Member Julia Calantone
Hi! My name is Julia and my husband and I moved to Ridgewood in early 2022. We now have two girls, Riley (almost 4!) and Stella (2). It has been so much fun watching them grow up here. We love walking into town to grab breakfast and coffee on weekend mornings, spending summer afternoons at Graydon, and going to the library for books and puzzles on rainy days.
I have been working with children since I was young. After college, I followed my interest in how children learn and earned my Master’s in Elementary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. I went on to teach in public, private and charter schools in New York City, where I developed a deep interest in early numeracy and math development. This led me to a role as a Math Specialist, supporting children to discover the wonder of numeracy and helping teachers to cultivate meaningful, contextualized math experiences. Wanting to grow as a leader and educator, I returned to Columbia for a Master’s in Private School Leadership. I then became an elementary school administrator, supporting teachers and families, partnering with admissions, and regularly jumping into classrooms to teach or cover a class.
Raising two young children while working as an administrator and meeting so many families that were learning how to navigate the education system helped me realize that I wanted to spend more time directly supporting families and children. I joined Evolved Education Company last summer, where I work closely with parents to help them better understand their children as learners. I partner with current schools, assess children to identify their academic strengths and needs, and guide families in navigating the public and private school landscape in the tri-state and Miami area so that they can find their best-fit school environment. I also collaborate with companies to deliver family talks on different subjects including the independent school admissions process, kindergarten readiness, executive functioning, and supporting early math at home.
If you’re interested in following my work, I just started a substack called let’s talk early learning focused on early childhood and elementary education, parenting, and so much more. If you have an almost Kindergarten student, my recent article on Kindergarten Readiness is available on our website.
Lastly, here are some of my favorite places in the area, if you’re looking for something new!
Workout - The Movement Studio in Midland Park & Corefire in Ridgewood
Date Night - Two bar seats at Roots Steakhouse - the best dirty martini locally, in my opinion
Boutique - Lulu + Bo in Midland Park & Hustle and Heart in town
Dinner out with kids- The Office in town & W’s in Waldwick
Mani with kids - Lime Nails in town - they are wonderful with kids and we always walk out with some special accessories
Haircut - Haru Salon in HHK - Morgan is great
