Daily Inspiration: Meet Christie Copley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christie Copley.

Hi Christie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved to California in 1997 and was hired at Universal Studios Child Care Center as an infant teacher. I had always loved working with children and this was a perfect job for me while I finished school and figured out what I was going to do for the rest of my life. The Director I had at the time really encouraged me to stay with early childhood education and make a career out of it. After leaving Universal, I ran a preschool program through my sister’s dance and enrichment center for 14 years. Through a Director’s Guild at our community college, I met a woman who just opened a program with a very similar philosophy and an amazing outdoor play space. She was looking to expand and grow, so we packed it all up and my teachers and families and myself all joined and helped create the community of A Little Patch of Earth. When covid hit, she was in a high risk category and decided it was time for her to retire. Obviously, no one wants to start a new business during a global pandemic, but our families and teachers and The Patch were all eagerly waiting. We formed a new non-profit and re-opened as The Garden Patch Play School in January of 2021. We offer an outdoor nature based program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and in 2024 started a Kindergarten program which has now expanded to 1st grade and we are currently looking for a new location to grow our Garden Patch Big School from 1st to 6th grades.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I feel like my biggest obstacle is all of the hats that I wear in life and trying to fit it all in. I’m also a wife and a mother to a 17 and 20 year old. There are so many things that I want to do to grow the Big School and to join the movement of parents taking back education and creating something magical for their children. As much as I want to be at the forefront and make our mission clear and provide evidence based research that our methods work, I still have our preschool program which I love so dearly and want to make sure that I am maintaining the quality of that program. We also provide a parent support and education series and are a part of the work force development program through our local community college. I also love to write and document all of the beautiful learning that takes place when you give children the time and space to learn on their own terms.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love my work. I’m the Founder and Director of The Garden Patch Play School. I guess I should have read ahead because I feel like I answered this question already – oops! A few years back, my husband decided to leave his job in sales and he now helps me run the school. We also have our 20 year old son who works here and my 17 year old daughter spends quite a bit of time playing at The Patch as well. Our school has chickens, goats, a leopard spotted gecko, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and a 30 + year old tortoise named Benny that roams the campus. We are just one big happy family looking to enrich children’s lives and support parents as they navigate the journey.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I have so many wonderful childhood memories and I think that’s why I fight so hard for children to be able to have an authentic childhood. I remember playing outside and riding my bike with the neighborhood kids until the street lights came on. We would build forts and I can remember making mud pies with the berries that grew on the tree in my front yard. I loved to play school and would line my stuffed animals up and take attendance. I loved going to sleep away camp and having adventures. There were no screens, minimal adult intervention, and just lots of self directed play!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.gardenpatchplayschool.org
• Instagram: @gardenpatchplayschool
• Facebook: @gardenpatchplayschool
• Twitter: @gardenpatchplayschool