Meet the founder
Annetta Fooks, MS OTR/L
Pediatric occupational therapist, certified autism specialist, herbalist, mother, and the heart of Growing Minds Garden.
- 10+ years clinical experience
- Remote in NJ, NY, FL, CA
- Science-Based Herbalist
My story
Why I built Growing Minds Garden.
For more than ten years I've worked as a pediatric occupational therapist, and I kept seeing the same thing: families handed a stack of worksheets and a clinic schedule, with no one really seeing their child. I knew childhood deserved more.
So I built something different, care that reaches your home over secure video, honors your child's real world, and pairs the best of Western OT science with time-honored, nature-based wellness. Because I believe the ground beneath our children's feet is a classroom, and that every child deserves to know they are capable.
The best of nature. The best of science. The best of ancient wisdom.
My work has always lived where two worlds meet, Eastern wisdom and Western science, ancient plant knowledge and evidence-based therapy, the garden and the clinic. Growing Minds Garden is what happens when those worlds finally sit down together, with your child at the center.
Credentials and certifications
What she brings to every session.
All of them complete. All of them hers. Every credential written out in full, with its letters underneath.
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Licensure
Master of Science, Registered and Licensed Occupational Therapist
MS, OTR/L. Ten-plus years of clinical practice in pediatrics, mental health, child development and autism
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Autism and developmental
Certified Autism Specialist
CAS. Sensory integration and spectrum support
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Pediatric and mental health
Pediatric and Mental Health Specialist
Child development and emotional wellness
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Nature-based education
Certified Outdoor Classroom Teacher
Nature-based, experiential learning
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Herbalism
Science-Based Herbalist
Evidence-informed plant knowledge and formulation
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Perinatal and family support
Pediatric Doula and Pelvic Rehab Certification
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Dementia and neurodegenerative care
Certified Dementia Practitioner
CDP
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Dementia care training
Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer
CADDCT
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Montessori-based care
Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional
CMDCP
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Movement education
Tai Chi for Rehabilitation Instructor
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Breath-based education
Breath Work Teacher Certification
Our philosophy
Flowers are not decoration. They are teachers.
The ground beneath our children's feet is a classroom, a playground, and a sanctuary. We weave Eastern and Western wisdom with modern science, so children learn something they carry for life: they are capable, they belong, and good is all around them.
We live in a world built entirely for adults, adult-paced, adult-designed, adult-driven. Somewhere in all of it, our children got lost: overstimulated, dysregulated, and handed synthetic everything. We believe childhood deserves better.
So we bring forward everything generations of families knew by heart, with evidence and care, to give children exactly what they deserve.
Rooted in nature, grown with science.
Three things everything in the garden grows from.
How we grow
Grounded in nature
Outdoor play and everyday nature as real nervous-system regulation, calm, curiosity, and confidence grown outside.
How we grow
Informed by science
Child-development research and a decade of clinical OT practice, translated into simple daily habits.
How we grow
Built for independence
Everyday moments that teach a child they can care for themselves, in body, mind, and heart.
Every product begins with one question.
Will this help my child feel…
- More connected?
- More confident?
- More curious?
- More regulated?
- More joyful?
If the answer isn't yes, we don't make it.
What I believe
Self-care isn't vanity. It's independence.
When a child can reach for a salve and apply it themselves, when they understand the flowers around them are alive and good, they learn that they are capable, that they belong, and that solutions are everywhere. That's the confidence I want every child to grow up on.
Positive, always
Every message is encouraging and empowering, never fear-first.
Educational
Real, evidence-based guidance you can understand and use.
Grounded
Grounded in nature and science, warm and human throughout.
Let's talk
I'd love to meet your family.
Book a consultation and let's build a plan around your child's real world, together.
Booking is handled securely through SimplePractice.
