FERN

Private Curiosity Mentorship for Young Children

Primarily serving Portola Valley, Woodside, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and surrounding communities

For curious minds that don't always follow the expected path.

Some children experience the world a little differently. Endlessly curious. Intensely imaginative. Full of unusual ideas, unexpected questions, and interests they pursue with remarkable determination.

Fern was created for children like these.

• Chevron Down

• Chevron Down

A Different Kind of Experience

For some children, the world can feel full of expectations and systems that don't quite fit.Their interests may be unusually intense. Their ideas may take unexpected directions. They may be wonderfully inventive, fiercely independent, or determined to pursue an interest long after everyone else has moved on.They may also be sensitive, strong-willed, inflexible, or difficult to engage through conventional activities. The very qualities that make them so interesting can sometimes make everyday life challenging—for them and for the people who love them.Fern offers something different: an experience shaped around the individual child, rather than asking the child to fit a predetermined program.The child's curiosity provides the direction. Fern brings the experience, imagination, resources, and companionship to help that curiosity unfold.An afternoon might involve exploring the natural world, investigating an unexpected question, building an invention, making art, experimenting with materials, reading together, or following an idea somewhere neither of us anticipated.Sometimes we venture out into the world. Sometimes we become absorbed in a project. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries emerge from a conversation.A place where unusual questions are welcomed, unexpected interests are worth pursuing, and the child doesn't have to become someone else to belong.

Meet Fern

JL Fernquest (“Fern”)Fern brings more than two decades of experience in independent-school admissions and communications, a background in child development, and a long history of working with young children.She is also the parent of two neurodivergent children, an experience that has deepened her appreciation for the wonderfully varied ways young minds develop, imagine, question, and engage with the world.Throughout her life, she has been particularly drawn to children who think independently, pursue unusual interests, and approach the world with intensity and imagination.She delights in their questions, unexpected observations, elaborate ideas, and determination to explore what fascinates them.Fern grew from a simple recognition: some of the most rewarding experiences she has had with children have come from joining them in their curiosity—and discovering where it might lead.

• Chevron Down