Parent Resources

Stanford child psychologist Jay Schulz-Heik shares why Living Wisdom School in Palo Alto is the ideal environment for children to develop grit, emotional regulation, and a love for learning.

Science Meets Spirit: Why a Stanford Educator Chose Living Wisdom School As the Director of Early Learning Programs at Stanford University, Raju Parikh knows the science behind "toxic stress" and healthy child development. In this retrospective, she shares why her family chose Living Wisdom School to provide their daughter with a nurturing environment that prioritized emotional self-regulation, mindfulness, and a lifelong love of learning.

By Jack Dieckmann, PhD Educational Researcher, Stanford University Living Wisdom School Parent As both a parent and an education researcher, I have spent years studying how children learn and develop. This reflection grew out of watching my own children experience Education for Life in practice at Living Wisdom School. Loved, Taught, Challenged, and Nurtured My two children attended Living Wisdom School for seven years. Before we discovered LWS, they were enrolled in four se

What becomes possible when education is guided by who the child is, not who they’re expected to be.

How early school experiences shape confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong relationship with learning Kindergarten is often described as an introduction to school. In reality, it is far more consequential. These early years shape how a child experiences learning itself — whether learning feels safe or stressful, joyful or pressured, inviting or overwhelming. “Kindergarten is where a child learns how learning feels.” At Living Wisdom School, kindergarten is approached as a forma

A look at Living Wisdom School graduates and how an education rooted in confidence, self-awareness, and purpose prepares students for life beyond graduation.

An inside look at how mixed-age classrooms support individualized learning, allowing each child to grow at their own pace while learning alongside others.

Drawing from decades of insights from Helen Purcell, Director Emeritus Parents often ask what “academic rigor” looks like at Living Wisdom School. The phrase appears everywhere in modern education, yet Helen Purcell admits that when she hears it, another phrase comes to mind: “rigor mortis.” Traditional schools tend to equate rigor with pressure, speed, and quantity — more tests, more homework, more books, more stress. At Living Wisdom School, rigor takes on a very different

We sat down with Aryavan McSweeney to talk about how Education for Life transformed his path—and how joy and meaning are reshaping education today. Aryavan McSweeney  attended Living Wisdom School from kindergarten through eighth grade. After college, he traveled with Swami Kriyananda , founder of the Education for Life, as his videographer—living and working in India, Italy, and Northern California. He later taught high school at the Living Wisdom School at Ananda Village ,

Parents often ask if Living Wisdom School’s whole-child approach takes time away from academics. Decades of experience show the opposite is true. When children’s hearts, minds, and spirits are engaged, learning becomes joyful, focused, and lasting. At Living Wisdom School, academic excellence grows naturally from confidence, creativity, and happiness—the essential foundations for lifelong success.

Choosing a school is a big decision. Discover how Living Wisdom School nurtures strong academics, confidence, creativity, and joy in learning.

Education for Life redefines what school can be. Moving beyond standardized lessons, Living Wisdom Schools focus on each child’s unique gifts, curiosity, and joy in learning. Founder Nitai Deranja explains how individualized teaching, meaningful connection, and an integrated curriculum create confident, self-motivated students who excel academically and grow in purpose, creativity, and happiness.