Meet Amy Vincent of Redondo Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Vincent.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey into Waldorf education began in the most unexpected and beautiful way. I was working as a nanny for a midwife, attending births with her as a doula and apprentice, and had dreams of becoming a midwife myself. Then I became pregnant and the course of my life changed forever.
When my eldest daughter was around two years old, we were invited to a holiday faire at the Waldorf school where the children I cared for attended. We both fell in love with it instantly. I enrolled my daughter and began substituting, and before long I was immersed in Waldorf teacher training. I took on a nursery class as lead teacher after a year as an assistant kindergarten teacher and working in the afternoon program.
After completing my training, I continued teaching preschool classes in the morning while also becoming a special subject teacher in the afternoons for the grades, teaching handwork, woodworking, and gardening, subjects that fed my soul. A particularly inspiring turning point came when I attended a summer intensive workshop at Rudolf Steiner College led by Helle Heckman, author of Nokken, a book about her Waldorf early childhood program in Copenhagen that is primarily outdoors. Her work deeply inspired me, and I brought that vision back to my preschool class, where we began spending most of our mornings outdoors in nature. This experience planted the seeds, quite literally, for the nature-based outdoor program I would one day build at Seeds of Joy Village.
I also served on the Board of Trustees and was the faculty chair for the early childhood program, teaching there for ten years while my eldest daughter grew up within those same walls. Later I took a position at another Waldorf school as the after-school director and gardening teacher, where I remained until my youngest daughter graduated from eighth grade.
Then came the pandemic. Seeds of Joy Village had dwindled to one family and was in danger of closing its doors forever. I was asked to step in and save it, starting with a small pod of six children in a strictly outdoor program on 11 acres at Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. That year changed everything. I fell in love with the park, the families of the South Bay, and rediscovered my deep passion for teaching preschool age children. Since 2020, Seeds of Joy Village has steadily grown to serve 60+ families a year, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the journey that brought me here.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Running an independent Waldorf early childhood program comes with its own unique set of challenges, and over the years I have worked through many of them with patience, creativity, and a deep belief in the value of what we offer.
One of the most personal challenges has simply been the commute. I make the drive from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach every day, and while the journey is worth every mile, it is a commitment that requires dedication and love for the work, both of which I have in abundance.
On a broader level, one of our greatest limitations is space. Our single classroom at Hopkins Wilderness Park is a beautiful and magical setting, but it also means we are unable to expand beyond our current capacity. We are nestled in this special place and that comes with both gifts and constraints.
California’s implementation of the Transitional Kindergarten (TK) program has impacted enrollment for many independent early childhood programs across the state, and we are no exception. However, what TK cannot offer is the magic of a Waldorf-inspired, nature-based education centered on play, rhythm, and wonder, and families who are drawn to that know the difference.
There is also the bittersweet beauty of early childhood education. Most families are with us for two to three years and then move on. Rather than seeing this as a loss, I have come to see it as a gift. We have the privilege of planting seeds in children and families during the most formative years of their lives, and watching those seeds bloom long after they leave our community is one of the greatest rewards of this work.
Like many independent schools, we are also affected by the economy. Waldorf early childhood education is a meaningful investment, and whether families can afford it often depends on circumstances beyond anyone’s control. It is something I hold with great care, and I am proud that this year 100% of our fundraising efforts have gone directly towards financial assistance for families, a commitment shared by our entire Board of Directors.
Despite these challenges, I wake up every morning grateful for the work and more committed than ever to the mission of Seeds of Joy Village. The children, the families, and the beauty of what we create together in that park make every obstacle worth navigating.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At Seeds of Joy Village, I wear many hats. I am the Director, Lead Teacher, and a member of the Board of Directors. My days are spent doing what I love most: being with the children, guiding our program, and holding the vision for Seeds of Joy Village.
I also serve as a mentor for early childhood education students from El Camino College, who choose our site to complete their practicum each semester. Supporting the next generation of educators feels like a natural extension of the work I do with children, and watching these students discover their own love for teaching in our setting is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work.
I also founded Little Seeds of Joy (www.littleseedsofjoy.com), which grew out of my desire to extend the values of Seeds of Joy Village beyond the classroom. With over 30 years of experience in Waldorf education and more than 500 families served, Little Seeds of Joy is my way of supporting the whole child and the whole village. Through outdoor nature camps, seasonal enrichment classes, consulting services, and a thoughtfully curated shop of natural toys and open-ended play materials, every offering is designed to nurture childhood in its fullest sense.
Everything I do comes back to the same belief: childhood should be protected, playful, and meaningful. Seeds of Joy Village and Little Seeds of Joy are two expressions of that one deep commitment.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Some of my most cherished childhood memories are rooted in nature and the simple freedom of being a child. I grew up in a time before cable television, cell phones, and computers, when children were sent outside and left to play, imagine, and create on their own terms. We roamed the neighborhood, made up games, built forts, and lost ourselves in the natural world around us for hours at a time.
I remember walking to and from school in kindergarten with the neighborhood kids, something that feels almost unimaginable today. There was a beautiful sense of freedom and community in those simple daily rituals. We looked out for one another, we were adventurous, and we were deeply connected to the world around us in a way that only comes from unstructured time in nature.
Looking back, I can see so clearly how those early experiences shaped everything I believe about childhood and education. At Seeds of Joy Village, I am essentially recreating what I was so fortunate to experience: the freedom to explore, the joy of imaginative play, and the magic of being a child in nature. Building a strong and connected parent community is equally important to me, because just as the neighborhood shaped my childhood, I believe the village truly raises the child. It is my greatest hope that the children in our community carry those same memories with them long into their lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seedsofjoyvillage.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seeds_of_joy_village/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seedsofjoyvillage