When Jessica Hurley took over the Treeschool day care two years ago, she wanted to continue its reputation of being a play-based school rooted in the outdoors.
The day care located just northeast of Kalispell is home to the Little Treeschool, a day care for children 18 months old to 3, and the Big Treeschool for children older than 3. With a big lawn and seemingly never-ending toys and activities, Hurley wants the children in her care to take two things away from their time there: be kind and be brave.
“I just want to enrich these kids’ lives as much as I can. I mean this is their first experience of school. I want it to be a fun and positive experience, not one where they’re in a box,” Hurley said.
It’s an environment where kids are themselves, spending time outside and having fun.
Hurley and her husband, Sean, who grew up here, moved to the Flathead Valley in 2021. While working full time in a human resources role, Hurley needed to find child care for her son Huxley, who was born in 2020. It was not an easy task, she said.
She stumbled upon the Treeschool, owned at the time by Harmony Boudreaux. But after a while, Boudreaux told Hurley she was ready to hand off the day care, telling Hurley she would be a great person to take over.
For six months, starting January of 2024, Boudreaux stayed on as Hurley’s mentor, giving Hurley her recipes and activity guides while showing her the ropes to the business.
“To put another person in charge of your child’s life can be scary, and Harmony just put me at such ease. When I found out the day care was possibly going to go, I was freaking out about it,” Hurley said.
Flash forward a year and the transition went smoothly, she said, and the day care is operating just under full capacity.
This year, the day care is hosting a movement, connection and calm class to learn about and implement playful practices that nurture confidence, regulation and social growth, according to EmpowerMe AZ, the organization holding the training.
It’s something Hurley is looking forward to, mentioning the power of individual empowerment.
Funding for the clinic comes as the day care was a recipient of money through a state slot expansion grant to grow and strengthen Montana’s early childhood system.
With $2 million in grant funding available over the next two years statewide, day cares and early developmental organizations applied to increase infant and toddler care slots, enhance services for children with special needs, expand hours of operation or develop crisis child care services.
Using the money created the opportunity for the workshop to train teachers and parents about therapeutic, movement-based programming.
“I want our kids to be mindful of breathing,” she said. “It’s just another tool to add to their toolbox because if they learn this at a young age, they carry that through to the rest of their lives.”
Learning about mindfulness strategies can in turn, help children manage big emotions and calm themselves’ down. It also builds connections via communication, cooperation, body awareness and independence.
To learn more about the day care, visit littletreeschool.org/.