Every forest begins with a single seed.

Forest Saplings didn't begin with a business plan.

It began with a little girl growing up in the mountains of Colorado, muddy boots by the front door, treasures stuffed into her pockets, and parents who believed childhood belonged outside.

That little girl was me.

When I was about five years old, my parents packed up our family and moved into a tiny cabin tucked away in Coal Creek Canyon.

There was no electricity.

There was no running water.

There were mountains, forests, wildlife, and two parents who believed children should grow up with dirt on their boots and adventure waiting outside the front door.

At five?

I just thought that was normal.

I thought everyone had deer wandering through their yard. Everyone knew where the best climbing rocks were. Everyone came home with muddy knees and random treasures stuffed into their pockets.

Apparently... they did not.

My parents gave me something I've carried with me my entire life:

The freedom to explore.

To ask questions.

To make mistakes.

To solve problems.

To discover the world instead of simply hearing about it.

They also gave my poor parents an impressive amount of muddy laundry.

Sorry, Guys.

As I grew up and eventually dedicated my life to working with children, I started understanding just how important those experiences had been.

I've now spent nearly thirty years working with children in childcare centers, classrooms, private homes, and out in the wonderfully unpredictable real world.

Along the way, I continued studying how children grow and learn through Early Childhood Education, Infant and Toddler Supervisor certification, special needs training, baby sign language, CPR and First Aid certification, and ultimately earning my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with an emphasis on children.

But some of my greatest teachers have always been the children themselves.

After all these years, one thing has become incredibly clear to me.

Children haven't changed.

They still stop to watch ants.

They still splash in puddles.

They still ask questions adults have forgotten to ask.

They still learn by moving, touching, wondering, experimenting, making mistakes, and trying again.

The world around them has changed.

Life is faster. Schedules are fuller. Calendars are packed. There is always somewhere else to be and something else we're supposed to accomplish.

Children don't naturally live that way.

They notice the tiny flower growing through the sidewalk.

They stop for the butterfly.

They want to know where the ant is going.

They can spend ten minutes debating whether a cloud looks like a dragon or a duck.

For the record, it's usually a dragon.

They remind us to slow down.

I think that's something worth protecting.

And Forest Saplings Began to Grow

Forest Saplings grew from everything I had experienced, everything I had learned, and everything children had taught me.

I didn't want to recreate my childhood.

Every child deserves a childhood that's uniquely their own.

I wanted to create the space for it.

Time to wonder.

Time to imagine.

Time to ask “why?”

Time to climb one more rock.

Time to stop for the butterfly.

Time to make a friend.

Time to become capable.

Time to simply be a child.

That's what Forest Saplings became.

A place where curiosity can change the plan.

Where getting dirty isn't a problem.

Where a question can turn into an entire adventure.

Where children are trusted to try.

Where relationships come before schedules.

And where the things children discover along the way aren't interruptions.

They're the moments we're here for.

Today, Forest Saplings is a nature-based nanny share built around adventure, relationships, curiosity, education, and one belief that has followed me all the way from that little cabin in Coal Creek Canyon:

Children deserve the time to be children.

We'll provide the adventures.

They'll provide the questions.

Mother Nature will occasionally throw the entire plan out the window.

And somewhere along the way, someone will almost certainly find the greatest stick anyone has ever seen.

Sounds like a pretty good childhood to me. 

It takes a village to raise a child. We're honored to be part of yours.

When you choose Forest Saplings, you're not simply choosing childcare.

You're trusting us with your little human.

You're trusting us to comfort the scraped knees, answer the endless questions, navigate the big feelings, celebrate the tiny victories, encourage the next brave step, and spend some pretty important years helping your child figure out who they are.

That's something we don't take lightly.

Our goal has never been to simply watch children.

We want to know them.

We want to know what makes them laugh. What they're curious about. What makes them nervous. What helps them feel safe. When they need encouragement, when they need comfort, and when they just need us to step back and give them enough room to figure something out for themselves.

Because around here, relationships come first.

Everything else grows from there.

I've spent nearly thirty years working with children, and somehow they still manage to teach me something new all the time.

I've worked in childcare centers, classrooms, and as a private nanny, caring for children from just a few days old through their teenage years.

Toddlers, though?

They've always been my favorite.

They're curious. Fearless. Hilarious. Completely honest.

And they have an incredible ability to remind adults what actually matters.

I believe that when someone trusts you with their child, you should never decide you've learned enough.

I'm CPR and First Aid certified and continue my education through Early Childhood Education. I'm an Infant and Toddler Supervisor and have additional training in special needs care and baby sign language. I also hold a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with an emphasis on children and continue looking for opportunities to learn, grow, and bring more knowledge back to the children and families I work with.

My favorite part of what I do isn't teaching a child a fact.

It's watching them discover something for themselves.

The moment they climb the rock they weren't sure they could climb.

Spot something hidden in the trees before I do.

Finally get that stubborn zipper.

Help a friend without anyone asking.

Or look at me with that enormous grin that says:

“I DID IT!”

Those moments never get old.

Leila brings warmth, creativity, patience, and an incredible ability to connect with children.

She has experience caring for young children in both group and individual settings and shares the same belief that children learn best through relationships, curiosity, and hands-on experiences.

Leila is currently completing her Early Childhood Certificate as well as working on her Psychology Degree. She is also first aid and CPR certified.

She has a calm, reassuring presence that helps children feel safe enough to explore, while also knowing exactly when to jump into a game of pretend, get down in the dirt, or celebrate a tiny discovery like it's the most exciting thing that's happened all day.

Because sometimes, when you're three?

It absolutely is.

One of my favorite things about working with Leila is that we complement each other.

We're different people with different strengths, but we're working toward the same thing:

Helping children feel safe, loved, capable, curious, and completely free to be themselves.

During summer and school breaks, you may notice one more member of our little adventure crew.

Kyra has grown up around Forest Saplings and has had the unique opportunity to experience our philosophy from the other side of childhood.

When she's out adventuring with us, she's an extra set of hands, an enthusiastic adventure buddy, and someone our Saplings love having along.

As our Junior Guide, Kyra gets the opportunity to learn what it means to care for and encourage younger children while still being a kid herself.

She joins in our activities and adventures, helps with the little things, models kindness and independence, and has a wonderful way of connecting with younger children.

There's something pretty special about having an older child as part of the group.

Our little Saplings have someone to look up to, learn from, talk to, laugh with, and occasionally recruit into whatever extremely serious game of pretend is happening that day.

Kyra isn't a replacement for either of our adult guides. Responsibility for the children always remains with Robin and Leila.

She's an extra branch on our guide team. 

And we're pretty lucky to have her.

Forest Saplings is led by two adult guides, Robin and Leila, with our Junior Guide, Kyra, joining us during summers and school breaks.

That gives our Saplings something pretty special:

A small group surrounded by people who genuinely know them, enjoy them, and want to be part of their adventures.

It means more encouragement.

More support.

More individual attention.

More hands available to tie boots, read books, comfort big feelings, and celebrate little victories.

It also means children get to see teamwork happening around them.

They see us communicate, solve problems, divide responsibilities, help one another, laugh together, adapt when plans change, and treat each other with respect.

We're not just telling children how people should treat one another.

We're showing them.

And when Kyra joins us, children get another kind of relationship too: the opportunity to learn alongside an older child who can model independence, kindness, patience, curiosity, and friendship in ways that feel different from learning those things from an adult.

We believe children deserve adults who:

Listen before they correct.

Encourage before they rescue.

Guide instead of control.

Celebrate effort as much as success.

Laugh often.

Get dirty.

Stay curious.

And never stop seeing just how extraordinary ordinary childhood can be.

Some children run straight toward an adventure.

Some need to watch first.

Some could spend an hour looking for bugs.

Some think bugs should remain several zip codes away.

Some will climb every rock they can find.

Others would rather sit nearby collecting flowers and telling us a very elaborate story about them.

They're all right. They're all welcome.

Your child doesn't need to become someone different to belong here.

They don't have to be the bravest climber.

The loudest talker.

The fastest learner.

The biggest adventurer.

Or the child who runs headfirst into everything.

They just need to arrive as themselves.

We'll meet them there.