Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberley Love.
Kimberley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I opened the school as an in-home child care in November of 2011, after years of teaching and dreaming of opening a school of my own ~one with low teacher-child ratios, where the curriculum was child-led rather than teacher driven. When my youngest daughter was 18 months, I decided it was time. She became one of the first six children, and I got to watch her grow up right alongside the school. Over the years, that in-home program has grown into an infant and child care center licensed for 60 children, with 25 employees who support the children and families that make up our school family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would not say it has been an easy road! There were several zoning obstacles to overcome just to find a place to rent for our small school once I moved it out of my house. I found myself meeting with city council members, county supervisors, and both of our last two mayors~ to advocate for making child care more of a priority. COVID brought a whole new level of struggle. Being required to keep a mask on a our 2 year olds, both inside and outside, was extremely difficult, and the industry as a whole is still feeling the toll it took on our workforce. But through all of it, our team showed up for our children and families~ and that’s what I am most proud of.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Bright Life Playschool, Inc?
We are a year-round Reggio-Emilia-inspired school~ play-based, child-led, with low teacher-child ratios~ and we work hard to be inclusive and deeply supportive of our families.
One thing we’re known for is our year-long cultural curriculum, which introduces children to cultures from all over the world through the five senses. We eat the foods, touch the fabrics of each region of the world, listen to the music and the language, and often invite people from our own community to come share their culture with the children. I believe fear of difference is learned~ and that it can grow into something much worse when children are never exposed to the beautiful similarities and differences between people
When we give young children the chance to experience many cultures, we’re setting them up to fully respect others for the rest of their lives.
We’re also an eco-healthy school ~ non-toxic cleaners, recycling, composting~ and we make that part of the curriculum too, so children grow up understanding how to care for their world. We offer an introduction to Spanish and have six bilingual teachers on staff.
Most of all, we focus on social-emotional foundations in the early years. Our approach is “connection before correction,” and we believe that all behavior is communication. We seek to help a child to learn how to self-regulate and to then understand what they are trying to say.
That philosophy is also what led me to me newest venture. Between more than 25 years in early education and raising three children of my own, I’ve walked alongside hundreds of families~ and I saw how much parents wanted support
that went beyond the classroom. So I became certified by the Parent Coaching Institute and am now launching my parent coaching practice. Love in Action Parenting.
I work primarily with parents of young children ~ and I specialize in supporting parents of spirited and sensory children~ though I have experience with all ages, including parents navigating relationships with their adult children.
Coaching begins with a free 30-minute introductory call, followed by an intake session where I get to know the family as a whole and the challenges they’re facing. From there, we move through a strengths-based process: a Discovery session to uncover what’s already working for the child, the parent, and the family; a Dream session where we co-create a vision of the client’s preferred future; and five to six Design sessions where we use the family’s own strengths to build actionable steps toward that dream. We close with a Destiny session~ celebrating how far the family’ has come, anticipating future friction points, and solidifying strategies to keep parents on course long after our work together ends.
What I want parents to know is this: you don’t have to figure it out alone. Parenting can feel isolating but our children are often our greatest teachers~ and with the right support, the connection you are longing for is absolutely possible.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a curious, spirited child myself! I was lucky enough to grow up on 44 acres, with endless freedom to play uninterrupted, to dream, and to let my imagination run wild. I was fascinated by nature and spent most of my childhood outside. My mom was a preschool and kindergarten teacher who also ran an in-home child care for a while~ so in many ways, I grew up watching the work I’d eventually make my own.
I was also recently diagnosed with ADHD, and it’s been illuminating to finally understand why I sometimes felt different growing up, and why school could feel overwhelming at times. Looking back, I can see how much it mattered that I had space to move, explore, and learn in my own way~ and I think that’s part of why I’ve spent my career creating that same kind of environment for children, and why spirited kids hold such a special place in my heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brightlifeplayschool.com, www.loveinactionparenting.com
- Instagram: @brightlifeplayschool
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bright-life-playschool-inc/
