THE ORIGIN OF NURTURED PATHWAYS

Nurtured Pathways grew out of my time running Mountain Sprouts Early Learning, an in-home early childhood program rooted in nature, play, and relationship-based care. Those years were deeply meaningful and formative, and they also brought me face to face with an important realization.

As I deepened my understanding of social-emotional development and began learning how to support young children in managing big feelings, behaviors, and nervous system overwhelm, I began to recognize something in myself. I was teaching regulation skills that I had never fully learned or embodied on my own.

There is a common saying in early childhood education: a dysregulated adult cannot help regulate a child. Through my work with children, I began to understand this in a very personal way.

Although I had already been teaching yoga for several years and was familiar with somatic and body-based approaches to healing, viewing this work through the lens of child development opened a deeper layer of understanding. Supporting children’s emotional growth required me to turn the lens inward and begin doing that work myself. What began as a search for better ways to support the children in my care became a deeper personal journey into nervous system awareness, inner child work, emotion coaching, breathwork, and somatic practices.

My background in child development helped me recognize the kinds of support and regulation that children need — and in many ways, it helped me recognize the same needs within myself. As I began to integrate these practices, I found that I was able to show up with greater presence, patience, and connection, both as an educator and as a person.

At the same time, running a full-time in-home program revealed the immense energy required of caregivers. Early childhood educators give continuously — emotionally, physically, and mentally — and without adequate support, depletion and burnout can happen quickly. Experiencing burnout myself and knowing that early childhood education is one of the professions at highest risk for burnout, brought me to a crossroads in my career.

I realized that my work was shifting. Rather than continuing to run a full-time childcare program, I felt called to bridge my experience in early childhood education with yoga, somatic practices, and nervous-system-informed support. Nurtured Pathways grew from this transition, with the intention of supporting not only children, but the adults caring for them — educators, parents, and caregivers alike.

Today, Nurtured Pathways exists as a way to bring these worlds together: offering childcare, children’s programs, yoga, and trainings that support regulation, connection, and sustainability in caregiving. The hope is to reach many families, children, and caregivers across communities, helping create environments where both children and adults can thrive.

PHILOSOPHY & APPROACH

My approach is rooted in responsive caregiving and relationship-based care, influenced by RIE principles, social-emotional learning, and whole-child development. I believe that children learn best in environments where they feel safe, respected, and connected, and that this begins with the adults around them.

Whether working with children through childcare and programs, or supporting adults through yoga and trainings, the intention of Nurtured Pathways remains the same: to create spaces where regulation, curiosity, and connection can grow.

CREDENTIALS & EXPERIENCE

• A.A. in Early Childhood Education
• Step 9 in the Oregon Registry Online (ORO) Training System
• CPR & First Aid Certified
• 18 years experience in early childhood education
• Training in social-emotional learning and responsive caregiving
• Yoga instructor and somatic movement practitioner
• Experience in nature-based and relationship-centered early learning environments

Nurtured Pathways exists to support those who nurture others, because when caregivers are supported, children thrive.