Jessica and Rick

“We’ve known Lynn since our son (now 8y) was two and a half and just starting preschool. Early on, we became aware that he had a speech delay, as well as difficulties with following classroom routines and social interactions with peers. With encouragement from Lynn and his teachers, we underwent a developmental evaluation, and he was ultimately diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Lynn was with us every step of the way: from getting the evaluations started, to adjusting to the diagnosis, to helping us establish the tools and support he needed, both at school and at home. Lynn connected us with community resources such as Support for Families, and helped us navigate private services (speech, OT, PT, ABA) as well as the IEP process and services through the school district. Lynn has that special combination of compassionate care and deep knowledge of child development. We truly feel that early intervention, and Lynn’s support for us when we needed it most, made all the difference. Our family will always be grateful to her.”

Dan

I have a masters in Early Childhood Education and almost 25 years experience teaching in the childcare field. My mother was also a preschool teacher and director my entire life—bringing me along to work over school breaks throughout my youth and discussing child development at home—so I’ve been contemplating childcare for over 40 years. I also now have two children of my own—ages 5 and 2—the older having recently graduated from preschool and started kindergarten.

This past summer the older’s preschool class took a field trip to a seaside ranch, organized by their director, Lynn Turner. My wife, myself, and our younger child were able to join the visit as chaperones/tag-alongs. We followed the school bus down the coast, making a left onto a dusty, curvy road, and arriving at the sun-dappled working ranch where Lynn stables her two horses as well cooperatively managing and maintaining the grounds and other animals.

Lynn greeted the class astride one of her horses, to great delight. She then proceed to lead us on a tour of the ranch. We first stopped off at the chicken coops where the children were able to bravely interact with hens with guidance from a team of youth volunteers who have worked the ranch for multiple summers. We observed other animals on our tour, witnessed the inner-workings of the ranch, took a pasture run, and shared a picnic lunch.

But the highlight of the visit was witnessing Lynn in action and in her element, interacting simultaneously with her horses and the visiting children and families. I had previously known Lynn as a deeply knowledgeable and caring preschool director with a no-nonsense yet inclusive approach. While she was still those things during the tour, I realized she was also a rancher and a true horse-whisperer. And it is that combination, that ability to be simultaneously in the mind of the child and the animal, and more importantly to bridge that gap and appreciate both as capable learners, that made the visit truly special.

Lynn addressed the large group of children and families several times during the day, first from atop one of her horses, then from corral-center as she paced one with a training rope, and lastly stable-side as she demonstrated a shoeing. Throughout she kept a calm demeanor that settled both horse and child. She was clearly very focused on her steeds (for training and more importantly safety purposes as she ran and handled them from the ground within inches of herself), but also never broke eye-contact and concentration from the children and her message.

That message was demonstrating that horses require care, attention, and respect in order to thrive, and as she drove this message home to the children and families, you could tell she was addressing not only horses’ needs, but children’s as well. As a parent but also a teacher, that’s what most struck me that sunny day. Yes the setting was idyllic and the animals were beautiful, but more mesmerizing was Lynn’s ability to translate her love and care for horses and to use it to empower her enrapt students, who could also at times seem like wild stallions, but who’s energies and capabilities could be harnessed and expanded if given the proper environments, attention, and care. I knew Lynn provided those necessities at her preschool, but as she delivered them again on her ranch, I realized she simply carried them within herself and could meet and nurture the needs of any child or family (or horse!) in any setting.