5532 Hanrehan Lake Blvd., Savage, MN 55378
Monday - Friday 6:30 am - 6:00 pm
About Us
Some of the best memories we have as children were created outside, running the hills, climbing the trees, or building forts in the woods. My wife and I bonded over a love for the outdoors and we vowed that we would share that love with our children. We believe that kids should have the opportunity to run, jump, play, climb, and explore. We created Wildflower Early Learning Center to offer the community an alternative to mainstream childcare. To encourage and inspire children to become stewards of the earth while providing a foundation that enables healthy development and academic success.
Whether it be tending the garden, exploring the life of a Woolly Bear caterpillar, or getting comfy in the classroom sharing stories and reading books, we look forward to creating memories with your family that will last a lifetime.
Sincerely,
Joshua and Carrie Linde
Owners - Wildflower Early Learning Center
I am excited for you to join us in our learning adventure at Wildflower ELC. I was raised in Wausau, WI and have been a proud resident of the south metro for 15 years. I graduated from Concordia University, St. Paul with a degree in psychology. Upon graduation, I found myself working in a children's mental health facility. This opportunity fostered my desire to help children at the early stages of development. I then found myself working with birth through age 5 and found my life's work. Some of my favorite activities with young children are story time, dramatic play, and sensory experiences. It's powerful to watch a child learn how the world works and how they play a role in society.
Along with the great work at Wildflower, my family keep me busy each day. My husband and I have 3 daughters, one of whom is a proud Alumni of Wildflower ELC. Some of our favorite activities include Valleyfair, various church functions, and exploring the many playgrounds and parks in the area.
I welcome you to Wildflower ELC. I hope you find it a place of love, nurturance, education, and growth for you and your child.
Jessica Lewis
- Director
Credentials
BA in Psychology,
30 credits towards
Masters in Family Ed.
Teacher: 15 yrs
Administration: 6 yrs
Samantha Seery - Teacher
Credentials:
Childcare Experience: 9 years
My name is Samantha Seery, aka Ms. Seery. I am so excited to be a part of the Wildflower Family! I was born and raised in Prior lake and continue to reside in this community with my fiancé, Tyler, and our golden retriever, Belle. I grew up going camping with my family and spent most of my childhood playing in the woods with my brothers behind our house. Nature has always played a huge role in my life so it’s so fun to be teaching young kids the passions that I grew up learning and still have today! I have 7 years of experience in the childcare industry, working with toddlers through pre-k aged children. I enjoy being a teacher to little minds for so many reasons. I love to see when a child conquers a task, the joy they get from learning new things, and the hugs and smiles each day. This career path is fulfilled each day by the joy and pride that exudes from the children I teach and I look forward to being a partner in their early years of development.
Hello, my name is Ms. Callie and I’m so happy to be part of the Wildflower team! I grew up with six brothers and two sisters, me being the oldest, meant a lot of babysitting! I have worked in childcare since 2013, when I was in high school, working with infants-preschool.
I am passionate about the play-based curriculum Wildflower provides and find joy in helping children learn how to communicate with teachers and with each other not only during learning themes and curriculum, but also outside structured environments while playing and problem solving. Being in nature and learning from real-life experiences is so eye opening and has changed my outlook on how children learn and all they are able to take in.
Callie Stone- Teacher
Credentials
Teaching Experience: 6 Years
Associates Degree
Katie Lose - Teacher
Credentials
Childcare Experience: 5 Years
Education: St. Olaf College -BA Psychology
Honors: Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa (honors society).
Hi, my name is Katie and I’m so excited to join the Wildflower team! I grew up in St Paul and graduated with a degree in psychology from St Olaf. Throughout college, I worked at a church nursery during the school year and spent the summers at a backpacking camp in the Absaroka-Beartooth mountain ranges in Montana. As a camp counselor, I discovered I loved connecting kids with nature and watching them do things they previously deemed impossible. While I had spent a large portion of my childhood outside in nature – especially walking and playing in the woods behind my house – I never fully realized its significance to me or the immense benefits to my mental health until I spent my summers “off the grid” in Montana. At this point, I also discovered my love for psychology, particularly developmental and positive psychology, and chose to take an interdisciplinary environmental-psychology course where we focused on “biophilia,” the innate human urge to be with nature. I then spent a semester studying the impact of the natural world on child development. After college, I moved to Fort Collins Colorado for a year to be closer to the mountains. I worked in a preschool but found myself longing for time outside and wishing I could share the natural world with the children, and so I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to do that at Wildflower!
My name is Julie Linde, but you can call me Miss Julie or even Grandma Julie. You’ll often find me with the kiddos watering the many wildflowers throughout the property or introducing the children to the beautiful world of farming in the Wildflower garden.
I have many years of experience in nursing and medical administration. I am also a talented seamstress having worked with a local designer on one-of-a-kind leather purses & vintage clothing.
Favorite activities of mine include: spending time with our granddaughters, Layla & Harper, walking my dog Chally, sewing, and (surprise) gardening. Hopefully, everyone will get to enjoy the vegetables of my labor from the Wildflower garden.
Julie Linde
Gardner & Teacher
Credentials
Childcare Experience: 3 yrs
Nursing: 7 years
I've been caring for children for as long as I can remember. I have a younger sister who I took care of during my adolescence. I began volunteering at a Spanish immersion summer camp when I was 12 and at the age of 14, I officially became a camp counselor working with children ages two through 2nd grade. For four years, I enjoyed working with kids, spending time teaching outdoors, and leading activities. I absolutely adore working with kids, because I remember what being a kid is like and it’s fun to see kids playing outside and having fun the way I did!
I appreciate that Wildflower incorporates nature and the outdoors into their programming. I’m currently pursuing my associates degree at Inver Hills Community College and plan to continue my education after earning my AA. I was a worship leader for my church for a lot of my teen years and love music and art. I’m fluent in English and Spanish, I love to cook, I’m from Peru and Honduras, and I love to learn about new cultures. I hope to continue to blossom and grow at Wildflower Early Learning Center.
Marcia Espinoza-Trelles
Teacher
Credentials
Childcare Experience: 3 years
Elizabeth Zemlin
Teacher
Credentials
Childcare Experience: 3 years
Teaching Experience: 6 years
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies from Hamline University.
Konkuk University Exchange Program
English Teacher in Seoul, South Korea
My teaching experiences have ranged from working with young 16-month-olds to preschool age and 16-year-olds to adults. Working with varied ages has taught me valuable classroom management skills and the ability to adapt. I have honed my skills in language, reading, and writing for all ages.
I have a working proficiency in German and conversational proficiency in Chinese. In college I was awarded a departmental award for German and an all-conference honorable mention athlete in both Cross Country and Track & Field.