Tara Sawyer, Executive Director/Parent Coach

Tara started Pea Pod Playschool in 2015. Her son was a member of the founding cohort. Tara is the Executive Director of Pea Pod, a parent coach in the playschool classroom, a mom of two amazing kids, a dance teacher, and Camp Director of Camp Shazaam.

With a degree in Landscape Architecture specializing in playground and community spaces, Tara is an avid proponent of community building. In 2019, Pea Pod Playschool and Mt. Tabor Preschool worked together to recreate the Taborspace Playground. Tara donated her landscape design skills to the project and led the design process. She continues to nurture and maintain the playspace as it slowly matures into the community asset envisioned by the design team.

Tara loves working with parents and kids. Over the past ten years, Tara has been on a personal journey of growth and discovery with a focus on parenthood, child development, trauma informed care, emotional healing, and empowerment. She believes strongly that the key to a child's mental health and future success begins with a positive foundation of social and emotional wellbeing by recognizing, allowing and validating feelings. This year, Tara will also be participating in a year long certification program called Wonder-Led, by Fairy Dust Teaching. The program is a mixture of Waldorf and Reggio Emilia teachings that looks at the Teacher, the Child, the Family and the Environment.

Tara is committed to creating safe, authentic spaces for people of all ages, and is passionate about fostering the next generation of change makers.

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Trainings and Certifications:

October 2017 Speaking with Kids: Compassion & Cooperation Workshop

March 2018 Hand in Hand Parenting Class, 6-week series

April 2018 NAMI Family-to-Family 10 week Class

August 2018 Yoga Playgrounds Teacher Training

February 2020 Non-Violent Communication Workshop 

June 2020 Empowered Sensitivity: Making Sense of Your Child's Sense-Ability

February 2021 Roots, Rhythm, Race & Dance Masterclass by Karida Griffith

March 2021 Big Life Journal's Masterclass on Transforming your Child's Negative Self-Talk

July 2021-June 2022 Wonder-Led Certification Program by Fairy Dust Teaching