About Jenny Hanlon
I'm a Licensed Child and Family Educator, have a B.S in Child Psychology and an M.Ed. in Family Education. I'm also a certified Professional Coach and a certified Youth, Parent & Family Coach through the World Coach Institute. I've been working with families for over 20 years in a variety of settings.
I'm passionate about empowering teachers, caregivers and parents to grow genuinely happy and confident children. Please check out my book, Your Family Compass: A Parenting Guide for the Journey that was published in 2012. In the spring of 2023, I also co-authored a book through MN Children and Nature Connection, Nature-Based Early Childhood Program Assessment and Guidebook.
From 2015-2022, I taught preschool part-time at Tamarack Nature Center through the White Bear Lake School District. In 2018, I began working with the Stillwater Area Schools ECFE Program as a Parent, Child and Family Educator part-time. For four years I balanced working for the two different school districts, but in the spring of 2022, I decided to shift to solely working for Stillwater ECFE where I currently work 32 + hours/ week.
Through my work with Stillwater ECFE, I have the opportunity to work with families from a variety of backgrounds. I am passionate about social justice issues, especially related to gender identity, sexual orientation, racial justice, and systemic inequities related to socioeconomics and/ or race.
In 2021, I was contracted by the Minnesota Department of Education to put together resources and webinars for educators who are interested in nature-based learning for their young students. I co-led numerous webinars during the years 2021-2023 which are all free to access on the MDE website on outdoor learning.
I had the opportunity to teach with St. Mary’s University as an adjunct instructor writing and teaching a course on mental health in education for Master of Education students. I also co-taught a course, Nature-Based Learning in Early Childhood at the University of Minnesota in the College of Human Development Department.
From fall 2007 to spring 2019, I taught the Growing Children parent-child class at The Children’s Farm School in West Lakeland. From 2007-2013, I was also the Summer Program Director at The Children’s Farm, supervising and training the summer intern teachers and overseeing all other aspects of the summer program.
I became ordained by the Universal Life Church to officiate weddings the spring of 2018 when I was asked to officiate my brother and sister-in-law’s wedding.
I volunteer with the Minnesota Children and Nature Connection and am the chair of the Natural Schools and Family Engagement Subcommittee seeking to find more ways to connect children and families with nature. I am also on the steering committee for MN Early Childhood Outdoors (MNECO) a networking group to connect educators with resources to provide nature-based experiences for their students during their time at school.
I served as an active volunteer with FamilyMeans, a nonprofit service organization in Stillwater. I was on the Next Generation Leadership Council, planning and running fundraisers to support the various programs FamilyMeans offers along with being a respite care volunteer with my certified therapy dog, Ries.
As one of the Founding Teachers of Dodge Nature Preschool, I taught preschool, lead parent workshops, and was also the Assistant Director from 2000-2004.
I live in the eastern suburbs of the Twin Cities and have two young adult children.