About Us

  Program Director

Haleryn is a veteran educator and great enthusiast for nature-based teaching and learning. She has a diverse background in elementary education, including bilingual, urban, private, and rural public schools. She created The Backyard Learning Project, a pod-style multi-grade school in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and opened her life's dream project, The Wildflower School, in 2021.

Haleryn graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Child Development in 2011, where she also earned her Master’s Degree in Teaching the following year. 

She grew up in Sonoma County, CA, and spent her summers in Belgrade with her family. She moved to Bozeman in 2015. Haleryn lives with her husband Adam, their kiddos Morgan, Ansel, Rook, and Sable, their two dogs Holden and Nayanuki, and their cat Franny. They also raise bees and care for our class pets.

 In teaching and in life, Haleryn believes chiefly in cultivating curiosity and supporting little ones to become capable, brave, and compassionate members of their world. Haleryn has been passionate about education all her life. She believes in the immense potential and capacity of children and has made it her professional goal to foster independence, joy, and a love of learning in every child under her care.

Lead Teacher + Reading Specialist

Izzy has been with Haleryn and The Wildflower School since they opened their doors in 2021, and she feels incredibly grateful to have  grown alongside their school and families. She is so passionate about the care they provide for their littles, and feels proud of the nurturing  environment they have created.

Izzy attended Montana State University, where she earned her bachelor’s  degree in Early Childhood Development and Child Services. She loves being a part of such an important stage in a child’s life and feels lucky to watch how littles learn, grow, and become the confident, capable little  people they are meant to be!

Izzy Is passionate about early childhood development and believes that caring for the whole child is so important. she strives to  create an environment where every child feels seen, heard, and loved.

 Izzy grew  up in Montana and has always had a deep love for the outdoors and the  beauty of her state. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time and making memories with her husband Michael, their one year old daughter Lucy, and  their Australian Shepherd, Winston. 

Lead Sprouts Teacher

Mikinley is a Montana native with over 7 years of experience in early childhood education, specializing primarily in toddler care. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications alongside a diverse background in the arts. 

When she isn't in the classroom, Mikinley loves exploring the outdoors, practicing yoga, and attending Bozeman art events. 

Deeply passionate about early childhood development, she believes that every child’s unique personality deserves to be celebrated. Mikinley is dedicated to bringing whimsy, love, and wonder into every child's life.

Lead Teacher

     Heidi  is an award-winning graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic  Academy in New York City, where she began her career as both a performer  and event planner. After the birth of her first child, she followed her  heart back to Montana and has spent over a decade sharing the magic of  theater with children—directing at Kaleidoscope Youth Theater, teaching  musical theater at Bozeman Dance Academy, and nurturing creativity at  the Creative Arts Preschool.

A  familiar face in the local arts community, Heidi believes theater is  the great equalizer—a place where everyone belongs, imaginations grow,  and joy is celebrated. She is delighted to bring her love of education,  storytelling, and play to the Wildflower Preschool family.

Lead Teacher

Crystal taught preschool for over 30 years, along with working in public  schools as a paraprofessional with life skills and individuals with  disabilities. Her passion for early childhood education shines through  with a warm and engaging approach. She has loved working with young  children and she Is committed to creating a fun, engaging, and supportive learning environment where every child feels encouraged to be who they are and continues to grow all around.
     Crystal has lived in Montana for over 24 years, married with 3 beautiful girls and just recently became a Grammy x4.
She likes to fish, paddle board, hike and be outdoors and hang out with her family. Crystal and her husband have also loved watching their girls play  sports.
Family is very important and they try to gather as much as possible. 

Lead Teacher

Heather is a long-time theatre educator specializing in in children’s theatre. Using her Theatre BA from Southern Oregon University she has spent countless hours

encouraging creativity, exploring emotions and feelings, and fostering cooperative work with children and teens both here in Bozeman but also in Napa, Sonoma County and the location of her alma mater in Ashland, Oregon. She is so excited to share in the joy of play and artistic expression present at The Wildflower School.

In addition to her theater work, she has always had positions in caring for children, whether that be babysitting and nannying, or in health clubs at their daycare centers,

and for the last ten years, at home raising her four children. Heather is the proud and very busy mother of Atticus, Jasper, and twins Mirabelle and Helena. She, her husband,

Travis, their brood of littles, and their elderly cat, Indian Jones, live in Bozeman and spend their days in the whirlwind of childhood and the challenges and joys that brings.

In her snippets of free time, Heather is an avid reader and an actor who does her best to fit in a few productions here and there.

She is thrilled to be a part of The Wildflower School family, as a strong supporter of Montessori, Waldorf, and nature-play based early education. The environment of free self-expression and imagination is not only something that she embraces within her own family’s education but, also, she feels, is a wonderful way to introduce young children to education and a learning environment. 

Lead Teacher

Miss Jessica (Jess) is a woman of many skill sets. She was a preschool teacher in her early twenties while doing her Masters degree in Counseling. She was then a therapist for 13 years, working primarily with at-risk youth and foster care children and families. She stopped practicing as a therapist to be home with her two kids during COVID in Northern California, which kept them out of school for nearly 2 years. After those tough years, she and her family were ready for a big change. 

They fell in love with Montana while visiting a local friend, then moved to MT in 2022 to pursue their homestead dreams. They bought a home in Belgrade, where they quickly outfitted their acre with a flock of chickens. 

Miss Jess loves her part time work at Wildflower, and the other days, she is a private caregiver for the elderly. 

On top of all that, she also is a ceramic artist that has a small pottery business run from her home studio, called Jilted Kiln. You may see her pottery booth at events around town. 

Miss Jess holds her time at Wildflower as a precious and protected part of her life. She thoroughly enjoys educating children and being a warm support as they evolve. She provides extra support around social/emotional growth and offers additional art instruction as needed.