The founder, Anneliese Schimmelpfennig says: "What we need to prepare our children for is to be self-motivated, independent, and compassionate adults. Our goal here is for kids to become kind, aware, critical, and responsible children who must be trusted and treated like real people.  They don't like being herded and they instinctively resist losing their individuality.  Therefore, we must nurture that need for freedom and that hunger to learn.

We are honest with our children, even with our criticism. We don't want our children to become people pleasers. 

We'll never say to a child "that's awful," but we will say, "I think you can do better."

From the start, children, even the very young, are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves and others, to lead and to help solve individual and group conflicts.  They share thoughts and feelings about themselves and the way they see the world — funny things, painful things, bizarre things, treated with interest and respect as much as with care and sensitivity. Children here gain confidence, self-reliance, and the courage to confront challenging situations.

Our program views all students as capable learners that need to be challenged by school and not afraid to take risks. Our goal is to bring out the very special talents of each child and to allow him/her to realize his/her highest potential.