Meet Your Caregiver

Haley Van Der Linden founder of Wild Roots Childcare.

I was born and raised in Carlsbad, California, where my love for the ocean and the outdoors first began. After earning my Bachelor of Science in Biology from Saint Mary's College in Indiana, I spent several years teaching scuba diving in Grand Cayman before returning home to help run my family's small business.
 

In 2024, I became a mother to my first daughter, who was born in Hawaii. Becoming a parent changed everything.
 

While living on a six-acre farm on Oahu's North Shore, I experienced a slower, more intentional way of life. Our days revolved around community, nature, and simple rhythms. My girls spent their days barefoot, picking fresh fruit from the trees, playing outdoors, and discovering the world through their own curiosity. Watching them thrive in that environment showed me how deeply children benefit from unhurried childhoods filled with wonder, connection, and freedom.
 

When I returned to California, I wanted to bring that feeling home.

Wild Roots Childcare was created to offer families a place where childhood is protected and celebrated—a place where children have time to explore, imagine, create, and grow at their own pace.
 

Inspired by Waldorf principles, our days are guided by rhythm rather than rush. Through nature, music, movement, organic gardening, and open-ended play, children build confidence, resilience, creativity, and a deep connection to themselves, each other, and the natural world.

My hope is that every child who leaves Wild Roots carries strong roots of self-trust, a love of learning, and the confidence to grow into exactly who they are meant to be.