Nurturing Seed of Change
Our Roots: The Heartwood Story
Our founders posed a pivotal question: “Why not us?”
As parents and professionals, we searched and shared resources and grappled with how to support the kids that we love. We struggled to piece together disjointed plans for our kids including school, individual therapies, group therapies, and community organizations in an effort to support their needs. We compromised on programs that didn’t fully align with our values and priorities.
Driven by a combination of love, hope, and a touch of audacity, our founders posed a pivotal question: "Why not us?" Together, we decided it was time to create a new learning environment led by experienced educators and therapists—a place where our children were celebrated and loved. We can’t wait to share in your dreams for your child!
From Vision to Reality
Heartwood is more than just a new place—it's the culmination of years of observation, learning, and a deep-seated desire to create change.
Section Styles full-width color-box-three
Branching out
Connecting with the Quaker Community
We are forever grateful to Fairville Friends School, who graciously shared their space with us. Their generosity and enthusiastic support made Heartwood's first year possible.
Through our relationship with Fairville Friends, we saw how Quaker values and practices lead Fairville's warm, responsive, and respectful community of staff, learners, and families.
Adopting a Quaker philosophy provides us with a meaningful framework to support our learning
community with intentional practices to cultivate integrity, equality, and peace, and ultimately, guide us in honoring the light in each child. We welcome students of all faiths, and look forward to celebrating individuality while nurturing a deep sense of connectedness and belonging.
Section Styles bg-left
“Our hope is for every student to feel like they belong.”
Our journey has been guided by the magic we've witnessed when all students are welcomed, as they are, in a caring community that both celebrates and challenges them. We've created more than just an educational space; we've cultivated a strong, supportive community for both students and families. We want this for our children. We want this for all children.
Our values are at the core of what we do.
Neurodiversity Affirmation
At Heartwood, we embrace neurodiversity as a vital aspect of human diversity. We encourage each student to express their true self, free from the pressure to conform—because at Heartwood, individuality isn't just accepted, it's celebrated.
Individualized Growth
We craft personalized learning journeys that adapt to each child's evolving needs. Our approach honors every student's unique path of development, ensuring they grow at their own pace.
Community Support
We foster a nurturing environment where children, families, and educators come together. This collaboration creates a strong, inclusive community dedicated to growth and learning for all.
our mission
Heartwood is founded on our deeply held-belief that all individuals have a unique, inherent Light. We are committed to providing a student-centered education experience in the Quaker tradition that celebrates individual differences in sensory processing, social-emotional regulation, and academic learning.
Through evidenced-based therapeutic frameworks and a neurodiversity affirming, collaborative ethos, we strive to help children recognize the Light within themselves and in others, and find a sense of community and belonging.
our vision
Our vision is to create a supportive educational environment where students access rich learning opportunities alongside their peers, caregivers and community members. By utilizing individualized academic and therapeutic plans to meet students where they are, we provide flexible learning opportunities that reflect individual interests, strengths, values, and goals.
As our community evolves, we remain rooted in Quaker values. We are dedicated to nurturing the Light within each individual as we practice integrity, equality, peace, and social responsibility.
Get to know our faculty & staff.
Jenny Hoving
Founder & Co-Executive Director
-
Jenny is thrilled to be leading our flexible instruction class—a full-circle experience that blends her passions for honoring all minds and creating opportunities for meaningful, engaged learning.
Jenny is also a licensed professional counselor specializing in anxiety, OCD, and related challenges. She utilizes evidence-based clinical interventions through a relational, value-focused framework.
Jenny previously taught in the West Chester Area School District with certifications in the areas of Elementary Education, Special Education, Middle Level Mathematics, and School Counseling. She continues to provide consultation services to schools and educators seeking to integrate best practices for supporting students with complex social and emotional needs. She is a self-described "animal person" and especially loves quirky misfits!
Brenna McNamee
Founder & Co-Executive Director
-
Brenna is an Occupational Therapist who specializes in supporting neurodivergent children & their families using a relationship-based approach. Brenna is so excited to create a classroom where strengths are celebrated and their needs are validated.
Brenna has chosen their "words of the school year" to be intentionality, adaptability, and joy. Brenna loves to be outside any chance they can get—biking, running, weeding the garden, or going for a walk with their soul-dog, Samson. They also have a one-eyed cat named Otis.
JoAnn (Jo) McNamee
Lead Teacher
-
With 39 years of experience as a special education teacher, Elementary/Primary Program Supervisor and Therapy Supervisor at Overbrook School for the Blind, it is no question that Jo Ann has the knowledge and expertise needed to support the growth of all our learners But more than that , “Miss Jo” has an unmatched ability to connect with her students.
Whether it be singing, dancing as she greets students in the morning, going out of her way to explore their interests, or simply offering a much needed hug, Jo is someone to look up to and learn from when it comes to compassionately supporting students. She LOVES the Phillies and you’ll often find Jo wearing her Phillies gear with a side of dog hair!
Gianna McNutt
Speech & Language Pathologist
-
Gianna is a speech-language pathologist and private practice owner. She is thrilled to be joining Heartwood staff to work with the Elementary program!
Gianna established her private practice, Love & Language, in 2025 to meet the need for neurodiversity-affirming and connection-centered therapy in her community. Gianna specializes in early intervention, motor speech disorders, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and gestalt language processing (communication through delayed echolalia/scripts). She is trained and certified in the natural language acquisition approach to support gestalt language processors.
Gianna lives in Collegeville with her mom and twin brother, Justin. Justin is an autistic gestalt language processor who inspired Gianna to become an SLP! Outside of school, you can find Gianna at the gym, at choir practice, or blasting musical theatre songs in her car.
Lacy Robinson
Speech & Language Pathologist
-
Lacy brings 15 years of speech-language therapy experience and a neurodiversity-affirming approach to supporting our preschoolers' unique communication journeys.
She has worked as a mentor, supervisor, consultant, and master's level adjunct professor at West Chester University, and has experience in early intervention, preschool, specialized elementary, and high school settings, as well as private practice.
Lacy specializes in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) . She has worked as a LAMP-certified therapist and is currently working toward her Gestalt Language Processing training program as well as the TouchChat Partner program. Lacy has been trained using Hanen and DIR Floortime principles and is PROMPT Level 1 trained.
While raising her two young daughters, she worked as a Tinkergarten teacher, where she created and hosted nature playgroups with children ages 1.5-8 that incorporated yoga, mindfulness, stories, art, creative movement, and more in a joyful, outdoor exploratory setting.
As a mother of two and native plant enthusiast, she combines professional expertise with warmth and creativity to help each child develop their communication skills in meaningful ways.
Ian Hewitt
DIR Floortime Provider
-
Ian is currently finishing up their training to become a DIR Floortime Provider, working with both our preschool and elementary students to support their engagement and participation in classroom routines. Ian’s bright personality and compassionate care creates opportunities for students to deepen their relationships with their peers as well as themselves as learners.
Samson McNamee-Liebsch
Therapy Dog & Certified Good Boy
-
Samson is ~8 years young and brings a sense of calm with him wherever he goes. His greatest passions in life are walkies, provolone cheese, and taking over the bed. He completed his therapy dog training and will be a proud member of our classroom once he passes his certification exam. You can do it Sam!
Get to know our board members.
Dana Antisell
Founder & President of the Board
-
Dana Antisell is a mom to two neurodivergent children. She has a master’s in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and worked in prevention and intervention services with adolescents and teens before focusing full-time on caring for and supporting her neurodivergent children.
She also has a passion for advocacy and deep diving into new subjects which has been channeled into finding evidenced-based, neurodiversity affirming services and spaces for her children. She is excited to work with a team that is passionate about creating relationship-focused, child-led, safe, and fun-filled environments for children in her community!
Carl Antisell
Founding Board Member & Secretary
-
Before transitioning to a career in finance, Carl had extensive experience helping non-profits increase their impact and scale. As managing director of Minding Your Mind he used his experience in advocacy messaging to help increase the impact of presentations, and his experience in building systems to help the organization deliver more programs in more places.
He currently is the co-owner of On the Job and Off offering mental health education and support to first responders across Pennsylvania, both online and in person. He believes strongly in trauma informed, culturally competent supports, and meeting people where they are. He enjoys running his dog, but you will never find him running himself!
Trey Westphal
Founding Board Member & Treasurer
-
Trey works as the Financial Director of Partners Creating Community, a non-profit organization that supports individuals who differ intellectually or developmentally, and may navigate mental health challenges.
Trey aims to find new ways to combine the worlds of philanthropy and business to help bring positive change to the world. Additionally, Trey is a certified yoga instructor where he uses both his creativity and grounded nature to lead his students towards a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.
Additionally, Trey is a certified yoga instructor where he uses both his creativity and grounded nature to lead his students towards a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.
Rebecca Bonner
Founding Board Member
-
Rebecca Bonner, M.Ed., MUPP is a founding board member of GPARE, the parent non-profit for The Bridge Way School, Pennsylvania’s only recovery high school. Rebecca worked as the Head of School at Bridge Way School from 2011-2021 when she moved into a director’s role until her retirement in 2023.
Prior to that, she was a Middle School Division Head for a local Friends School for over a decade. Rebecca has worked with non-profits for over 25 years in secondary and post-secondary education as well as small business development. She also serves on multiple non-profit boards in the recovery community space.
Jane P. Moss
Board Member
-
Since 2009, Jane has been Director of Development at People’s Light, a regional non-profit professional theatre in Malvern PA where she leads contributed income initiatives.
Before that, she served for more than a decade as Director of Development and Director of External Affairs at Philadelphia’s American Music Theater Festival/the Prince Music Theatre, a major producer of new music theatre work from 1984 to 2014.
She was also Director of Development at the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays and began her arts administration career at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the Berkshires in Massachusetts. Jane is an avid choral singer and all-around performing arts fan. She has two young adult sons, Francis and Bill.
Sharon Smith
Board Member
-
Sharon is a convinced Quaker and member of West Chester Monthly Meeting. Sharon is happiest when she is running on local trails with her dog Suki and pushing herself to complete ultramarathons.
When she's not on the trail, she enjoys watching her daughters pursue their passions, camping with her family, reading and discussing books with her book club, and binge watching Netflix with her husband.
Maia Tolsdorf
Board Member
Betsy Swan
Board Member
-
Betsy worked in schools for her entire career, beginning as an English, math, and film-making teacher working with middle school students. Captivated by the process of helping students ask and answer questions, and dedicated to helping children become excited about reading (which she had not been), she earned a master’s degree in Library and Information Science and, after eighteen years in the classroom, became a school librarian. For almost twenty years, until retiring in 2024, she worked with students in elementary, middle, and high school libraries.
Drawn to Quakerism in her early teens, Betsy is a member of Willistown Friends Meeting, where she has been actively involved in the governance of the Meeting and the nurture of spiritual life for two decades. She has extensive experience working in Friends schools, as well as teaching Quaker practice to students, faculty, and staff.
For your Clarity
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Heartwood currently serves preschool aged children. We have an early elementary age program coming in Fall of 2025-2026!
-
Heartwood offers a unique blend of specialized education and integrated therapy within a neurodiversity-affirming environment. We provide individualized support with a low 2:1 student-to-staff ratio.
-
We offer a comprehensive program that includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education, and learning differences support, all integrated into our daily rhythms.
-
We use evidence-based approaches such as DIR Floortime, ACT therapy, and total communication strategies. Our environment is designed to be sensory-friendly and adaptable to each child's needs. We have a diverse network of professionals that can address various learning styles and needs.
-
We believe in student-centered, flexible learning experiences. Our embedded instruction approach adapts to each child's interests, strengths, and developmental needs.
-
We believe in strong partnerships with families and they are an integral part of developing goals for their child. We provide regular updates, family education sessions, and opportunities for involvement in our community events.
-
Our team includes licensed special education teachers, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists, all with expertise in working with neurodivergent children.
-
We use ongoing observation and team consultation to track each child's development across all areas. We regularly update individualized plans to ensure they meet each child's evolving needs.
-
At Heartwood, every day is uniquely crafted to meet our students' individual needs. You can expect a balance of engaging learning experiences, integrated therapeutic support, child-led exploration, and plenty of opportunities for social connection. Our flexible schedule adapts to the energy and interests of our students, ensuring each day is both nurturing and stimulating.
-
Please contact us to begin the application process!