The Compass Center Foundation was originally spoken aloud during the initial school lockdowns in 2020. She craved community who felt similarly that children and education were in crisis. She knew that in order to save their childhoods, and in turn their adulthoods, we would need to be brave, and speak aloud our concerns about kids being indoors, on screens, eating processed foods all day long. And it would also take humility – to realize that the crises that our children face have been a long time coming – their roots go much deeper than the school lockdowns.
So, The Compass Center Foundation offers our small contribution to the future. We give children and their parents a positive alternative: a wide range of learning experiences through immersion into nature through hiking, homesteading and farming.
As the dream for a new kind of childhood educational experience grew, another idea blossomed. What if a school could support parents too, not just kids? What if the school could provide support, knowledge and community for the whole family? The Compass Center Foundation, as its fully realized self, will become a wellness and educational center offering families a progressive and accredited school as well as a place to learn, heal, and grow together.
This mom, Robin Shirley, found common ground with the Henley family in Crozet, Virginia. With their support, we are now able to offer families an immersive and enriching experience on their land. We have been in operation since December of 2022.
The Compass Center Foundation’s purpose is to support families on their journey towards physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
Our hope is that by offering an intentional childhood experience, we can be a part of a movement towards equipping the next generation to better thrive in our turbulent world.
We see a community of intentional families working together to raise vibrant, healthy and engaged children. Our long term vision includes a new campus to house an accredited school and all of our events, gardens, animals.
Our children are facing major social and economic crises including the breakdown of family and interpersonal relationships, economic instability, chronic illness epidemics, and rising mental health challenges.
We feel that schools are not taking the whole child into consideration in preparing them to face these challenges, and we recognize that the public school system is not able to. But, we are seeing the many consequences manifest, to the detriment of society and the economy.
We see a need for a new model in childhood education that offers more freedom for children and their parents to engage with learning experiences in a way that more closely aligns with the natural phases of childhood development and takes into consideration the unique challenges facing our future leaders.
At The Compass Center Foundation, we have four guiding principles. These principles speak to our everyday interactions and decisions, as well as long term goals.
The days at Compass Academy are filled with the opportunity, connection, purpose and peace that come naturally from being consistently immersed in the natural world.
We know that children are innate learners. We don’t worry about making sure that they learn, we worry about making sure that they are given the opportunity to learn at their pace, surrounded by adults and educators who model integrity, compassion, curiosity, and communication.
When children come to school at Compass Academy, they enter a diverse environment that exemplifies a holistic approach to learning, living, relating and earning.
We believe that when children grow up surrounded by adults who care deeply and live intentionally, they will thrive.