Beija Flor is an intimate Early Childhood Program specializing in nurturing children ages three to six in a bilingual (English and Spanish) environment. With a small group size, Beija Flor provides individualized care and attention, creating the ideal environment for children to flourish. At the heart of our program are three guiding pillars: honoring the wholeness of the child, nurturing through regenerative and sustainable approaches that respect the natural world, and serving as an extension of the family and our local community.
Our HEART-CENTERED approach embraces each child’s development, offering gentle and rhythmic responses to their ever-evolving growth and experiences. Through our nurturing environment, children feel deeply seen, held, and encouraged to explore their unique individuality while flourishing as part of a greater whole.
At Beija Flor, we honor the importance of rhythm in early childhood, recognizing that these foundational years are critical for strengthening a child’s overall well-being. Our HEART-CENTERED approach embraces a breath-inspired curriculum, weaving a gentle flow between moments of focused engagement and joyful free play. These two elements mirror the natural rhythm of the breath – the focused engagement serving as the inhale, a time for children to come inward through introspection and purposeful activity, and joyful free play as the exhale, a time for outward expression, exploration, and creative release.
We recognize the profound impact these early years hold, as they set the foundation for a child’s journey into adulthood. We are honored to support you in every step of your child’s growth, walking beside you on this beautiful path ahead.
Child Development Check-Ins: We offer two check-ins to collaboratively share and celebrate each child’s growth.
Friday Community Dinners: Every Friday, families are warmly invited to join us for a community potluck dinner.
Postpartum Support: On the second Saturday of each month, we welcome local mothers and their little ones to our space for connection, tea, and snacks.
Community Cleanups: Throughout the year, we come together to care for our local environment with beach and park cleanups, teaching children the importance of stewardship.
Surf & Bake Sale Fundraiser: Once a year, we host a surf lesson day and bake sale with all donations going to support our local elementary school.
Parent Date Night: Once a month, we care for the children while parents enjoy a well-deserved evening out, recognizing that by supporting parents, we are also caring for the children.
Payment: Monthly Payment: $300 USD, Annual Enrollment Fee: $200 USD, 1 month notice for withdrawal.
Schedule:From 8:30 to 2:15. Includes lunch
8:30: Freeplay & Fruit.
9:30: Spiral & Storytime.
9:45: Special Activity.
10:15: Snaktime
10:45 – Permaculture Play
11:45: Booktime
12:00: Lunchtime
12:30: Rest & Calming Activities
1:30: Stretch & Movement
2:00: Snacktime & Gratitude Spiral
2:15: Pick-Up
Halimah Harden, the founder of Heart Centered Learners and the Heart Centered Pedagogy©, is at heart a pedagogue, as well as an accomplished professional in the field of child development and education. With a degree from Florida State Honors College, The New College of Florida, she specialized in the philosophy of education and authored a thesis on the subject. This marked the beginning of a dedicated journey that has evolved into over 20 years of experience in the field, where she has made significant contributions to education and child development.
Her further education led her to multiple pedagogical trainings, including the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training. Her career has seen her collaborating with childhood educators, as well as on advisory boards both nationally and internationally, including significant work with the Himalayan Trust Foundation and initiatives in South Africa supporting children from low-income families.
In 2011, Halimah served as an early childhood education specialist for the Reggio-inspired International Child Resource Institute (ICRI), where she worked with numerous families. Following this, she became an educational specialist for Wonderschool, an innovative $300 million startup, helping to shape its early childhood educational platform in 2015. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish Angel Academy, a highly reputable Heart-Centered Preschool in the Bay Area, where she led a dedicated team of teachers and built strong community ties. Halimah’s journey then took her to Maui, Hawaii, for consulting work, further solidifying her expertise and impact in education & development.
Today, Halimah continues her impactful work in the realm of child development and education. She collaborates with various intentional communities worldwide, as well as developers and individuals keen on establishing childhood programs and schools. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum, encompassing pedagogical realms, licensing, budgeting, design, marketing, curriculum development, relations, operations, and team management. Her comprehensive skill set makes her a valuable asset to any project dedicated to nurturing children and shaping the future of childhood education.
Energetic development recognizes that feelings are forms of energy. This stage focuses on nurturing a child’s emotional inner landscape, understanding their own feelings, and relating these feelings to the energetic landscapes of others. It’s about cultivating both self-awareness and sensitivity towards others. Key to this development are inspiration and imagination, which fuel a child’s ability to empathize and connect to themselves and others. Presence, being fully engaged in the moment, is also vital, allowing children to deeply experience and respond to their own emotions and those of people around them.
Consciousness development in childhood is a journey into diverse realms of awareness. Intricately tied to cognitive development, children learn to understand and connect with various concepts and patterns, both as standalone entities and in relation to one another. This stage is crucial for children who are coming into themselves and forming their habit body, as they learn to sense and interpret their inner consciousness as well as the consciousness of the external world.
Intuitive development in childhood is about embracing and celebrating the unique soul and energetic signature of each child. This development encourages children to deeply listen to their inner movements and follow their inner compass in every present moment. It nurtures their personal expression and individual way of articulating themselves, recognizing that beneath the spoken language lies a deeper, intuitive and supersensible language. By supporting this remarkable, invisible infrastructure, intuitive development helps children connect with their inherent wisdom and guides them in understanding and expressing their true selves in authentic and profound ways.
Physical development focuses on nurturing an appreciation for the capabilities of one’s body and physical reality. It’s about helping children recognize the wonder in what their hands can do, how their bodies move, and interact with the world. This stage emphasizes the gratitude of form and the innate ability to sense and engage with different forms around them. Through this, children learn to honor and expand their physical abilities, developing a deeper connection with their body and the external environment.
A unique blend of local and global community, where friendship, transparency, and a deep connection with nature are the foundations of life.
We’re actively creating and realizing a community-driven future. Together, we’re building a present grounded in nature and shared success.