!

We are thrilled to welcome Christie Pinheiro, our new Chief Operating Officer, to Little Sprouts! Christie brings with her a wealth of experience and dedication to the field of early childhood education, with a career spanning over 25 years. Her professional trajectory has been driven by a deep commitment to fostering environments where children can thrive, learn, and develop a lifelong love of discovery. Her experience has provided her the opportunity to work alongside talented educators, administrators, and families to create programs that prioritize quality, innovation, and meaningful impact - and she is excited to bring that same passion and dedication to Little Sprouts. Christie is eager to collaborate with our team in order to enhance operational excellence, support professional growth for our educators, and ensure our programs remain among the most trusted and enriching for young children and their families. Beyond Christie’s professional role, she is a proud wife and mother of two wonderful daughters, Mia and Mona, who inspire her daily. Being a mom has reinforced her belief in the critical importance of high-quality early education and the positive, lasting impact it has on children’s lives. "After accumulating a wide array of experience in the field of early education, I’m thrilled my journey has brought me to Little Sprouts. I believe that when we invest in early education and prioritize strong partnerships with families, we create the foundation for bright futures for children, as well as a supportive, dynamic workplace for our educators. I look forward to meeting and collaborating with this dynamic, passionate team!" - Christie

Congratulations to all of our employees who celebrated a hire-anniversary in October! ??

Many might associate science, technology, engineering, and math skills with elementary school and beyond - but we believe early exposure to these concepts is essential to building a foundational approach to education.

Thank you, Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC), for hosting the annual Early Childhood Conference: two days dedicated to professional development for early childhood educators in Vermont. Our Executive Director of Heartworks Burlington, Amanda Schroth, presented her leadership-focused presentation, "The Paint Suit Staff Meeting: The Appreciative Inquiry Way to create cohesive goals that your staff can get behind." During her session, Amanda taught directors and other early education leaders the principles and processes of using "Appreciative Inquiry," a strengths-based, problem solving process. Participants were then walked through an Appreciative Inquiry Initiative, where they were asked questions and instructed to write their answers on various parts of a paint suit, such as "What do you love about your days at work?" and writing over the heart area of the suit. By the end, participants were able to identify future goals and recognize how their strengths and passions could overcome the hurdles that stopped them from achieving those goals. The aim was for the participants to walk away with a clear idea of how to replicate the process with their own teams in order to create goals as a center.

Thank you, Champlain College for welcoming our own Ashley McKinley, Director of Operations, as we work to relay the importance of early education to the new incoming generation of teachers! Whether it is sharing more information about a career at Heartworks or simply outlining the importance of a nature-based education, we are always happy to share our passion with a new class of eager educators ????

Our Assistant Director onboarding events continue to be an enthusiastic initiative that forges a path to success for our incoming school leaders ?? Meeting with our Head of Education, Alexandra Loos, and our Director of Curriculum and Development, Christine Aiken, our new ADs took part in a 2-day training event where they met with our Home Office team and toured a few of our local schools ??????

We were thrilled to share the room with so many brilliant, talented, passionate speakers at last month's International Congress on Brain Sciences - Early Childhood Care & Education in France. Thanks to Babilou Family and UNESCO's efforts to bring all of these global thought leaders together on the international stage, our team was constantly inspired by the many philosophies shared, and how we as early educators can continue to evolve our approaches and practices in the classroom. #EarlyEducation #BrainScienceCongress2024

Congratulations to all of our employees who celebrated a hire-anniversary in September! ??