A Letter from Our Founder

Dear Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa,

If parenting and grandparenting feel heavier than you expected, you are not alone. God sees you in it. You’ll have days when you are on cloud nine, and days that feel heavy and hard, days when it seems like you’re just drowning.

On those hard days, know this, you are doing something incredible.

Let me share a little secret with you.

You were uniquely designed and made for this.

You were called to do mighty things in parenting and grandparenting, and the world needs who you were made to be. But you were never meant to do it alone.

Parenting and grandparenting is the most important job we’ll ever have. Yet today, we face more challenges than we did ten or even twenty years ago. Our world is busier, louder, and more distracted than ever. Screens in every hand, in front of every face. Screens aren’t the enemy, they are tools we all use.

But they can quietly pull us away from what our children need most from us. Connection, attention, and presence.

Children love to play. They need to play. They don’t just want to play, they want to play with us! They want to look us in the eyes, laugh with us, and have our full, undivided attention. Those silly, messy, hilarious moments we share with them, without a screen in our hands, are where it all happens.

There’s something called “serve and return”, crucial for a child’s brain development. When a child looks to us and we respond with eye contact, it goes back and forth. This simple, natural human interaction builds focus, attention, communication, and social skills. Research continues to show how critical it is , and screens, in children’s hands or ours, can interrupt these vital moments of connection.

This attention is needed at every age, from newborn to 100 years old. The greatest expression of love we can give anyone is our attention.

You can check out our blog for links to the latest research and studies on how screens in adult hands affect children’s development.

That’s why The Perch Academy was born.

The Perch was created for parents and grandparents who want one-on-one time with their children and grandchildren but don’t always know how to create it. The most powerful moments happen when we’re eye-to-eye with them, on the floor with them, or in the game with them, not watching from the sidelines, not cheering with a screen in our hand, but in it together.

I challenge you, ask your children or grandchildren, “What is your favorite memory of just the two of us together?”

At The Perch, we teach families to move, play, and grow together, not just through athletic time, but through creativity and faith. We teach you how, so you can take it home and make it part of your family life.

Because one day, those cute little chubby feet will grow. You’ll blink, and your toddler will be a teen, playing varsity sports, applying to college, or driving across the country to start their next chapter. Or imagine the little girl who learned her strengths playing soccer, now volunteering to coach a five-year-old thirty minutes away. When asked if she needs help, she says, “I’ve got this, Mom.” That is the story of my two Gen Z kids, now young adults. It happened in the blink of an eye.

One of the most powerful parenting books I’ve ever read is the Bible, along with Hold On to Your Kids by Dr. Gordon Neufeld and Dr. Gabor Maté. Every parent hits bumps in the road. Whether your child is 3 months, 5 years, or 17. Our family faced bumps in the early months, in the early years, and even bigger bumps in the teen years. I’m talking on my knees, praying to God for a miracle. What saved our relationships was turning to the Bible, this book, and staying fully present and connected. Through prayer, intentional adjustments, and presence, real change happened within months.

I couldn’t be more proud of our kids. Their growth and joy didn’t happen by accident. God’s hand is in it. All praise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

To all the new parents. I had my two kids at age 36 and 39. At age 56, I could be cheering you on like one of my own adult kids. Raising children is a rollercoaster, and the teen years are especially bumpy. As your teen begins to separate, a healthy, natural process, they will naturally turn to the person they trust most during challenging times. Will it be their peers, social media, or you? Those early years of intentional, one-on-one connection set the foundation. Let’s make sure it’s you.

Take 7 minutes to watch “How Every Child Can Thrive by Five” by 7-year-old Molly Wright. She shows every parent why presence, play, and attachment matter in a world full of screens.

The Perch isn’t just an athletic play and creative arts academy. It’s a movement. We invite you to walk alongside us in this season of parenting and grandparenting.

With love and prayers,
Michelle Dickerhoof
Founder, The Perch Academy

Everything we do at The Perch is for the glory of God.

Proverbs 22:6 — Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.