Join Us - Heartwood meets one to two days a week, three hours each morning. Our year is comprised of four nine-week sessions. Mondays take place in Glen Rock and Tuesdays in Ridgewood. (Exact location disclosed upon enrollment.) Our Heartwood calendar is available here.

Our Classroom - The forest is our classroom. Here, children become naturalists — uncovering their place in a larger ecosystem, attuning to seasonal changes, and exploring with all their senses. They practice patience. They build friendships. They remember how to be wild and wise.

Risk-taking is not just permitted at Heartwood, it is supported as essential. Whether balancing on a log, climbing a hillside, or navigating new social dynamics, children build not just knowledge but resilience, confidence, and a deep sense of what they are capable of.

Our Daily Rhythm - Days at Heartwood begin with a gentle wandering and wondering — explorers arrive with something already on their minds, or find their spark in the first few minutes outside. From there, our time together follows a warm, predictable flow that balances active and quiet, structured and free.

Each day includes snack, tea and story, and a closing verse to bring our time together to a gentle end. In between, the forest sets the pace.

Our Curriculum - Heartwood's curriculum is emergent and child-led, aligned with the philosophies of Montessori and Reggio Emilia. We follow the children's questions wherever they lead.

Some days that looks like noticing — a red seed on the forest floor, an animal print in the mud, the first skunk cabbage of spring. A question surfaces: What tree did that come from? Why does skunk cabbage smell that way? Who eats it? We do our best to find the answers together, bringing resources the same day or the following week, and trusting that the curiosity planted in the forest continues to grow at home.

Our explorers are remarkable noticers. They spot what doesn't belong — glass and discarded objects buried in the woods, they ask why — and they do their part to leave the forest a little cleaner. They observe new shoots pushing through in spring and wonder what comes next. These questions build awareness, vocabulary, and a genuine connection to the natural world around them. Math, science, and literacy are woven in naturally, in service of what the children are already curious about.

Heartwood is designed to supplement and enrich the lives of homeschooling and alternative education families — fostering community, deepening a love of nature, and honoring the child-led space where we believe the best learning happens.