Meet the Teacher

Hi! My name is Bianca Hagen, and I’m the preschool teacher here at Hidden Valley Forest School (proud owner and founder as well)!

Many moons ago, I used to be a Foreign Policy research analyst and Portuguese/Spanish Linguist in Washington, DC, with a Master’s degree in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. Then, I had children and my whole world changed!

As a new and inexperienced parent, I wanted to understand my children more and become the best mom I could possibly be. This ignited a passion for early childhood development, leading me on an 8-year journey of researching this topic as much as possible. Applying my research skills to this new topic, I ended up gaining a deep understanding about the environments and progressive educational approaches that truly allow children to thrive. This gave me the ability to genuinely understand children and their needs, allowing me to become uniquely equipped in nurturing children in their learning journeys.

Along my journey, I came across the book There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather, by Linda Akeson McGurk, which opened my eyes to the world of Forest Schooling and the importance of providing children the opportunity to play outside, particularly in nature. To my delight, the Forest School approach combined all the different elements of child development my research had been highlighting.

Hidden Valley Forest School is the culmination of all these years of passionate research, providing a safe, beautiful space where I can apply the knowledge I’ve gained, creating a peaceful and joyful oasis of learning for children. I am so proud of my forest school and all that it represents. I hope you will see all the value it provides, too!

* Bianca Hagen is a certified Forest School Teacher through the Forest School Teacher Institute (Level 1, 2, and 3). She is also CPR certified, and is currently attending an intensive 9-month Wilderness Immersion course at the Living Earth School in Afton, VA. Previously, she worked as a Lead Afternoon Teacher at Little Explorers Discovery School, a Reggio Emilia preschool located in Crozet, VA, where she received training in the Reggio Emilia educational approach. References upon request.