Jenn Reid
Jennifer is an intuitive and talented educator with high expectations for students, rooted in her belief that all children have an intrinsic desire to do well. She obtained her Master’s Degree from New York University in Early Childhood and Elementary Education and earned an American Montessori Society teaching credential through their partnership with West Side Montessori School’s Teacher Education Program. She has been teaching and working with children since 2000, beginning as a Montessori teacher of children ages three to six. Jennifer was drawn to the Montessori approach’s respect for children and its aim to nurture and inspire independent, curious, and creative thinkers.
Jennifer joined a therapeutic day treatment school in 2005 where she began working with a more vulnerable population: students whose social, emotional, and behavioral struggles have led to failures or silent struggles in mainstream classrooms. In her early intervention work alongside mental health clinicians, she has developed a keen understanding of attachment theory and how children gradually develop independence and become students, and has become skilled at helping children when emotional experiences interfere with the course of development. Her work in the therapeutic school focuses on helping young children and students recognize the interplay between their feelings and their behavior as they cope with the social, emotional, and academic challenges of a school setting. She taught in the preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school therapeutic classrooms for over ten years before moving into her current role as Director of Education.
Jennifer’s areas of interest and expertise include therapeutic teaching for children with emotional interferences, organization and executive functioning, literacy development, social development, parent support, teacher mentorship, and using a psychodynamic understanding of development to help students reach their highest potential as learners and members of a group. Services include individual student sessions; collaboration with other specialists; parent sessions; and supporting school-based teams, teachers, or tutors.
What families and professionals are saying:
“Prior to Down the Road Education my child struggled with traditional learning methods. His tutor Jennifer has connected with him and created a safe environment for him to learn and he now enjoys books for the first time ever. I know this is only the beginning and I'm very excited for his continuing growth with Down the Road Education.”
- Parent of a 2nd Grader
“Jenn Reid’s ability to blend her knowledge of child development, psychology, education, and intervention makes her uniquely talented in helping children at varying ages, developmental stages, and emotional functioning. She also demonstrates an innate and lovely ability to connect with children, understand them, and meet them where they are in any given moment. ”
— Clinical Psychologist and Co-worker