Stoneybrook Hollow

Giveaway time!!

I’m so excited to support two of my beautiful, creative, and talented teachers Miss Kait & Miss Steph! In addition to teaching part time, they both own their own businesses and 💪🏼

They’ve graciously invited the school to join in on such a fun giveaway! Here’s the details:

📸 A backyard mini session with (in Cache, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake or Utah counties). Stephanie is amazing at capturing the most authentic, beautiful moments life has to offer. Her work is often featured here on the schools page 🫶🏻

🌈 A full Stapelstein stepping sone set! Our classroom’s FAVORITE open-ended toy!

💝 A fun surprise creation from French company

Here’s how to enter:

1. Follow
2. Follow Miss Kait’s new shop where she’s curating the most functional, durable and beautiful Eruopean products for kids. Watch her page to see when her pop up shops will be in Utah!
3. Follow if you’re not already!

For extra entries, share this in your stories and tag friends below. Giveaway closes at the end of the summer!

Had to share these gorgeous photos from last November! Thanks



preschool, kindergarten, play-based, play, child-led, Reggio

I first learned about Reggio in 2017 while teaching in a traditional preschool. One of the teachers was telling me about this “crazy school” that didn’t have any dress up’s - instead, they used large pieces of fabric and clips. The kids could make their own!

That planted a seed inside me that eventually led to Stoneybrook Hollow. I’ve been poring over “The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Experience in Transformation.” Loris Malaguzzi, the genius behind the Reggio philosophy, takes an approach to childhood and education that is LIBERATING. I have never enjoyed being an educator more since I began incorporating his work into my practice.

“Stand aside for a while and leave room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and then, if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before.” - Malaguzzi

Also, can we talk about how lucky I am to have a professional photographer as one of our guides?? 📸:



preschool, kindergarten, play-based, reading, child-led, Reggio

28 degrees but cozy as can be ☺️

Thanks for capturing this

Meet Miss Steph ❤️ I love having her gentle presence in the studio. She has a gift for noticing what matters to children. She is a natural at connecting with the kids. I feel so grateful to have her here!

We’ve introduced our new guides over on our website but I’m way overdue in making them Instagram official! Meet Miss Kait ❤️

Meet the guide 😊

I’ve had so many conversations with prospective families lately! I thought I’d do another introduction for those of you who I haven’t had the chance to meet in person.

So hi 👋🏼 I’m Anna! I’m the passionate early childhood educator and advocate behind all the content you see here.

I have a degree in human development and international development. I focused on issues in early childhood and primary education (which is where my passion for advocacy comes from!). I have training in Montessori, Reggio Emilia and democratic education (child-led classrooms). I was an educator in three other schools before deciding to start Stoneybrook Hollow.

I am passionate about creating learning environments where young children are honored for all that they are. I create spaces to ignite their curiosities and extend their current interests. I champion child-led, open-ended play! I know that play is the brain’s most efficient method for early learning, which is why you see so much of it here.

I am married and have two young children, one of whom has CHARGE syndrome. I love a lot of things, but right now I’m loving board games, gardening and reading!

If you are local to Davis County, my waitlists are exploding for the 23-24 and 24-25 school years. If you want in, reach out and I’ll get you added! Thanks for being here!

For thousands of years, children were educated through PLAY. Children in hunter and gatherer societies learned what they needed for success through play. They observed skills from older siblings and parents, were given freedom to explore their ideas, and were trusted with meaningful responsibilities from a young age. 

With the advances of agriculture and industry, children lost a lot of freedom, and in my opinion, lost foundational rights. Children aren’t meant to do the work of adults. But for centuries, children were forced to do just that.  

Although our modern society is no longer forcing children to work in factories (for the most part), the factory model has transferred to the education system (this deserves a whole separate post!).

We deny thousands of years of evolution when we deny play. It is unnatural to deny children play! We want to work with the brain’s biological methods of education, not against it.

To learn more, check out Peter Gray’s book “Free to Learn”

I’m joining my fellow early childhood professional .pica and 💡

What if schools prioritized social & emotional learning over academic success?

Does the thought excite you? Give you hope? Terrify you? Could we let go of our grip on performance and lean into resiliency, healthy coping skills, and growth mindset? Could that actually improve our academic growth in the long run?

To learn more about social & emotional learning, head to www.CASEL.org, where experts are sharing their research on the topic and advocating for it in classrooms worldwide.

Part Two: What does this mean for your child?

If we know how the brain learns, shouldn’t all schools be rushing to provide the most ideal environment?

How can I know what types of learning experiences are actually meaningful?

➡️ Swipe through to find some inspiration 💡

Part One: Background Story 🤓

If I wasn’t so passionate about being an educator, I’d be a neuroscientist! The brain is jaw-droppingly wild. When we understand how the brain works, even in its most basic form, we support children’s development in a way that’s incredibly meaningful. 

Because of my love for the brain, it’s only natural for Stoneybrook Hollow to be rooted in the principles of neuroscience. In the words of Amanda Morgan, what we’re aiming for is “not just cute” - it’s learning and development on a neural level.

➡️ Swipe through to see what I mean 🧠

We have two spots left! 🥳🥳

I’ve loved talking with families over the last few weeks about the program we’re building at Stoneybrook Hollow. Our learners are getting an early childhood education that is not only unique but very necessary.

With most traditional schooling options under pressure to preform well, prepare more and start earlier than ever, we are here to advocate for childhood! 🤸🏿‍♀️

We are committed to providing children the freedom to grow at their own pace and follow their curiosity. We are in the business of nourishing life-long learners.

Head to our website (link in bio) to learn how to save your spot! We’d love to have you!

Why should we care about early childhood education?

In the grand scheme of things, the time a child spends in preschool and kindergarten is incredibly small compared to the rest of their life. It can’t matter that much, can it?

We whole-heartedly agree with Fredrick Douglas - the best time to cultivate healthy, thriving humans is during early childhood.

90% of a child’s brain develops by age 5. Neural pathways have been established, which means beliefs have already been formed. Beliefs about themselves, their relationships, their world.

We aren’t passionate about early education because it’s “cute” or “fun” (although it definitely is those things). We care because high quality early education helps develop children into beautiful, capable, thinking adults. 🌾

What is your image of the child?

Whether consciously or subconsciously, our beliefs about children effect every interaction we have with them and the environment we create for them.

At Stoneybrook Hollow, we believe that every child is a human being who is worthy of our respect.

When a child’s behavior is making you uncomfortable, what are your first thoughts?

“They are giving me a hard time.” // “They are having a hard time.”

“Why are they being so emotional right now?” // “They’re learning how to regulate their emotions.” (Empathy is key here - we don’t always regulate our emotions perfectly either.)

“They’re just doing this to get attention.” // “Behavior is communication - what are they trying to tell me?”

"The way we view the child becomes the way the child views themselves."

❤️MrChazz MrChazz

Although we are currently under construction, we’d love to share some of our studio inspiration! 🎨

These are all examples of the types of experiences we’ll have at Stoneybrook Hollow.

The number one goal behind our environment - spark curiosity! ✨

How are we different from traditional schools?

Part 3: emotional 🌈

Swipe to see the child-led magic ✨

How are we different from traditional schools?

Part 2: social 🧡

Swipe to see the child-led magic ✨

How are we different from traditional schools?

Part 1: cognitive 🧠

Swipe to see the child-led magic ✨

Meet the guide 👋🏻

Anna Crabb received her bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in human development with a minor in international development, where she focused on issues in childhood development and education. She is particularly passionate about innovative education, which is what inspired her to found Stoneybrook Hollow.

Anna is trained in the Montessori philosophy and was the lead guide in the primary classroom at Lighthouse Montessori Academy in Provo. Following her time there, she had the opportunity to create the early childhood center at Choice Academy in Bountiful. She was the lead guide there, where she honed her Montessori skills and experimented with innovative ideas in education, including the principles of Reggio Emilia.

She now resides in Kaysville, with her husband, Davis, and her two children, Kenna (4) and Elliot (1). They love trying new foods, playing board games, tackling home renovation projects and having impassioned conversations about their dreams.

When children lead, they fall in love with learning.