About

Science and Nature Exploration

The container had some water in it and this child collected rocks and put them in it. He then discovered that he could put the magnifier in the water to view the rocks closely. Other children followed his idea and that afternoon they discovered many things about rocks. One girl found four small rocks and put them in the water. She discovered that two of them "got mushy". We talked about how hard dirt or soil can look like a rock and when you put it in water it dissolves. Some of the other children were curious about this and looked for little rocks to see if they would dissolve. We began a rock and soil study that has been of interest to all the children and it involved science, nature, math, art, cooperation, geography, literacy, gardening, field trips, and more. This is emergent curriculum.

Meet Ms. Anne

After teaching and directing preschool and child care centers over a 29 year period in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara County I decided it was time to open my own program. This idea took hold and really began to grow while I was earning my Master's Degree in Human Development through Pacific Oaks College, while teaching full-time at a State preschool. It became clear to me that I wanted to teach in a setting where I could more deeply focus on children's interests as observed in their play and follow children's lead in creating topics of study together with an emphasis on spending as much time as possible in nature. By working with small numbers of children we can provide a truly emergent curriculum giving children an individualized education. We also provide lots of social emotional learning opportunities and support as this is the foundation pillar of healthy human development.

In 2016 I attended an Outdoor Classroom Professional Development Class and am now a certified Level 1 Outdoor Classroom Specialist. We are currently focusing on continued development of our children's gardening program and hope to build a green house in the near future so that we can grow food with the children year-round.

Tuition and Fees:

$600.00 per month tuition fee

$150.00 per year enrollment fee

Enrollment Age is 2.9 years with some potty-learning interest or potty trained.

Hours: 8:45/9:00 am to 3:00pm

Rest time: 1:45pm to 2:45pm

We usually close the month of July for summer break and otherwise follow the PVUSD Holiday Closure Schedule

An important staff goal is to get to know the child and their family well so that we interact as a community, connecting home and school to support the children in their development.

We have a great teacher to child ratio which is averagely 1 to 6 or less children per teacher. We staff two teachers most times of the day. I am a mentor teacher affiliated with Cabrillo College Early Childhood Education Department Mentor Program. I generally mentor one student teacher per semester onsite at our program. Our program is balanced with outdoor education and focused learning times that include Zoophonics, Handwriting Without Tears, and many STEAM activities:

S- Science

T- Technology

E- Engineering

A- Art

M-Math

We realize the pressure that is currently present to get your child ready for kindergarten. We do this through a developmentally appropriate program that is backed by brain research. We want children to experience childhood and learn through their natural ability of play. We create play "invitations" that enhance and scaffold upon the child's natural curiosity and drive to learn. We carefully observe children to see what next steps to take and what to offer.

If you'd like to see this all in action.....

Please call for a tour!