Our Beginnings

One day in the summer of 2009, sitting on a beach in Rhode Island, long-time educator and parent Maureen Burford felt an unshakeable call to support teachers addressing the mounting challenges in education. Soon after returning home, she began offering teachers and parents training to support children’s inner well-being, creative expression, and problem-solving skills. However, a few years later, she discovered that something more was needed to make her vision a reality, and she sought help from author Ellen Tadd.

Tadd responded that schools have a history of swinging from teaching to the test to being overly focused on creativity. What schools need is a holistic approach. She proposed a unique holistic solution, a pedagogy based on her discoveries about the chakra system, now known as a Framework for Wise  Education®.

In 2012, Burford undertook a deep study on this cutting-edge Framework with Tadd. That same year, with the support of the Marion Institute of Massachusetts, Burford founded an early iteration of Creative Lives to bring Framework concepts to schools and summer camps in Vermont and New Hampshire. The goal was to field-test the Framework across a wide range of age groups, subjects, and settings.

To realize this vision, Burford trained Creative Lives staff and collaborators in the Framework. This led to a profound shift in Burford’s career, as the call she had on the beach in Rhode Island began to come to fruition. It soon became evident that applying the Framework as a team created tremendous positive impacts for everyone involved – staff, children, and families.

A Wider Net

In 2015, Creative Lives became a 501 (c) 3, Creative Lives Inc., to answer the call for a broader application of the Framework with youth in our region.

Creative Lives offered the first iteration of a more formal training program for educators in 2021 as we worked on creating a coursebook. This early course stemmed from our direct experience training staff in the field and our work with thousands of children. In 2023, we launched our multi-level, online training program in the Framework to support learning communities to thrive — and aid educators, administrators, parents, and caregivers in educating and rearing the young.