(*we are currently gauging interest for programs for ages 10-12, these programs are not yet confirmed)

The mixed-age kingergarten program is for ages 3-6. The program is appropriate for children who are toilet trained or who are close (using a Pull-up consistently is okay) and who no longer take naps (or would nap after the end of the school day). The mixed-age K program is also appropriate for kids age 6 who might not yet be ready to join the early elementary group full time. HMLC offers a gentle and gradual transition out of the mixed-age kindergarten class and into the early elementary group as learners are demonstrating readiness. 

All HMLC education programs are outdoors-first programs. Any time we can safely be outdoors, we work to ensure we're learning outdoors. That means we move activities outdoors that would traditionally take place in a indoor classroom. Depending on the weather, HMLC spends 65-80 percent of the school year learning outdoors. When we are indoors, HMLC focuses on ventilation and air filtration to help keep kids healthy and learning.

HMLC uses a variety of core curricula as a foundation, but learning is tailored to each individual child's needs and learning style. All HMLC's educational programming meets the state of Minnesota academic standards for children through the end of kindergarten, including:
 

* Artistic foundations, process/creation, performance, response 

* Reading, writing, speaking, listening, media literacy and language

* Numbers and operations, patterns, shapes, comparison and other basic mathematical concepts 

* Nature, engineering, physical science, Earth and space, life sciences

* Citizenship, government, geography, history

Due to the mixed-age nature of the program, learners at HMLC are often "learning up" -- exposed to and practicing, in an age-appropriate manner, upper level academic learning, experiments and concepts. It is our experience that HMLC students are learning at "grade level" with their peers in public school. In most cases, HMLC students are learning above traditional public/private school "grade levels." 

Proposed tuition rates for HMLC programs in 2025-2026 are: 

Two days/week programs - $675/month

Three days/week mixed-age kindergarten - $875/month

Five days/week programs - $1,275/month

*There is a 10 percent sibling discount for families with more than one child in the HMLC program. 

Please contact helloheartsminds@outlook.com with questions or for further information. 

Fill out the form below to indicate interest for the 2025-2026 school year.