Future Retirement Success
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Stocks

Future Retirement Success

Investing

Friday Feature: Gather Forest School

by April 21, 2023
April 21, 2023

Colleen Hroncich

On average, kids today reportedly spend fewer than 10 minutes a day playing outside—and more than seven hours a day on screens. That’s one of the reasons I love learning about forest schools, like The Garden School, Barefoot University, and today’s feature, Gather in Decatur, Georgia.

A former teacher, Ashley Causey‐​Golden was caring for her newborn son and trying to figure out her next move. She didn’t want to put him in daycare when he was so young, so she decided to try creating her own school. Ashley had interacted with Shelby Stone‐​Steel on Instagram through Ashley’s Afrocentric Montessori page. She knew they shared a lot of the same ideas about education, so she reached out to her about partnering. At that point, they’d never met in person.

“I gave birth to Anthony in March and was not even a month post‐​partum,” Ashley recalls. “We did a lot of talking on the phone because we were just trying to get to know each other. In July, we started touring spaces. Trying to find a space was the hardest hurdle because we were trying to prove a concept. But one place took a chance on us and really loved what we were doing for black kids — having children outdoors and learning through nature. We do academics in this space, but there’s also something to be said just being present and existing in nature for longer than a few minutes.”

As a forest school, they spend nearly all of their time outdoors. Ashley says Gather has “a Montessori and Waldorf flow.” She adds, “We do math, literacy, writing, science, geography, social studies, history, and cultural studies. We use some worksheets, but we also use things like acorns and leaves because with those things you can do pattern work with our younger students.”

In the first year, there was a mixture of families. Some wanted the nature approach just for preschool and then were going to a more traditional program. But the homeschooling families really embraced the whole program. “We found out that we really like partnering with homeschoolers,” says Ashley. “They see this journey as long term because it is sometimes hard for them to find consistent community. So we said this is our lane—partnering with black homeschooling families.”

Gather operates Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.­–12:30 p.m. Parents can choose full‐ or part‐​time participation with tuition prorated based on how many days their children attend. “Since we work with homeschooling families, each family has their different flow,” Ashley says. She asks families to sign up for particular days to ensure they have sufficient student‐​teacher ratios. In addition to Ashley and Shelby, they recently hired another teacher – which will be particularly helpful since Ashley’s second child is due any day.

Ashley says she would encourage other teachers who are interested in creating something new to give it a shot. “If you have a dream of doing something else, try it,” she says. “It is a lot of hard work—because now you’re an administrator and a teacher. That was the biggest learning curve for Shelby and me because before, we were teachers. But the administrators were handling all the other moving pieces like dealing with parents, complaints, marketing, and fees. When you’re running your own program, you have to do all of that and still teach. But at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it in.”

Her message for parents is to truly know your child and try to find a place that’s a good fit. She advises, “Be really honest about who your child is—the good and the beautiful parts of your child, but also the parts that are growth areas. Because you want a program that’s able to speak to both—that keeps pushing the good but also helps challenge where they need it.”

0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
GNG TV: All Quiet on the Wall St. Front
next post
The Easy Way to Review Different Charts for the Same Symbols

You may also like

Fitch Downgrades U.S. Debt

August 2, 2023

Trump’s Toast, Folks

August 15, 2023

I’m Saying Goodbye to the Cato Daily Podcast

April 15, 2025

Javier Milei’s Inaugural Promise

December 13, 2023

Argentines Are All Peronists No Longer

August 14, 2023

The Benefits of China’s Market Reforms and Opening...

October 11, 2023

The Charges Against Donald Trump

June 14, 2023

The ‘New Conservatism’ is Driven by Bad Economics

October 5, 2023

“Recovering Islam and Judaism’s Shared Golden Age”: A...

December 13, 2024

Meta Makes Major Moves to Advance Free Expression...

January 9, 2025

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free

    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent Posts

    • National Wealth Fund commits £200m to UK battery storage push

      August 28, 2025
    • XRP price prediction hits new highs, GMO Miner helps you earn $6,800 a day

      August 28, 2025
    • West End retailers lose £310m from VAT-free shopping ban in first half of year

      August 28, 2025
    • Dollar slips as Trump moves to sack Fed governor Lisa Cook in unprecedented clash over central bank independence

      August 28, 2025
    • CDC Director Susan Monarez refuses to be fired as other officials call it quits

      August 28, 2025
    • Bill Gates met with Trump to talk ‘importance of US global health programs and health research’: spox

      August 28, 2025

    Categories

    • Business (8,901)
    • Investing (2,246)
    • Politics (16,503)
    • Stocks (3,228)
    • About us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Disclaimer: futureretirementsuccess.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2025 futureretirementsuccess.com | All Rights Reserved