The Nest is the sister location of Scissortail Children's School in Lawton, Oklahoma. While Scissortail has graciously served children from 6 weeks old to 6 years old, there came an opportunity to open a second hub specifically for infants and toddlers. We are excited to serve kiddos 6 weeks old to 2 years old at The Nest.

 

More About Scissortail

Scissortail Children's School is at the foreground of early childhood education in Lawton and surrounding communities. Scissortail Children's School was created in 2015 by a group of women who believed that all children should have access to a high-quality early childhood education. This passion for change in the way that people view childhood sprouted the groundwork of amazing opportunities for children, parents, and educators alike. These women made it possible for Scissortail to succeed in a variety of aspects. Scissortail strives to build vital community and parent relationships, view children as highly capable individuals, and keep a strong foundation in the Reggio Emiliainspired and nature-based teaching and growth philosophy.

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Today, Scissortail has grown to be able to serve over 100 children and families from the surrounding community. Owners Molly Alonzo and Lindsey DeWolf, along with Director Kaylee Huffman, envisioned a place where all children could come, regardless of their background or difficulties they may be facing, with inclusion being at the forefront of their operation. They wanted Scissortail to be a place full of wonder and possibility where children had the opportunity to explore all 100 of their languages as expressed by a poem written by Loris Malaguzzi, an early pioneer of the Reggio Emilia approach to learning. Molly and Lindsey wanted Scissortail to be a place where children could be enveloped by nature, have hands-on experiences, and develop core social experiences.

Scissortail Children's School strives to offer a unique, hands-on, learning experience which fosters the child as a whole. Scissortail continues to offer various opportunities for all children including but not limited to: a school community garden, a plethora of sensory experiences, beautifully and purposefully designed classrooms, and a large outdoor play space. All opportunities allow students to explore new parts of themselves and the world around them. These immersive experiences are critical to Scissortail's success within their student population and help to produce outstanding Human Beings who are ready to take on the world.

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Lindsey DeWolf, originally Lindsey Pulliam, grew up in Lawton as the daughter of two very hardworking parents and the eldest of 4 children. She has always possessed an innate sense of teaching and taking care of others, which helped to create her passion for working with and around children. Lindsey attended Lawton Public Schools as a child, and continued to pursue a degree from the University of Oklahoma. After completing her degree at OU, Lindsey was drawn back to Lawton where she started her teaching career as a longterm substitute teacher and reading tutor. It was then that she finally decided that she loved working with young children. Lindsey taught Kindergarten and PreK for Lawton Public School System for 10 vears before her friend Molly Alonzo convinced her to make the move to Scissortail. After just a few days, Lindsey was hooked on the nature-based, Reggio-inspired school. Lindsey is now the owner and chef at Scissortail. She combines her love of children and her love of cooking to provide delicious and nutritious meals to the children and staff at the school. She is also able to provide meaningful teaching moments for the small friends that she sees everyday. Lindsey is married to her best friend and they have 3 crazy kids who all love being a part of Scissortail's journey.

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Molly Alonzo, formally Molly Walker, also grew up in Lawton. Molly grew up as a teacher's kid and got to see the lasting impact an educator can make. From the beginning, Molly knew she was meant to change the lives of children. She attended school in Lawton and got her Elementary Education degree with a minor in Early Childhood at Cameron University. After teaching for the public school system for a couple of years, the opportunity arose to be a part of the Scissortail team. Without hesitation, she launched into the chance to give children a high-quality early childhood experience. Molly is now married to her loving husband and they have three wonderful daughters. Along with her role as one of the owners of Scissortail, Molly also acts as the center's Operations Director. She has a heart for teaching fellow educators how to implement the Reggio-inspired philosophy at Scissortail and in the Lawton Public School System.

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Molly and Lindsey are both visionaries that believe possibilities are endless especially with regards to the future of Scissortail. They see the needs of children in our community and are enthusiastically planning big things for the near future. Molly and Lindsey trust that God is in control of their journey and they are continuing to listen to what He says and pray over what is to come. Scissortail Children's School looks forward to continued growth and the ability to offer a wide variety of services to all children of Southwest Oklahoma.

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Scissortail and The nest are operated daily by an extraordinary group of women who are collectively changing the lives of all children that come through the door. We strive to work together as a team to create a positive and wonderful place for children, parents, and teachers to blossom in the best ways possible. "Nothing Without Joy" is a guiding principle at The Nest, which we aim to live by daily. We hope we are spreading a little more Joy into the world every day. By allowing children to reach their full potential, we are ushering in an age of exceptional young thinkers. The Nest is so happy to be spreading joy in Lawton!

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