I’m Emily.
It’s nice to meet you.

I'm Emily van der Vaart, and I love helping people make meaningful connections. For fifteen years that has been my work — as a youth mentor, in development and admissions at an independent school, in corporate relations at two of the nation's top business schools, and organizing events on Capitol Hill.

I started Kind & Confident because that work should start earlier than it usually does. Children want to be kind. They simply need practice, and the confidence that comes with it.

I'm also a mom to two girls and a boy. My hope for your children is the same as my hope for mine — that they can be Kind and Confident anywhere, at a friend's table, on a first day at a new school, in every room they will walk into.

Thank you for being here. I hope to meet you soon.

Our Approach

We believe good manners start with genuine kindness and confidence — not memorized rules. Every class blends structure with warmth: kids learn why courtesy matters, then practice it through role-play, games, and real scenarios, so it sticks.