We recently connected with Erika Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Erika , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I had been working as a K-2 teacher since I graduated from college in 2003. After I had my daughter in 2015 I decided not to return to teaching full time. I started exploring other options and ran into a friend who was opening a preschool co-op in her backyard and was looking for a teacher. My daughter was 2 at the time and it was the perfect opportunity to get back into teaching again and be with my daughter at the same time. We did this for a year and a half and then the co-op suddenly closed. We had such a great community of families and I didn’t want that to end. So I started wondering if I could start something on my own.

I felt a calling to keep my community together and be out in nature. I knew after leaving the public school system that I didn’t want to go back to that anymore. I felt confined by walls and state standards and wanted something different for myself and my daughter. So I started by gathering a group of mamas and kids together and we started meeting at one of our local nature spots that we loved. The mamas stayed with their kids and it was a beautiful gathering, connecting to nature and to each other. It made my heart full to be in community with them and kids were thriving too!

I naturally would bring some activities for the kids to do because that’s what I do, and we started to create a rhythm of our day together. The mamas got to do nature art therapy and be a support system for each other. It felt like I had found my calling and true purpose.

Then COVID happened and I had to rethink how I was going to structure the business. I have always looked at the need in the community, and with all the schools closing, I saw a huge need for a safe space for kids to learn and thrive. Therefore, I decided to switch to drop-off classes, and we have doubled in size this past year. We now have 7 teachers and 50 families coming to our classes, with two different age groups. The Little Scouts are ages 4-6.5 and the Junior Scouts are ages 6.5-11.

Community and connection are the driving force of our program, so we offer an optional co-op day on Fridays for families to continue to build and develop friendships outside of the classes. We also have two family camping trips, as well as other seasonal community events throughout the year. I am so grateful for the wonderful community of families who are a part of our program!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Since I came from a traditional teaching background prior to starting my business, I have had to de-school or un-school myself over the past few years. Basically that means that I have had to restructure what I have known teaching and learning to be and look like.

Teaching is not a one size fits all box but unfortunately in public schools this is what ends up happening. Kids have to meet grade level expectations regardless of their learning styles, developmental abilities and interests/passions. Teachers are expected to check off all the boxes for the parents and administrators, and outside free play and unstructured time is extremely limited because there are “standards that need to be met”. Life skills, emotional intelligence and character development are put on the back burner.

At Little Scouts the kids are in charge of their learning. We nurture the whole child: mind, body and spirit and recognize them for their unique abilities, passions and interests. Our approach is to let the child direct their learning and we are the facilitators to help guide them along the way. Learning naturally and organically occurs in our daily interactions with each other and our environment.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I strongly believe that word of mouth has been the best way to get new families to join our program. I also believe that kindness goes a long way, and personal face to face connections are so important, especially in our technologically driven society today. I make a point to personally connect with every family before they enroll their child and I think that makes a big impact.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.littlescoutsnatureclasses.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlescoutsnatureclasses
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlescoutsnatureclasses
• Other: Email: [email protected]