My son attended Mt. Nebo from January 2023 through August 2024 at which point he left for the pre-K program at Boonsboro Elementary School.

I cannot sing Mt. Nebo’s praises enough. It was a godsend. My son was initially in an indoor classroom. However, he is extremely hyperactive, and he was having trouble sitting still with the rest of the class at story time or learning time, and also refused to sit in the quiet corner so he would not disrupt the rest of class. I can’t remember when, but after a few months, the director (Ms. Kim) approached me in a very kind/gentle way and asked me whether I was interested in placing him in the outdoor class with Ms. Jamie instead. I wasn’t aware they had one, only because I hadn’t done my research, and so jumped at this. Ms. Kim said she thought he’d do great in the outdoor class. There was absolutely no judgment whatsoever, no “you’re-a-bad-parent” vibes because my son refused to sit still; they observed his behavior for a significant amount of time, thought about solutions, and made an adjustment that made sense. Trust me, as a parent of a child whose behavior I try to control with positive reinforcement and every other method known to man and he still doesn’t listen, this was huge. Both my children have been incorrectly labeled/diagnosed by independent daycare providers in the past (who were not mental health professionals) and it was very disheartening.

My son joined the outdoor class with Ms. Jamie, and he thrived. The outdoor class….oh my goodness, what a fabulous idea. You walk through the halls and out the side door and out to the outdoor “playground,” but it’s more like an entire world of nature…tree forts, sticks, BUGS, rocks, tires, climbing equipment, paint, clay, plants, ropes, “tree cookies,” tables to eat on/do crafts on. When the weather was nice, they even occasionally took their naps out there. The outdoor class was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen, in part because I knew immediately my son would absolutely love it. And he did. They took nature walks throughout the town of Boonsboro, made notes about their observations (like scientists!), had wildlife experts come and let my son hold snakes (what a little boy’s dreams are made of!), went on field trips to water parks, you name it. What’s even better is that at Mt. Nebo, they taught that nature is made by God. I ended up reading Ms. Jamie’s philosophy for the outdoor class and was greatly encouraged and comforted by the fact that she believed that observing/studying nature was a powerful tool in connecting children to God, who created every little detail of it. Ms. Jamie took Psalm 19:1 seriously: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.” As a Christian, this was everything. When I had my parent-teacher conference with Ms. Jamie and Ms. Elizabeth, they presented me with clear evidence of my son’s growth in drawing/writing/making observations. They listened to me while I discussed our family story, past losses that have affected my son, and how I was trying my best to raise him well and to know God by taking him around his grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins and church family as often as possible. When I asked whether they were concerned about my son’s hyperactivity, Ms. Jamie normalized his 4-yo-boy behavior, told me she was not concerned about my son at all and thought I was doing a great job. This was so impactful. The outdoor class was like a missing puzzle piece for my son, it catered so beautifully to his personality. I am so thankful to Ms. Jamie and the original set of parents who believed in the benefits of the outdoor program and helped establish it in the beginning years. I didn’t know it at the time, but 2024 would be Ms. Jamie’s last year there. When I discovered this at my son’s outdoor school graduation, I remember being so deeply thankful to God for giving my son the experience of working with her as she had been doing this for 20 years. What a beautiful gift God gave my son, without me even knowing it He was planning it. God is sovereign indeed and He sovereignly ordained my son’s time at Mt. Nebo. It has forever impacted my son in ways I’ll never forget. In addition to Ms. Jamie, my son absolutely adored Ms. Elizabeth and Ms. Katie, who were great with him as well. I met the new outdoor staff at the outdoor graduation and I trust they will carry on this beautiful, impactful way of teaching children to love God and His creation.

A couple other notes, throughout my son’s time at Mt. Nebo, the staff also immediately informed me of my son’s behavior when it needed addressed (like when he hit someone) so I could address it and work to correct it. Their communication was on point every day. Clear and immediate communication is absolute key in every area of life, and I so appreciate being informed of how my kid is doing in real-time, how they’re growing and areas for improvement. They do not shame you about your kid’s behavior, again I want to emphasize this. They also take pictures of your children (if you give them permission) so you can see what they’re up to throughout the day, again immensely reassuring and comforting for a parent who has to be apart from their young child.

Their summer program, which my son also attended was another godsend. I work from home, but they provided a way more fun summer than I ever could have. They took field trips, had the book mobile come to the center, had the fire station bring their truck and spray all the kids with the firehose, had snow cones/ice cream, just everything, went to nature centers, water parks. It was simply amazing.

In addition to that, ever since Ms. Kim came back, I noticed immediate changes and improvement. That woman is constantly trying to make Mt. Nebo better and better, from staff education to playground equipment to fieldtrips. I can’t even imagine the level of planning and coordinating that went into planning all the age-appropriate activities for all the age who attend there so that it appeared seamless for parents like me when you drop your kid off. Ms. Kim is an expert at running an early childhood education program, no doubt.

Another great benefit of Mt. Nebo was that I trusted them completely to steward my son while he was there. I never had one worry in his almost 2 years he was there. I was never concerned they wouldn’t know how to handle something.

Mt. Nebo was one of the best decisions I ever made as a parent. You will not regret sending your child here, and will miss it when your kid moves on to “big-kid” school 😊

Jenna Lupinetti