The Green Garden Child Development Center

Sharing this because I know preschool graduation can be controversial. 🫶

As educators, we should always be asking ourselves:

"Is this developmentally appropriate?"

I love how our Macomb team explained why we celebrate this milestone and why, for us, it's never about academics, performance, or rushing childhood.

It's about recognizing growth.

Take a read. ❤️

Some heroes at Green Garden wear paint-covered clothes, answer emergency calls, and somehow know how to fix just about anything. 👏

Matthew is Alex’s right-hand man and one of the people helping keep Green Garden running behind the scenes every single day.

From keeping up with lawns and outdoor spaces…
to showing up for unexpected toilet emergencies…
to helping deliver meals when extra hands are needed…

Matthew is the kind of team member who quietly steps in and gets the job done.

And the truth is — schools do not run on teachers alone.

They run because of people willing to jump in wherever they are needed, solve problems, and care about the details that make our campuses safe, welcoming, and ready for children.

His work may not always happen inside the classroom, but its impact reaches every classroom.

Happy 2nd anniversary, Matthew! Thank you for being dependable, hardworking, and such an important part of our team. 💚🌱

🎉💚 Celebrating 10 Amazing Years with Mrs. Shanea! 💚🎉

For the past 10 years, Mrs. Shanea has been spreading joy, laughter, and a little bit of preschool magic wherever she goes! ✨ From infants to preschoolers, she has worked with every age group, bringing her caring heart, endless patience, and positive energy to each classroom she’s entered.

These days, she’s helping our young preschoolers build confidence, solve problems, master self-help skills, and get ready for their next big adventure—Kindergarten! 🎓📚

You might find Mrs. Shanea:
⚾ Playing baseball with a spoon and a ball (because preschoolers know the best way to reinvent sports!)
📖 Sharing a favorite story during book time
🚽 Cheering on potty-learning victories
🤗 Offering the perfect hug at just the right moment

And thanks to one very wise preschooler, she’s also learned that teachers need to “show their muscles every day” because “muscles mean you’re strong!” 💪 So now Mrs. Shanea makes sure to flex daily—although we’ve known for years that her real strength comes from the kindness, patience, and love she shows our children every day.

Join us in congratulating Mrs. Shanea on 10 wonderful years of making a difference in the lives of so many children and families! We are incredibly lucky to have her as part of our Green Garden family. 💚🌱

💪✨🍎

Plant with them. 🌱

Slow down long enough to let them dig.
Let them hold the roots.
Let them ask questions.
Let them care for something living.

Because this is how connection grows.

These moments in our garden are about so much more than flowers.

Children are learning patience as they wait for growth they cannot rush.
Responsibility as they help care for living things.
Observation as they notice changes, textures, insects, and seasons.
And perhaps most importantly—

they are learning that they belong here.

Real environmental education does not begin with facts and worksheets.

It begins with dirt under tiny fingernails.
With sunshine on their backs.
With children feeling connected enough to care.

When children help grow something, they protect it differently.
They notice more.
They wonder more.
They care more.

And that matters.

Because tomorrow’s caretakers of the earth are learning today — one flower, one garden bed, and one small set of helping hands at a time. 🌎🫶

“Say please.”

But do we say please?

“Be kind.”

But do they see kindness between adults?

“Throw that away.”

But do we care for our own spaces the way we expect children to?

Here’s the truth:

Children learn far less from what we tell them…

and far more from what they experience.

This photo is not “just pretend play.”

It’s a child studying the world.

Practicing care.
Trying on responsibility.
Making meaning of what helping someone looks and feels like.

Because empathy is not taught through lectures.

It is lived.

That toy stethoscope?

To us, it’s not a toy.

It’s research.

And this is exactly why our classrooms look different.

Less directing.
More experiencing.
Less performance.
More connection.

Because the future is shaped less by what children are told—

and more by what they repeatedly experience.

Picture-perfect playground photos?

Probably not. 😅

Because real childhood is rarely perfectly posed.

It moves.
It experiments.
It climbs.
It tests.

And sometimes… it jumps off the log.

Most adults see moments like this and immediately think:

“Careful.”
“Get down.”
“That makes me nervous.”

And we understand why.

But here’s what early childhood experts have known for decades:

Children do not build confidence by avoiding challenge.

They build it by experiencing manageable risk with trusted adults nearby.

So while this may look like “just play”…

we see executive functioning.
We see motor planning.
We see balance, spatial awareness, and body control.
We see problem-solving, judgment, and risk assessment developing in real time.

Could we stop this?

Absolutely.

It would be easier.

It is often easier to control play than to thoughtfully supervise it.

But childhood was never meant to be managed from the sidelines with constant correction.

It was meant to be experienced.

So instead of dictating every move, our educators stay close, stay present, and coach through curiosity:

“What’s your plan?”
“Does that feel stable?”
“What do you notice?”

Because the goal is not perfectly behaved children who wait to be told what to do.

The goal is capable children who learn to trust their bodies, think critically, and navigate the world with confidence.

And honestly?

That kind of growth is rarely picture-perfect.

But it is beautiful.

You know that moment when your child becomes completely obsessed with something random?

A worm.
A stick.
A puddle.
A chicken. 😂🐓

And suddenly you’ve heard “Look! Look! LOOK!” seventeen times in two minutes.

That’s because children were built to be curious.

At Green Garden, we could teach children about chickens from a picture book.

Or…

We can let them sit right beside them. Feed them. Watch them move. Feel a little nervous. Get excited. Laugh when they come too close.

They’re building empathy.
Confidence.
Gentle hands.
Connection.
Respect for living things.

And somewhere between the giggles and chicken feed spilled all over the sidewalk…childhood is doing exactly what childhood is supposed to do. 💚

Three years of Megan. 💚

If you’ve ever wondered how a place like Green Garden actually runs day to day, a lot of the answer is Megan.

As our Director of Finance and Administration, she’s the one making sure everything behind the scenes keeps moving. The money is flowing where it needs to go. The supplies are ordered before anyone realizes they’re running low. Systems are organized. Problems get solved. Details get handled.

It’s not always the most visible work, but it’s some of the most important.

Because when the operational side is strong, teachers can focus on children, classrooms stay supported, and the whole organization can keep moving forward.

But Megan also reminds us that no role here exists only behind a desk. She’s never afraid to step into a classroom when extra hands are needed, and she’s definitely known to seek out a baby snuggle on the hard days.

That balance — steady leadership, attention to detail, and a heart for the children at the center of it all — is what makes her such an important part of Green Garden.

Three years in, we’re incredibly grateful for the work she does and the presence she brings to the team.

Happy 3-year anniversary, Megan.
Green Garden is better because of you. 🌿💚