Layla Olberding

Grade 5 Teacher

Faculty Co-Chair

Ms. Layla has worked with children and families throughout her career. After graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Education from the University of Kansas, she completed a year of Americorp Service at a community center/ alternative high school in the Denver Metro. This led to her interest in children’s mental health. Layla returned to Kansas to complete her Masters in Clinical Social Work degree while working at the Johnson County Mental Health Center children’s program. She continued working with families in a therapeutic supervised visitation setting and later teaching at a play based early childhood program.

While her two daughters were young, Layla was a stay-at-home mom and enjoyed creating learning opportunities through play, stories and outdoor time. When she began to search for a grade school for her own children to thrive, she discovered City of Fountains. Layla appreciates Waldorf Education for its developmentally appropriate, arts-integrated curriculum. She also appreciates how it allows daily interaction with the natural world and honors childhood, while still creating deep learning experiences. To best bring Waldorf Education to her students, she has attended Waldorf summer teacher trainings at The Center for Anthroposophy and The Mulberry Center for Curative Education. She is excited to build teaching relationships with the rising first grade class and to warmly welcome new students into the class family.