We had the good fortune of connecting with Grant Troutman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Grant, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The secret to our success and the secret panacea we are waiting for the world to discover is the children. We try to never lose sight of our intention and mission to empower all children in our programs. This single idea, has guided me professionally for the last 15 years, and on an instinctual level since I left the innocence of childhood. Every child is capable and has a gift to share with the world. Once they believe this about themselves, everything else becomes possible. Things are more complicated with adults, but with children it is simple. The truth is always that we are stronger together and that putting time and energy into helping children develop an awareness of the infinite gifts inside of them is ALWAYS a good choice. Providing a truly fun environment where children can explore and learn from nature while developing social skills that challenge them to think outside of the box, solve their problems, practice flexibility and develop resiliency is our mission and the reason for our success. It is never about us; it is about the children.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are an inclusive outdoor adventure group that supports social emotional development in young children. Our unrelenting focus on children is what makes our work so special and rewarding. We are a strength-based program that brings children of all abilities, backgrounds and ages together to learn and explore nature while focusing on individual strengths and relationship-building. All children have special gifts resting inside of them waiting to be excavated and shared with the world. We try to give them an arena and opportunities through peer relationships to do this together. I never question if the work has value. I only question if we are doing enough to make sure the work is of the quality that the children deserve. This is the symbiosis that engenders success. Give to the children, they give to the world. We have been fortunate in our careers to have access to a plethora of professional development pertaining to children and related fields from the Reggio Philosophy, Nurtured Heart Approach, Social Thinking, ABA, Floortime and more. We have also been lucky enough to work closely with some of the best educators, occupational therapists and speech pathologists in Atlanta. We are constantly learning and shaping our approach in an attempt to meet every child where they are at. A huge piece of our work comes from the Reggio-Emilia philosophy and approach to early learning. We were exposed to the Reggio Emilia approach 14 years ago and were able to apply it in classrooms for a decade. The perspective, knowledge and truth of what the schools in Reggio-Emilia are doing resonated profoundly with our natural desire to empower children. The most challenging aspect of what we do is trying to convince others that children are our greatest resource for a better world, that they are capable and complete and have far more to teach us than we have to teach them. No matter what happens, the children are our compass, and it’s never failed.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I was born in Atlanta. I LOVE Atlanta. Fat Matt’s Rib Shack has been my favorite BBQ for 30 years. So many things change, but that hasn’t. We have amazing parks, forests and lakes. There are so many natural things to explore like the Chattahoochee River. There are beautiful mountains 90 minutes outside of Atlanta. I worked at the Georgia Aquarium for five years giving tours and doing overnights. It is one of the few places in the world were you can see whale sharks. It’s an amazing and inspiring place if you love the ocean. Music is huge in Atlanta. There is life of every kind everywhere. You could easily have a life changing week in Atlanta if you are open to the experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am so lucky to be surrounded by educators that I admire, respect and have so much fun with! There is so much trust and appreciation between us that it never feels like work. Scott Gross is one of the most genuinely nice people on the planet and can captivate any group of kids with his relatable “meltdown stories” and humor.

My wife Katie is my hero. I wouldn’t have had the strength, focus, endurance or joy to make early childhood education and inclusion my profession if I couldn’t do it with Katie. She understands the truth, purity and simplicity of fighting for children. She’s evidence of what happens when you put your energy into giving to children. We are extremely opposite in so many ways, but we share a foundational love of children. She’s powerfully intelligent, beautiful and even accepted and encourages my 30 year obsession with Pearl Jam. We love talking about children and finding options where there don’t seem to be any. Because there is not a plethora of options for children under five and depending on the situation, there may be no options, we have to be creative. Creating these options personally or by influencing the confidence in what is available to expand their range of accessibility requires a lot of energy, resolve and love. Katie makes it all possible.

Website: Awakeneducationllc.com

Instagram: Superheroesclub23

Facebook: @Superheroesclub23

Youtube: 2 REGGIO DUDES

Other: IG @superheroesclub23

Image Credits
Grant Troutman Katie Troutman Scott Gross

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