Partner Spotlight- Dr. Katie Falwell ~ Collage Day School

Collage Day School

Dr. Katie Falwell

Partner Spotlight

By Brandon Jerrell

Child-First Education

It is well known that not all toy blocks fit into the same hole. This is a concept that many children learn at a very young age, and yet, these same children are expected to fall into the same cookie-cutter mold as all other children when it comes to their education.

Dr. Katie Falwell, CEO and founder of Collage Day School, understands this flaw in the educational system. That is why she and her team of educators look at each and every child as a unique individual and focus on developing strengths.

Collage Day School is a private school offering differentiated educational services for children three months through fifth grade.

PATH TO PEDIATRIC CARE

Katie grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she was frequently around horses. She recounts that it was this childhood experience with horses that taught her both patience and trust. “You have to learn to build trust early on,” she says. “If you and your horse can’t trust each other, then there is no partnership.”

“I actually started school for veterinary medicine since I grew up with such a strong love for animals. I hit a big wall in school,” she explains. “I couldn’t get past doing surgery on the lab dogs. My heart hurt too bad for them. You cut them open and sew them back up every day. When I had kennel duty, I would just end up in tears. I think that was my core moment when I turned to psychology. I wanted to study and heal the mind without having any reservations.”

From there, Katie went on to complete her undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, her graduate degree at the University of North Carolina, and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Fielding University. After continued progress, she is now a board-certified behavior analyst and licensed clinical psychologist with her own private practice. As for her experience, she has worked in both pediatric and academic positions pertaining to psychology and mental wellness. This included working as faculty at the University of Florida between 2006 and 2008 before she shifted her focus to serving the pediatric needs of the Northeast Florida community.

“I’ve always been inspired to help others: make positive changes, solve problems, and promote resilience. This also later turned into educational endeavors because I strongly believe that education and mental health are symbiotic.”

BUILDING COLLAGE DAY

Katie has a total of four children. When her oldest son reached preschool age, Katie went looking for a school that she felt shared her vision for early childhood education. She believed that such a school should stimulate the developing mind of a child while also nurturing and exciting children as they spend their earliest formative years in their care. When she could not find a school that could give her children the environment that all students deserve, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Knowing that there must be other like-minded people out there, that was when Collage Day was created.

WHAT IS COLLAGE DAY?

Collage Day School is designed to be the realization of Katie’s vision. Built on an 8-acre wooded campus, it is already well beyond anything traditional.

Collage Day School focuses on each and every child, unlike traditional schools, which view all children through a categorial filter. Here, it can be assured that the whole child is the focus. Both the skills of standard academia and that of beyond are honed here. This especially includes the physical, emotional, and mental development of a child.

“The halls are filled with laughter — alive with projects and wonder,” Katie beams.

Collage Day School firmly believes that the early years are fundamentally the important years for providing the foundation for self-esteem, cooperation, social values, sharing, friendship, respect, and many more essential skills.

“I’m reminded every day that we are fostering a love for learning.”

The school also provides auxiliary services on campus, including but not limited to speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational testing, and mental health therapy.

KATIE’S FAMILY LIFE

Katie loves to travel with her family. “When the kids are not in sports, we are most often traveling,” she shares. “I have been a traveler my whole life, and I was lucky enough to have a family that prioritized travel. I strongly believe that travel is one of the most powerful ways to teach our kids.”

Katie and her husband Breon enjoy working together to enhance the 8-acre campus of Collage Day School.

Katie and Breon and their dog, Zelda.

Two of Katie’s children enjoy learning at Collage Day School.

The leadership team of Collage Day School: Top row (left – right): Clara Mangin, Tania Pita, Dr. Tiffany Clark, Kristin Thomforde, Dr. Katie Falwell Bottom row (left to right): Mario Mulellari, Dr. Leah Friedman, Erica Whitehouse, Laura Davis

When in the mountains, they love the snow. Specifically, they love skiing. When at the beaches, they can be found spending time on islands as well.

I’ve always been inspired to help others make positive changes, solve problems, and promote resilience.

“I would like to be remembered as someone who has challenged others to keep being creative, keep learning, keep exploring, and keep growing, and as a person who chased her own calling, and inspires others to do the same,” Katie says.

CONNECTING FAMILY AT COLLAGE

“Collage is a family-owned company and a family-oriented company,”explains Katie. “Our primary goal is for our staff and children to feel like they’re at home when they’re on campus. Too often these days, schools are just so busy teaching to a standard, and they fail to focus on the individual and how to nurture and support them best.”

“I think that behind every small business is a family. So, be kind. The family serves the business, so neither will do well if the business serves the family.”

It is without a doubt that Katie and the entirety of Collage Day School put the well-being of every child first. Thank you to Collage Day School for providing a new vision for childhood education.

For more information about Collage Day School: Website: collagedayschool.org