We Believe...
​That every person has creative genius if they have the opportunity and willingness to cultivate it.​
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That every child deserves access to fun and engaging experiences for healthy development.
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That structured art experiences strengthen cognition, attention, and confidence for people of all ages and developmental stages.
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That by incorporating project-based and strengths-based learning we are practicing evidence-based approaches that benefit the whole self and the collective.
That by forming a healthy relationship to our creativity we are also building a stronger relationship to our unique learning process, allowing us to expand our skillsets in any area more rapidly and can uncover tremendous joy in the process.​
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That educational spaces require stewardship by adults invested in lifelong learning who model the tools kids need to thrive.​
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That the spillover effect of incorporating more intentional creativity into our lives can shape us into happier, healthier, more intelligent, kind, confident, courageous, resilient beings.
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What We Do
We design and facilitate a series of signature transformative programs and professional development trainings in partnership with various districts, non-profits, schools, and families. Through these partnerships, we have served thousands of kids across the Bay Area and beyond with meaningful outcomes based in a deep passion for arts education, growth mindset principles, leadership development and wellness. Thank you for being here and in doing so, being a part of our team of providers and collaborators in this heARTful revolution. We're so glad you're here, you heARTful human, you.
"Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children."
-Albert Einstein
Meet Our Team
Now Hiring,
Multiple Roles
We are currently hiring a new Lead Creative Counselor for the East Bay, one assistant, and a Meta (FB/Insta) Magic Worker. Please reach out for a link to apply.
Ms. Ana
Creative Counselor
Lifelong artist, writer, photographer, and social case manager with a talent for building strong 1:1 connection with each student in her class. She's got more stories than anyone.
CHRISSY
Program Director
A highly organized, fun loving, and patient mom of three who keeps our systems running smoothly behind the scenes, efficiently and with a smile.
Dom
Creative Counselor
A multi-talented and big hearted ray of sunshine who puts tremendous thought and care into planning every class and project. Dom is also the writer of our theme song!
Ms. ClarA,
Creative Counselor
Multi-passionate artist and scientist with a natural skill for building community and connecting with kids authentically. Our archeological and anthropological whiz with an old soul.
Vita, Founder
Executive Director
From childhood passions to teen trauma to therapy and accidental entrepreneurship. It's all been one wild ride to discover the power of creativity and uncover her purpose.
The Frameworks We Leverage:
Expressive Arts and Play Therapy
Visual Learning Strategies and Visual Mapping
Structured Literacy and Direct Instruction using Orton Gillingham Model
Applied Behavior Analysis and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
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Educational Psychology and Social-Emotional Learning Frameworks
Embodied Cognition, Movement, and Games
Mindfulness Practices
We Can Help WithYour Goals.
Partnerships
OUR STORY
"To be an artist is to believe in life."
-Henri Moore
heARTful Kids has evolved from decades of dynamic educational support with children, families, and organizations in the fields of art therapy, expressive arts, play therapy, behavioral therapy, structured literacy, and academic tutoring.
The art and design lines you see here were born from our founder's childhood passions that she later put to work as a system of self-care early in her career while providing therapeutic services to families navigating the Autism spectrum.
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It was here that she discovered her love for mentoring children and guiding parents and educators through strengths-based experiential learning and creative play. She saw that leveraging art in educational settings brings a shared joy and interest allowing for deeper connection and faster skill acquisition. After this first hand experience, she went on a deep dive of scientifically proven approaches, gathering a certifications in Mindfulness, Play-Based Facilitation, and Art Therapy. Fast forward to now, we've seen this work make a significant positive impact on thousands of kids and families across various settings, learning styles, and cultural milieus.
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As the fields of art, therapy, education, and neuroscience continue to converge, there is a growing space for innovation anchored in scientific research and the certainty that interdisciplinary frameworks like ours are needed in education. Creativity unites us and holds infinite potential for positive change, both personally and collectively. Welcome, heARTist! You're in the right place.
2015
Meet our founder, Vita
Vita Pascone is an artist, educator, and Art Therapist whose commitment to empowering kids and families with tools for holistic transformation turned her into an entrepreneur and founder.
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Prior to entrepreneurship, she served as a Behavioral Therapist and Educational Specialist for children with divergent learning needs. She received her Master's in Transformative Arts from JFK University in Berkeley, CA (2014). Upon completing her thesis, she continued her professional development with a series of certifications to deepen and expand her client work, finding deep meaning and healing in the process. Her playful nature, strong spiritual foundation, and applied leadership experiences brings a sense of radical aliveness to every project she pursues.
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She continues her interdisciplinary creative practices as part of a deep commitment to ongoing personal growth driven by the desire to build a more compassionate and creative world. heARTful Kids is a labor of love born from the courage to answer the call of her soul's purpose.