Meet Meagan
Positive Behavior Guide | Consultant and Coach| Speaker | Educator and Trainer | Founder of the Connected Kids Thrive™ & Positive Behaviors Guide™ Programs.
With over 20 years of experience guiding educators and parents through the intricate landscape of early childhood development, I'm committed to fostering a haven of positive communication and connection where children thrive and flourish - along with their adult guides.
I am a foster and bio mom, former nature-based preschool owner, and certified in Positive Discipline with a background in pediatric speech therapy and Early Childhood Intervention.
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I empower educators and caregivers with the skills to see the need under behavior and communicate effectively with children, resulting in reduced frustration, elevated connection, and heightened felt-safety and cooperation. Together, we're forging a nurturing and harmonious environment -where children and adults feel heard, oriented, encouraged, equipped, and capable
Your Partner in Growing Connection, Confidence, and Cooperation— in Nature-based Schools, Alternative Educational Programs, and at Home.
Coaching & Consulting
1:1 or team sessions help guides (you) deepen your/your roots of understanding and elevate proven, respectful approaches for encouraging positive behavior.
With a multidisciplinary approach you will gain the tools necessary to leave the session walk away feeling equipped, refreshed, and inspired to start making positive changes now.
Live Workshops
Book us to come to your school or program for a day (or more!) of support for your staff and/or parents in getting on the same page and using the same approaches for encouraging positive behavior.
When everyone is united and equipped there are more opportunities for adults and children to stay connected, capable, cooperative, and thriving.
Connected Kids Thrive™ enhances the joy and effectiveness of forest and nature-based schools and programs. We are a supportive community and resource hub that helps educators and parents create more peaceful, cooperative, and connected programs and homes.
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We equip nature-based school and program educators and families with the knowledge, skills, and resources to foster meaningful connections, meet children where they are by helping guides understand behavior, most importantly the need under behavior; the **Why**. When adults understand children's behavior and their own, felt-safety and trust arrive and everyone cooperates better together and can truly thrive.
We are a supportive community and resource hub that helps educators and parents get on the same page, on the same team, in supporting children's social, emotional, and skill development- which helps children feel more confident in contributing to cooperation and holding and respecting boundaries. This leads to more oriented beings and more peaceful, cooperative, and connected schools and homes.
Getting on the same page helps adults be more aware of their own hypocrisies and helps children feel more confident in contributing to cooperation by being able to imitate models of respectfully holding their own boundaries and respecting others’ boundaries.
This important practice leads to more oriented beings and more peaceful, cooperative, and connected schools and homes
We started our journey as a Facebook Community Group of parents. Then a fellow parent and nature school founder requested that I create a training for her team that supports behavior. So I did! Now we have 2 main groups and trainings: a group for parents and caregivers, and a group for nature-based educators.
Both groups of these like-minded guides are looking for new ways to deepen connection and elevate trust and cooperation with children. From being out in nature, connecting in the kitchen or over the campfire, to gardening together, etc. we focus on small, meaningful interactions and intentional modeling that leave a lasting impression with children.
Let’s team and connect - one reflection, model, routine, dinner, and joyful moment at a time.
There are many ways to provide a more beautiful and connected education for children: Forest Schools, Homeschools, Unschools, Worldschools, Play-based Schools, Nature Schools, Enrichment Programs, and many more. All of these provide a place for children to learn healthy habits have an active participation in their education. Some program go sans technology and some settings incorporate healthy amounts of it to support learning.
Connected Kids Thrive(™) knows how important it is for children to have different avenues of learning and whole-body experiences such as access to loose parts, painting for kids, open-ended questions, etc. Which is why we offer a wide range of guides and materials to help educators create or expand upon the already naturally vibrant environment for their students.
There are many different methods to educate and inspire children in their learning: Forest school, Nature-based school, Homeschool, Unschool, Worldschool, Waldorf, Reggio, Emilia Montessori, and others. All of these prioritize autonomy, yet they are child-centered and connection oriented. We offer a wide range of tools and support that help guides see the essence of each child and guide children more effectively.
Since forest schools are based around a child-led and play-based curriculum, we help your teachers foster students' curiosity and exploration through embracing the power in the pause - learning how to pause first, and strategically decide if they should interrupt the play or conflict to impart their wisdom upon the children or more actively support problem solving. We help your staff ask empowering questions if needed while children are engaging in activities like free exploration, hiking, process arts and craft, bush craft, science questions, and more. We help your staff bring a meaningful, emergent curriculum to life.
Bring children and staff more joy, skills, and confidence while they learn with our range of effective resources.
"Meagan, I see how you are supporting the parents in your positive behavior parenting programs and I love it! Will you create a positive behavior program for me and my nature school team as well?”
Absolutely! What an honor! And I did!
Now I support both parents AND educators in learning positive behavior approaches- so everyone is on the same page. When children feel heard, oriented, and felt-safety-> then they can contribute to cooperation listening!
Enhancing Learning At Home and in Class -With or Without Walls
Whether you are an educator or parent, you already know that children are intrinsically curious and quite adept at learning on their own. When paired with an equipped guide who knows how to find the power in the pause, notice the need under the behavior, effectively utilize thought provoking questions and invite problem solving - then relationships and confidence truly thrive. Forest and nature-based schools offer a meaningfully stimulating, and natural learning environment for children -> which is why they have been gaining popularity.
We offer training and materials for educators and parents to bridge settings and bring learning into the home while facilitating deeper relationships between educators, parents and children.
Our Connected Kids Thrive Positive Parenting Program(s) and Support
Parents are children's first and most important teachers. Parents have dreams of how they want to guide their children, but how they were parented in the past and their current stressors sometimes casts a shadow on their own desired habits and behaviors and goals for their children. In our positive parenting program, we help support parents who are interested in deepening their understanding and elevating their positive behavior approaches.
We have resources to assist parents and caregivers in increasing the connection and cooperation in their homes. We help parents understand the **why** under their children’s disoriented behaviors, help them incorporate more opportunities for a higher sense of belonging, trust, and significance - aka connection and contribution - which reduces the opportunity for challenging or disoriented behaviors. Lean into our motto with us: “When kids feel good, they can do good - more of the time!"
One vital component to more positive and prosocial behavior is meaningful work. How do children view their presence and what they bring to the table as meaningful? Through our positive parenting program, we help families find or create opportunities for increasing that sense of meaning - belonging and significance.
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We also help bridge the gap between home and school.
With Connected Kids Thrive™ one way our Positive Parenting program does this is by supporting quality kitchen connections. Don’t worry, it's way easier and more effective than you might imagine! We inspire educators to invite and empower children to extend their learning from school into the home and into the kitchen with their parents. We give both educators and parents the positive behavior tools to help this be successful- elevating opportunities for everyone to feel more connected and capable.
We offer training materials, live support, stories for social emotional learning, cooking with kids, and guides specifically tailored to the needs of educators to assist with speech and language development, STEM activities, unstructured play, and more.
Learn how to embrace process over product with activities like painting with kids, or STEM, or building fairy houses or forts. We help your team gain a nuanced understanding of what positive behavioral learning looks like in a nature-based school setting, by helping them notice their own behavior first and how they may or may not be contributing to positive behavior or disoriented behavior from the children. We help adult guides see the need under what the children are communicating through their behavior and how to address it appropriately.
Improved Teaching and Learned Behavior for Educators
“When we change our approach, their behavior changes!”
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For forest school and nature-based programs founders and educators, we offer nature and play-based school guides, training, live and virtual support, tools and resources to help you and your team to take your school or program to the next level.
Nature-based schools already have so many positive elements in place to support learned behavior! The guides are intune to the outside environment with purposeful invitations. The Founders have carefully selected teams of guides that whole-heartedly care for children’s well being, and they are committed to ongoing professional development.
The settings of nature-based programs are beautifully curated. The only box left that often needs to be checked for nature-based school founders is ensuring their whole team is on the same page in being adequately equipped in deeply understanding behavior →so they know what is really going on with the **need** under the behavior. This way everyone knows what to say and what not to say to positively reinforce and gently teach the missing skills to reshape behavior.
Our suite of tools, guides, and programs are designed to foster healthy relationships, habits, promote positive reinforcement strategies, and equip educators to support students' emotional, social, felt-safety, confidence in contributing to cooperation and problem solving.
For nature-based school teams and educators, we offer nature and play-based school guides, positive behavior resources, and a fully supportive program and membership designed for teams to get on the same page in deepening their understanding of learned behavior. When educators and parents understand “the “why” - the true need being communicated, they can approach it the right way - positively reinforcing the prosocial behaviors, and gently ensuring the children know they are heard so they can listen. This is how we reshape disoriented behaviors.
Our suite of tools, guides, and programs are designed to foster healthy relationships, habits, promote positive reinforcement strategies, and equip educators to support students' emotional, social, and confidence to intrinsic motivation towards connection and contribution -aka - belonging and significance.
Creating Meaningful Moments with Kitchen Connections and Family Dinners
Finally, in aligning with the rhythm of increasing connection, trust and meaningfulness for children across settings, we strive to bring back the long-lost tradition of meaningful family dinners and connecting in the kitchen together. And we've made it super simple, fun, and effective! We’ve cultivated a collection of resources, easy tips and family dinner ideas to turn your kitchen and dinner table into a place of connection, communication, learning, contribution, and cooperation.
From recipe guides to teamwork strategies, we provide everything parents need to create effective routines in and out of the kitchen that lead to higher levels of fun, trust, presence, confidence, and cooperation - bringing your family closer together.
“Connecting in the Kitchen with our children is the biggest bang for our parenting buck” ~Meagan
Fan-Favorite Products and Tools For Educators and Parents
We’d like to highlight some of the products and tools that are making the biggest impact and lasting positive differences among nature-based school founders, educators, and parents in communities - local and global. These products are designed to help you achieve greater connection, cooperation, meaning, and joy with your children in your care- at home and at school. or learners.
Those We’ve Helped
Founder Testimonial
The Positive Behaviors Program is amazing! It has gotten all of my staff on the same page as far as expectations and how to handle student’s mistaken behaviors. Meagan has been a gem to work with. She has tailored the program to fit our specific needs and been available to answer questions whenever we needed her! I can’t recommend this program enough!
Sandra
Forest School Founder
Serving 2 - 16 Year Olds
Client Testimonial
I’ve read parenting books. Lots of parenting books. They all seemed to have the same perspective, show your child who the boss is and be consistent. I didn’t feel like I had practical tools I could put into practice on a daily basis. That all changed during a session with Meagan. By working with her, I was able to gain actual techniques I could use right away. Communication, boundaries, and working together! What I thought would be another book ending ended up being very transformative in my perspective on parenting. It’s about communication and relationship. I’m enjoying seeing the growth every day with my boys.
Treena
Mom of 5 Boys
The Forest Educator Podcast with Ricardo Siera
Founder Testimonial
If anyone needs support in the childhood behavior department, I totally recommend Meagan and her program. The online modules and the intimate behavior coaching was super beneficial. I can see daily the changes I have been able to make from her recommendations, awareness coaching, and accountability. I totally recommend joining her program before it’s too late!
Joanne
Forest School Founder
3 & 6 Year Olds
Client - Parent Testimonial
Podcast
There are over 250 PRESCHOOLERS in the US who are either suspended or expelled from their programs EVERY DAY. No that's not a typo!
Hi Meagan,
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Thank you for the welcoming message. I'm loking forward to slowly going through all of your information and learning from you.
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I am a lead nature mentor. We currently run 2 days a week with homeschooled children aged 5-11.
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I practice gentle parenting with my own children and strive to lead my nature classes with an open, patient, kind, and respectful heart.
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I heard you on Ricardos podcast the past week and it was so inspiring and encouraging.
Looking forward to learning more.
In Association With
