Our Beliefs

At The Mignone Hive, we believe:

  • In the intrinsic value and worth of every learner.
  • In life-long learning that can be both rigorous and fun!
  • That field trips are opportunities for learners to access valuable learning experiences.
  • In the power of knowing your purpose and the joy of serving others with it.
  • A learner's greatest strengths are also their greatest weaknesses and that the key to success lies in developing an authentic understanding of one's self along with self-regulation and communication skills.
  • In the strength of a community and in each learner knowing that they are part of something bigger than themselves.
  • In collaborative problem solving and that together, we can make a difference.

The story of The Mignone HIVE

The story of The Mignone HIVE begins with founder Daria Mignone Stone and her educational experiences. Growing up as the fifth of eight children in a small town and raised by a single mother, Daria's family faced financial challenges but was rich in love and learning. Her mother, Mary Mignone, took them to parks, libraries, church, and the pool, often walking due to a lack of transportation. Despite financial struggles, Daria learned about faith, hope, and finding purpose through God. Holidays were simple but joyful, and yard sales and thrift stores provided materials for creative projects and home art.

Daria and her siblings grew up in a small house in upstate New York, surrounded by nature and a close-knit community. Their home was always welcoming, fostering creativity, discovery, and mutual respect. Daria received a strong public school education, graduating at the top of her class with AP credits. However, she noticed that the education system didn't meet the needs of her siblings, some of whom had disabilities or were at-risk. This disparity deeply affected Daria and influenced her decision to become a special education teacher.

In her teaching career, Daria saw that the public school system often failed to meet the needs of all students and that teachers also faced limitations. When she became a mother, these inadequacies became more apparent, leading her to homeschool her children. While homeschooling offered rich learning experiences, it also presented challenges in providing social opportunities and specialized knowledge.

The idea for The Mignone HIVE emerged as a solution to these challenges, aiming to provide accessible, rich learning experiences. Daria explored various educational models over the years, finally establishing The Mignone HIVE, LLC in 2023. The organization began offering learning opportunities in July 2024 in Chula Vista, California.

Frequently Asked Questions.

The Mignone HIVE program seeks to provide opportunities for developmental learning through strategic social experiences with guiding relationships. A typical session would vary based on the individual needs of the student. We offer structured outings to local spaces, workshops/classes with embedded social/emotional learning experiences, in-home guidance/on-going training for parents/support givers, and vocational training on the social/emotional piece of work.

The location of services again varies according to the needs of the student. Outings include various places in the community: the zoo; Balboa park; local (South Bay) parks, restaurants, libraries, beaches, and stores. Workshops and classes are held in local recreation centers in Chula Vista and parks. In-home guidance is currently provided virtually through video taped sessions with parents/caregivers and individualized guided instruction/feedback from our team, (utilizing RDI techniques). Vocational training is provided on site with the student as well as in-person/virtual meetings with other students in similar apprenticeships/internships. The in-person meetings happen in local libraries and coffee shops.

Our ratio varies with the needs of the students from 2:1, 1:1, 1:3-5, 2:5-10, and 3-4:6-15. Our largest groups are 15 students in the workshop/classes at our day camps.

We currently accept ages 3.5-21 years old in our various programs. We are willing to make some exceptions for siblings of current students and alumni students with our age range.

Our goal is to have a 50:50 ratio. We currently have no regional center students.

Varies with the students. Generally at this point we are holding workshops/classes in the evenings M-F for 1 hour. We are providing 1:1 outings to local places on the weekday evenings as well for 1-1.5 hours. In-home supports are 1 hour sessions 1-4 times per month with the guiding “meetings” happening M-Sat based on the parents/support givers availability. Vocational training is based on the students' work schedules. (We currently try to arrange their vocational opportunities to coincide with our workshops/classes and outings in the evenings-the older students are working with the younger ones during class and/or supporting the agency during those times as well-Our main apprenticeships right now are food handlers, recycling, custodial, and driving; Our main internship is child development. We are always looking to grow these opportunities…) The larger group outings to the zoo and Balboa park happen on the weekends and range from 2-4 hours. We are looking to begin to offer “day camp” experiences beginning in January that would offer a 4-5 hour experience when the schools are on break.

Weekly sessions year round currently with seasonal camps being an area to expand in January. Please see the times above.

Varies: Individualized based on the student. Students can take part in opportunities ranging almost daily to 1 time per month.

Weekly, on-going enrollment is possible.

Varies depending on the service: Generally 1:1 sessions are $80/hour; 2:1 sessions are $125; workshops/classes are $25 per class/day (so $125 for the week or $100 for the month if coming only 1 time per week), In-home support sessions are $100/hr.; Our camp fees will be $325 per student/per week when they begin.

1st workshop/session is free with payment collected prior to continuing.