How did you come up with the idea of Casa Design?
Aubrey had just had her twins and I had just moved back to Cincinnati from Nashville and we both felt a passion for helping parents feel prepared and organized with their kids and wanted to help kids feel empowered, giving them opportunities to practice independent skills like making their own snack, getting dressed, and putting their toys away. Think of Casa Design like The Home Edit for kids’ spaces. We use our extensive expertise in child development to create beautiful, functional, sustainable and educational spaces in your home for children ages 0-9.
What is your background?
Christine: I teach grades 1-3 at a local Montessori school and this is my 8th year teaching. I have my Masters in Education as well as Positive Discipline and Mindfulness training for ages 0-9. I was homeschooled from 1-8 grade so I have lots of tips and advice for at home learning.
Aubrey: I stay home with my 3 year old twins, and am currently homeschooling them! I am also a credentialed Montessori teacher and certified as a Montessori Assistant to Infancy, which focuses on best practices of care for children from birth to age three. I also have a background in child Psychology.
Tell us more about that School by Casa Service?
We start with a free 15 minute phone call just to answer any initial questions you have and see how we can customize the service to work perfectly for your family. We then set up a 30 minute Zoom call to take a virtual tour of the space you would like us to work in and to hear more details about your child’s specific learning needs as well as to show us what types of storage options you have available. We then schedule the 2 hour In-home portion where we come to your home with gloves and masks on and transform your space to be ideal for virtual learning, homeschooling, or hybrid learning. We move, organize, and re-purpose, leaving you with a refreshed space and three piles: storage, give away, and get rid of. We leave you with a list of trusted tutors in the Cincinnati area as well as a carefully curated list of developmentally appropriate items to purchase (if you choose) that could help your child’s learning at home. We then are available by email to answer any questions that you have after the process, and can help you set up a routine chart customized to your families’ preferences and needs to give you just one more resource to help make this year a bit smoother.
Price for School by Casa?
We are offering a special discounted rate of $250 for the remainder of October but this service will be available for the entirety of the 20-21 school year for $300.
What are some easy ways we can designate a space for in home learning?
It’s important to have one go-to space for each child so that they know where to get their work and how to put it away. This should be hyper organized (we love labels, caddies, and carts) so that they have no excuses for where things go when they are done 😉 . However, it is also important to remember that children need a lot of movement, so the desk may work one day, and the next day try a cushion on the floor by a window.
Any tips for Moms on how to mentally prepare for school at home?
Coffee. Then wine. Haha. But really, as teachers we can tell you first hand that the most important thing to remember is to be flexible. The day may not go the way you want it to, and your child may not complete all of their assignments that day. The great thing about school at home is that they can do their school work in the evenings and on weekends if they have an off day and don’t do it in the mornings (This is also a great life lesson on time management – the natural consequence for not completing your school work during the day is that you have to do it in the evenings or on weekends when you could be doing other activities).
