We recently connected with Tracey Varrone and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tracey, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
The story of Brick and Ivy Studio began about 10 years ago, on a day when the wooden play kitchens were rolled out of our traditional kindergarten classrooms, to make room for RIGOR. In a flash, I was flooded by the memory of countless teachable moments, creative play opportunities, and early literacy and numeracy projects that were inspired by EPIC play kitchen tea parties and pretend pizza parlor menus!! I will never, ever forget the sound those casters made as they rolled down the long hallway. I shed many a tear, as I sat there long after my students left for the day that afternoon, staring in disbelief at the empty place where we learned through play. In the quiet of that precious evening, surrounded by my sweet daughters and devoted husband, something began to stir in my teaching heart and I knew change was coming.
Somehow, all those years ago, time for play was being gradually hedged out of instruction and I was determined to weave it in wherever I could! I began feverishly attaching learning standards to protect and preserve what I knew in my bones needed to remain. It added another layer to everything but was worth every bit of intention and attention!! I may not have had a wooden kitchen in a dramatic play corner of my classroom that year, but the magic of learning through play never left. In fact, the constraint lifted the level of our collective creativity and turned ordinary objects into whatever our imaginations required!! All was well with my soul and our sweet learning community continued to thrive!! I knew, however, by the end of that school year that I needed to design a model that offered a unique blend of best practices and it would take all of me to figure it out in real time! Blessed by the phenomenal support of my precious family, dearest friends, and brilliant colleagues I took the leap of faith and launched, Brick and Ivy Studio, in August of 2018!
At the end of the day, I see myself as a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, and neighbor who teaches. My approach to education and life has always been about relationships…our relationship to the natural world, our relationship to community, and our relationship to home and family!! I believe that lifelong learning begins with connection and curiosity and that there is something sacred in sharing the learning experience in community. Brick and Ivy Studio has been designed with the utmost of care and was created to nurture the social, emotional, and creative health of our youngest neighbors. Our programs are flexible, responsive, and inclusive. Together we are learning how to be love and light in our world and hope to bring the goodness we are growing to neighbors and early childhood programs near and far!
Tracey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a wonder seeker, lifelong learner, and light chaser who has had the incredible good fortune to serve as an educator for a little over two decades!
It all began at home where I was loved into being and free to be me! I am the oldest of two children and one of many, many cousins who were all raised as siblings around the block from one another in a BIG, multi-generational Italian family in New York. An abundance of all-weather outdoor play, pretend play, sensory play, and process art were staples in my early childhood and undoubtedly laid the foundation for my own “readiness” to advocate for these things years later.I attended a home, play-based morning nursery school and went to a half-day kindergarten where we PLAYED, bundled up for recess in the snow, scooped paste out of tubs for art projects on rainbow construction paper, painted big pictures with powder tempera paint cakes on easels with smocks, and enjoyed graham crackers and milk off a cart after rest time! I had an amazing public school experience with teachers who taught me all about the kind of teacher I wanted to be at one of the largest public school systems in the country.I absolutely loved school and dreamed of becoming a teacher one day from very early on! After high school graduation, I decided that I would devote my graduate studies to the business of education and my undergraduate studies to the psychology behind it! Taking the time to study human development within the context of family at Cornell University really helped me to appreciate the interconnectedness of it all and fostered the “we before me” philosophy that has woven itself through my career. It was in the stacks at Cornell University that I began to read all that I could about the young child, relationships, and the life-course…and I never stopped! Maslow’s work on motivation urged me to consider the emotional needs of a child, Piaget’s opened my eyes to the cognitive process children undergo as they construct knowledge, and Erikson’s reminded me to be sensitive to the ways social interactions impact development.
Somewhere between playing, studying, and crafting my teaching AND becoming a mother myself I became devoted to carrying on in the spirit of these GIANTS and those in the field that I had the privilege to grow alongside. I am absolutely certain that they, along with my loving and light-filled Studio family and dream team, are the bricks to my ivy. I have been blessed to experience connection in community as a classroom teacher, grade-level chair, intervention/enrichment specialist, published author, mentor, and Teacher of the Year in our public school system! The depth and variety of each lens I brought to my work and the gradual “crowding out” of play in early years classrooms, propelled me to design a nature-bonded experience that would bring mindfulness and creativity back to the center of the pre-k journey. LOVE is at the heart of it all!
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
We believe that learning is a joyful adventure meant to be shared, celebrated, and experienced in community! Social media platforms offer a generous invitation for small business owners and creatives to connect with neighbors near and far! While we recognize that we are an itty bitty baby biz, and have lots to learn, we have made the decision to jump right in the social media pool with both feet and document the learning process right alongside our audience in real time. We are intentional about celebrating the simple wonder of all things early childhood and in a way that honors the sweet AND sticky parts of life with young children and aren’t holding back or waiting to figure out algorithms.
We trust that our platforms are an extension of our Brick and Ivy brand and are sincerely committed to posting authentic, unpolished, and playful photos and video reels to ensure that our vision, value, and vow shine through. It is important to acknowledge, and occasionally remind yourself along the way, that taking risks and making mistakes are a necessary part of any learning process and building an online presence is no different! Sometimes the only way forward is through it and our hope is to reach teachers, parents, and caregivers who are looking to infuse daily life in homes and classrooms with a little bit of nature-inspired play, creativity, and mindfulness! We are growing our audience by showing and sharing content in refreshing and relatable ways, grateful for the connections we’ve cultivated, and are super excited about collabs and subscription opportunities set to launch in 2023!
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Designing creative enrichment workshops and consultations that speak to the emerging hopes and wishes of our clients, creating collabs that support small, local creatives, and sharing free content on our social media platforms have been instrumental to growing our reach!
The Neighborhood Nursery is Brick and Ivy Studio’s flagship program, offered Monday through Friday mornings, serving up to a dozen young children, between the ages of 3 and 5 years old. It is a nature-bonded, PLAY-based, process art experience for young learners and families seeking to savor the GLORY of early childhood in the company of a very small community.
The Neighborhood ColLABorative is a catalog of goods and services with a little something for everyone! Happy Banners, Devana Dreams, AtoZ Dough, and Sanskara Yoga are the extraordinary artisans that share their time and talent with our LAB! They have curated a darling collection of coloring pages, essential oil blends, play dough kits, and yoga tools in the Studio that can be enjoyed beyond the Studio walls!
Our PB & J PROJECT is a tutorial series full of preparation and practice! Regulating emotions, setting goals, taking initiative, focusing on task, and establishing meaningful and engaging routines through play will take center stage in our approach to the learning process! Participants may request a combination of individual and small group sessions to gradually release responsibility to the learner and build confidence each step of the way.
Our STEPPING STONES program is a caregiver and me, stay and play program that introduces young families to the small group experience. This nature-inspired, play group is offered to our youngest neighbors, ages 0-2 years, for one hour each week.
Our ITTY BITTY afternoon out program is an active toddler’s foray into the world! This is a drop-off, play group offered to potty-trained wee ones ages 3-4 years old, for two hours each week.
The BRIDGE is our, cooperative learning project offered to elementary age children ages 5-8 years old for an hour and a half each week. We are learning to lead with love and light one session at a time!
The VILLAGE is a yearlong WONDERshop offered on select Saturday mornings each month. Participants range from 4-8 years old and enjoy fun and fellowship through nature-play, process art, and mindful practice!
Contact Info:
- Website: brickandivystudio.com
- Instagram: brickandivy.studio
- Facebook: brickandivystudio
- Twitter: @3treesplaybook
- Youtube: @brickandivystudio990
Image Credits
Apryl Dukes-McDaniel Silent H Photography