Freedom to Play. Space to Grow. Courage to Explore.
Our Story
Why We Started Grounded
Grounded Child Development Society was founded from a simple belief: children need more opportunities to play, explore, take risks, and connect with the natural world.
As childhood becomes increasingly structured and screen-focused, many children are spending less time outdoors and have fewer opportunities for self-directed play. At the same time, access to nature-based experiences often depends on where a child lives, what programs are available, and what a family can afford.
We created Grounded to help change that.
Through advocacy, partnerships, community initiatives, and outdoor programming, we work to make nature-based experiences more accessible while helping restore the conditions that allow childhood to flourish.
We believe every child deserves the freedom to play, the space to grow, and the courage to explore.
Our Mission
At Grounded Child Development Society, we believe childhood thrives when children have the freedom to play, explore, take risks, and connect with the natural world.
Our mission is to expand access to nature-based experiences, advocate for unstructured play, and support the programs and communities that place children's well-being at the centre of decision-making.
As childhood becomes increasingly structured and screen-focused, Grounded exists to restore the conditions that allow children - and childhood itself - to flourish.
"The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky."— Margaret McMillan
Meet Our Team
Mikel L'Italien
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Co-founder of Grounded Child Development Society and TideView Nature School. Mikel holds an Executive MBA and has spent more than a decade working in education and community development. His graduate research focused on educator retention, burnout, and workforce sustainability in Canada's early learning sector - work that brought him face to face with a system under pressure, and the children caught inside it. What started as a question about why educators were leaving became a deeper question about what children were losing. Grounded and Coureurs d'la Forêt are his answer to both - building programs that are better for children and better for the people who work with them.
Jessie Zhao
Director of Programs & Child Development | Co-Founder
Co-founder of Grounded Child Development Society and TideView Nature School. Jessie holds a Master's degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology from Peking University and leads program development, curriculum design, and child-centred learning initiatives across the organization. Her work focuses on fostering healthy child development through meaningful relationships, outdoor learning, and play-based experiences.
Mathieu Boileau
Treasurer
Partner, MNP Ease Cloud Accounting & Bookkeeping
Partner at MNP LLP leading the ease Cloud Accounting and Bookkeeping practice, Mathieu brings expertise in financial reporting, management and governance while applying his professional experience to support sound financial stewardship and the long-term sustainability
"Children learn to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions."— Alfie Kohn