Mindful Leaders Academy
Lakewood Ranch, FloridaNow enrolling for 2026-27

Where curious minds become Mindful Leaders

Boutique education designed to grow confident, curious, future-ready learners.

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Mondays, 9am–3pm
A consistent day for purposeful learning
Birth – 8th grade
One thoughtful learning pathway
Five programs
Purpose-built for each stage
Step Up For Students
Approved direct provider

Intentional learning pathways for growing minds.

Mindful Leaders offers a thoughtfully designed educational experience that grows with your child, from early learning through middle school.

Mindful Leaders Academy

Boutique Education Rooted in Creativity, Connection & Leadership

Mindful Leaders Academy is a professionally led, project-based learning community designed for children from birth through middle school.

Our learners grow within consistent cohorts guided by experienced instructors, engaging curriculum, and intentionally designed experiences that nurture both academic growth and whole-child development.

  • Professional instructors and specialists
  • Project-based, collaborative learning
  • STEM, Spanish, Humanities, Art, Drama, & Music
  • Indoor & outdoor classrooms
  • Leadership & social-emotional development
  • Step Up Scholarship direct provider
  • Family-centered learning community
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Meghan Garfield, founder and director of Mindful Leaders, in the Lakewood Ranch academy studio

Helping families raise confident, curious, and kind leaders.

Meghan Garfield

Founder & Director, Mindful Leaders Academy

"She creates a place where families feel welcomed, supported, and valued."
- MLA parent
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Education is changing. So should the place your child learns.

We’re a boutique, professionally led private education academy designed for the youngest minds.

The skills children need for the next century are not the skills schools were built to teach. Confidence. Communication. Collaboration. Creativity. These don't appear on a worksheet.

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Professionally Led

Every program is designed and delivered by expert instructors. Not parent volunteers. Not rotating leads. Real professionals.

Intentionally Designed

Curriculum, environment, and rhythm composed with care, just like the spaces we learn in. Nothing is incidental.

Project Based

Children build, present, and share real work. The conversation is the curriculum, and the work is the proof.

Whole Child

Academic growth, social-emotional development, leadership, and movement live in the same week, not the same afterthought.

Meet the guides who know your child

Meet the whole team

Learning that looks like this.

Intentionally designed experiences that build capable, confident learners.

Academics

Lead instructor guiding a small group of students through a morning lesson

Professionally Led

Expert instructors and thoughtfully designed learning experiences.

Child painting at an easel during an arts and humanities block

Arts & Humanities

Music, literature, creative expression, and cultural learning.

Community

Small cohort of students working together at a shared classroom table

Small Cohorts

Meaningful relationships, collaboration, and individualized support.

Children examining leaves with a magnifying glass in a sunlit garden

Outdoor Learning

Movement, nature, and exploration built into the rhythm of learning.

Innovation

Students prototyping a robotics build during a hands-on STEM session

STEM & Innovation

Hands-on projects, problem solving, and future-ready learning.

Young student presenting to classmates while a mentor observes

Leadership & Mentorship

Confidence, communication, and character developed through community.

Project-based mornings, outdoor afternoonsAcademy
STEM & problem solvingAcademy
Music & literatureAcademy
Leadership & SELAcademy
Art & expressionAcademy

What the families actually say.

Each Monday, my daughters were able to participate in a variety of lessons they truly enjoyed.
Kristina E.
Parent of kindergarten twins and a 2-year-old
A hands-on, supportive learning community where my son has grown academically and socially.
Alison S.
Parent of 3rd and 8th grade boys
An excellent program... an academically challenging environment where students are encouraged to grow.
Sophia F.
Parent of a 3-year-old and a newborn
She goes above and beyond... always understanding, and willing to help however she can.
Bianca V.
Parent of a 2nd grader and younger siblings

What's happening on campus

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Come spend a Monday with us

Tours are short and honest. You will see the rooms, meet the guide who would lead your child's cohort, and get straight answers about fit.

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