About Daisy & BBHSC

Hi! I’m Daisy, mother to four boys with a passion for homeschooling and all it includes. In 2019 I earned a bachelors degree in Human Services Management from Alfred State College, but my most valuable educational experience was the time I spent interning and later working at Alfred Montessori Preschool. During my time there I earned my Child Development Associate Certificate and became infatuated with the concept that education could be so much more than what I was exposed to in public school. After moving back home and having children of my own, I started a homeschool playgroup at our local library to give my boys a consistent group of peers. Following the playgroup at the library, we’ve hosted book clubs, sports playgroups, seasonal events, and more. In Fall 2025, the Elmira YWCA gave us the opportunity to grow by providing us with a permanent place to gather. We aren’t otherwise affiliated with the YWCA, but we are so grateful for the use of their beautiful facility to host our program.

When my partner and I decided to homeschool our youngest boys, I was immediately aware of how different their social life would have to look than ours did as children. If you attended public school, regardless of your opinion on it, you likely have some fond memories of the experiences traditionally found there. Some that come to mind for me are celebrating birthdays, picture days, recess, lunch time, gym class, and group activities just to name a few. Though they may have seemed simple at the time, these experiences played a significant role in shaping how we see ourselves, relate to others, and understand our place within a community. I started pondering how I’d be able to provide similar experiences for my kids while leaving their core education up to me, and the first thing I knew was that I couldn’t possibly do it alone. I tried finding something like this in our area but to no avail. Everything I found was either based on religion, a drop-off program, very expensive, or had a mandated curriculum structure. This led me to build a secular community for homeschooling families in our area to get those socially enriching and esteem-building experiences, while still leaving the curriculum completely up to the home educator.