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Where Every Child Is Seen, Supported, and Celebrated

Mighty Minds isn’t your typical classroom — because your child isn’t a typical learner.

We’re a farm-based learning collective in Vail, Arizona, where kids grow strong minds, soft hearts, and capable hands through animal care, hands-on nature learning, and real-world problem solving. Every experience here is designed to build confidence, resilience, and a deep sense of connection — to the earth, to others, and to themselves.

Where Every Child Is Seen, Supported, and Celebrated

Mighty Minds isn’t your typical classroom — because your child isn’t a typical learner.

WHY WE STARTED

We saw too many kids being overlooked in traditional classrooms — the movers, the dreamers, the ones who needed to feel it, try it, touch it to truly understand.

So we created a place where:

Horses are co-teachers

Dirt is part of the curriculum

And every child has space to thrive in their own way

Whether your child is neurodiverse, shy, wildly curious, or just doesn’t fit the mold, Mighty Minds offers a space where they are seen, supported, and celebrated.

Our Community

Mighty Minds is open to all kids ages 3–16, including:

Homeschool families

Neurodiverse learners

Curious explorers

Whether you're looking for enrichment, structure, or simply a place for your child to belong, you’re welcome here.

Our Founder

Carrie Mizenko

Where Lived Experience Meets Lifelong Passion

Founder Carrie Mizenko brings over 30 years of horse and farm experience to Mighty Minds, including the creation of the highly successful adaptive riding program Scooter’s Place in Washington State.

Born and raised on a farm, Carrie grew up immersed in the everyday magic of horses — learning early how to be brave, work hard, play harder, and care deeply for all living things. That same foundation now fuels her passion to create meaningful, inclusive experiences for children and families of all abilities.

Carrie is also a special needs mom navigating autism, apraxia, global delays, epilepsy, and ADHD. She understands firsthand the challenges that come with raising children with diverse needs — and she’s built Mighty Minds to be the kind of space she once longed for herself.

She holds a B.A. in Human Development from Cal State East Bay, multiple yoga certifications, and has spent years studying brain/body integration, right and left brain learning patterns, and holistic healing modalities. Her lifelong mission? Helping children and adults grow, heal, and thrive through the rhythm of farm life and the wisdom of horses.

At the heart of everything she does, Carrie believes in bringing families, professionals, and the community together to create safe, grounded environments that nurture growth — mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Credentials & Qualifications

Infant Aquatics®

Certified Instructor

(100+ hours of hands-on training)

Academic background in child development, behavioral psychology, and infant physiology

CPR & First Aid Certified

Adult

Child

and Infant

Mom of two

Infant Aquatics®

Graduates

of 2017 & 2019

"So glad to have found this place and so blessed to have met and work with such a wonderful group of people! They are all very welcoming and kind. I love all the activities they do with families and how involved they are with the kids. Whether it's volunteering, riding horses, or attending the festivities, my kids and I love it! My kids especially just love being around the animals and beg me to go back all the time! You will definitely find yourself in a place surrounded by kindness, peacefulness and happiness. Come visit, You will love it too!!!"

- Barbie

We're not here to fit kids into a system.

We’re here to build a system that fits them.

MEET THE TEAM

Our team is made up of passionate educators, equine professionals, and farm mentors who believe that every child deserves to feel capable, confident, and cared for.