Nurturing Seed of Change
Our Roots: The Heartwood Story
Our founders posed a pivotal question: “Why not us?”
As parents and professionals, we searched and shared resources and grappled with how to support the kids that we love. We struggled to piece together disjointed plans for our kids including school, individual therapies, group therapies, and community organizations in an effort to support their needs. We compromised on programs that didn’t fully align with our values and priorities.
Driven by a combination of love, hope, and a touch of audacity, our founders posed a pivotal question: "Why not us?" Together, we decided it was time to create a new learning environment led by experienced educators and therapists—a place where our children were celebrated and loved. We can’t wait to share in your dreams for your child!
From Vision to Reality
Heartwood is more than just a new place—it's the culmination of years of observation, learning, and a deep-seated desire to create change.
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“Our hope is for every student to feel like they belong.”
Our journey has been guided by the magic we've witnessed when all students are welcomed, as they are, in a caring community that both celebrates and challenges them. We've created more than just an educational space; we've cultivated a strong, supportive community for both students and families. We want this for our children. We want this for all children.
Our values are at the core of what we do.
Neurodiversity Affirmation
At Heartwood, we embrace neurodiversity as a vital aspect of human diversity. We encourage each student to express their true self, free from the pressure to conform—because at Heartwood, individuality isn't just accepted, it's celebrated.
Individualized Growth
We craft personalized learning journeys that adapt to each child's evolving needs. Our approach honors every student's unique path of development, ensuring they grow at their own pace.
Community Support
We foster a nurturing environment where children, families, and educators come together. This collaboration creates a strong, inclusive community dedicated to growth and learning for all.
our mission
We aim to provide a student-centered early education experience that celebrates individual differences in sensory processing, social-emotional regulation, and academic learning.
Through evidenced-based therapeutic frameworks and a neurodiversity affirming, collaborative ethos, we strive to nurture meaningful relationships to self, others, and learning.
Get to know our faculty & staff.
Jenny Hoving
Founder & Co-Executive Director
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Jenny is a licensed professional counselor specializing in working with children, adolescents, and young adults with anxiety, OCD, and related challenges. She utilizes evidence-based clinical interventions through a relational, value-focused framework.
Jenny previously taught in the West Chester Area School District, and continues to provide consultation services to schools and educators seeking to integrate best practices for supporting students with complex social and emotional needs. She is a self-described "animal person" and especially loves quirky misfits!
Brenna McNamee
Founder & Co-Executive Director
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Brenna is an Occupational Therapist who specializes in supporting neurodivergent children & their families using a relationship-based approach. Brenna is so excited to create a classroom where strengths are celebrated and their needs are validated.
Brenna has chosen their "words of the school year" to be intentionality, adaptability, and joy. Brenna loves to be outside any chance they can get—biking, running, weeding the garden, or going for a walk with their soul-dog, Samson. They also have a one-eyed cat named Otis.
JoAnn (Jo) McNamee
Lead Teacher
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With 39 years of experience as a special education teacher, Elementary/Primary Program Supervisor and Therapy Supervisor at Overbrook School for the Blind, it is no question that Jo Ann has the knowledge and expertise needed to support the growth of all our learners But more than that , “Miss Jo” has an unmatched ability to connect with her students.
Whether it be singing, dancing as she greets students in the morning, going out of her way to explore their interests, or simply offering a much needed hug, Jo is someone to look up to and learn from when it comes to compassionately supporting students. She LOVES the Phillies and you’ll often find Jo wearing her Phillies gear with a side of dog hair!
Abby Stern
Speech & Language Pathologist
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Abby is a speech-language pathologist and private practice owner with half a decade of experience working with neurodivergent preschool and school-aged children. She has served children in approved private schools and public schools all across Chester, Montgomery, and Bucks County.
Abby founded and opened her mobile private practice, Communicate Your Way Speech Therapy in 2023 to fill the need for child-led, play based speech therapy in her community. Abby specializes in language delays, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and gestalt language processing (communication through scripts/delayed echolalia). She is trained and certified in the natural language acquisition approach to support gestalt language processors.
Some fun facts about Abby: She lives in King of Prussia with her husband and cat, Twila. She is a huge musical theater fan, loves playing guitar, and has fourteen years of choir under her belt! She is so excited to join the Heartwood staff this year!
Samson McNamee-Liebsch
Therapy Dog & Certified Good Boy
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Samson is ~8 years young and brings a sense of calm with him wherever he goes. His greatest passions in life are walkies, provolone cheese, and taking over the bed. He completed his therapy dog training and will be a proud member of our classroom once he passes his certification exam. You can do it Sam!
Get to know our board members.
Dana Antisell
Founder & President of the Board
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Dana Antisell is a mom to two neurodivergent children. She has a master’s in social work from the University of Pennsylvania and worked in prevention and intervention services with adolescents and teens before focusing full-time on caring for and supporting her neurodivergent children.
She also has a passion for advocacy and deep diving into new subjects which has been channeled into finding evidenced-based, neurodiversity affirming services and spaces for her children. She is excited to work with a team that is passionate about creating relationship-focused, child-led, safe, and fun-filled environments for children in her community!
Carl Antisell
Founding Board Member & Secretary
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Before transitioning to a career in finance, Carl had extensive experience helping non-profits increase their impact and scale. As managing director of Minding Your Mind he used his experience in advocacy messaging to help increase the impact of presentations, and his experience in building systems to help the organization deliver more programs in more places.
He currently is the co-owner of On the Job and Off offering mental health education and support to first responders across Pennsylvania, both online and in person. He believes strongly in trauma informed, culturally competent supports, and meeting people where they are. He enjoys running his dog, but you will never find him running himself!
Trey Westphal
Founding Board Member & Treasurer
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Trey works as the Financial Director of Partners Creating Community, a non-profit organization that supports individuals who differ intellectually or developmentally, and may navigate mental health challenges.
Trey aims to find new ways to combine the worlds of philanthropy and business to help bring positive change to the world. Additionally, Trey is a certified yoga instructor where he uses both his creativity and grounded nature to lead his students towards a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.
Additionally, Trey is a certified yoga instructor where he uses both his creativity and grounded nature to lead his students towards a deeper connection with themselves and the world around them.
Melissa Malesh
Founding Board Member
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Melissa has 37 years experience working in Maryland public elementary schools. She has taught grades 1-5, been an instructional coach, a school counselor and most recently, a retired tutor. As soon as her school system began full inclusion of special needs students, Melissa became an inclusion classroom teacher and never stopped!
Her passion is making sure that students’ individual needs are met. Now retired, Melissa spends most of her time with family and friends and singing acapella music with two Sweet Adelines choruses. She also has Orioles season tickets and, as a Heartwood board member, promises to work cooperatively with the Phillies fans.
Rebecca Bonner
Founding Board Member
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Rebecca Bonner, M.Ed., MUPP is a founding board member of GPARE, the parent non-profit for The Bridge Way School, Pennsylvania’s only recovery high school. Rebecca worked as the Head of School at Bridge Way School from 2011-2021 when she moved into a director’s role until her retirement in 2023.
Prior to that, she was a Middle School Division Head for a local Friends School for over a decade. Rebecca has worked with non-profits for over 25 years in secondary and post-secondary education as well as small business development. She also serves on multiple non-profit boards in the recovery community space.
For your Clarity
Frequently Asked Questions
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Heartwood currently serves preschool aged children. We have an early elementary age program coming in Fall of 2025-2026!
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Heartwood offers a unique blend of specialized education and integrated therapy within a neurodiversity-affirming environment. We provide individualized support with a low 2:1 student-to-staff ratio.
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We offer a comprehensive program that includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, special education, and learning differences support, all integrated into our daily rhythms.
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We use evidence-based approaches such as DIR Floortime, ACT therapy, and total communication strategies. Our environment is designed to be sensory-friendly and adaptable to each child's needs. We have a diverse network of professionals that can address various learning styles and needs.
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We believe in student-centered, flexible learning experiences. Our embedded instruction approach adapts to each child's interests, strengths, and developmental needs.
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We believe in strong partnerships with families and they are an integral part of developing goals for their child. We provide regular updates, family education sessions, and opportunities for involvement in our community events.
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Our team includes licensed special education teachers, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists, all with expertise in working with neurodivergent children.
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We use ongoing observation and team consultation to track each child's development across all areas. We regularly update individualized plans to ensure they meet each child's evolving needs.
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At Heartwood, every day is uniquely crafted to meet our students' individual needs. You can expect a balance of engaging learning experiences, integrated therapeutic support, child-led exploration, and plenty of opportunities for social connection. Our flexible schedule adapts to the energy and interests of our students, ensuring each day is both nurturing and stimulating.
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Please contact us to begin the application process!