We provide a nurturing and safe place for children to learn through play, develop independence and thrive in a community of friends
We are a home based program for 2 and 3 year olds, located in Noe Valley. Our year round program serves 12 children per day.
Our interactions with the children are respectful, peaceful and predictable.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Thursday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Friday care from 8.00am - 1.00pm is available on a rotating basis, in two month blocks, .
Holidays/Closures
Open year-round with the exception of major public holidays, 2 professional development half days and four scheduled closures during Spring (1 week), Summer (2 weeks), Thanksgiving (1 week) and Winter (1 week). Tuition is not reduced by scheduled closures.
Daily Activities
Our school enjoys a daily outing – to a playground, a neighborhood stroll or story time at the local library. Our staff ratio is 1:4 or better whilst outdoors. We take Muni (24 or J-Church) to access numerous playgrounds. Riding public transport safely is a favored activity among all our children.
We value the importance of daily exercise, we walk to many local playgrounds. Children build vital gross motor skills on our outings and we get to meet our local community.
As the year goes on and children’s gross motor skills develop, we love to extend ourselves to hiking to Walter Haas Park via Billy Goat Hill, or strolling to St. Mary’s or Glen Park playgrounds which are farther afield.
We like to visit our local bakery, mail letters and engage with our community whilst on our daily outings. Inclement weather does not restrict our outings.
Nutrition
Nutrition is of paramount importance to us. We serve a hot lunch and two snacks daily, including a raw fruit and vegetable. We offer many wholegrain plant focused meals. Organic milk and water are always available. Meals are served family style, children and teachers eat together, with an emphasis on conversing with your neighbor, practicing your manners and enjoying the bounty of the seasons.
Children are encouraged to eat as much (or little) as they wish. The natural appetite of children is respected. Our menu can be altered to cater for children with specific allergies and/or dietary requirements. We believe that creating good eating habits whilst young, will set children up to have a healthy relationship with food throughout their lives.
We endeavor to serve local and seasonal foods, and to recycle and compost our food scraps. Our focus is on seasonality and incorporating a selection of locally acquired produce. Our current farm share is Eatwell Farm https://www.eatwell.com.
At the conclusion of our meal - we like to compost our leftovers after we allow the chickens first choice to pick over the scraps.
We are fortunate to have a sunny backyard and keep a flock of chickens, both for their wonderful company, and their eggs. Children are involved with feeding and collecting their eggs.
We enjoy harvesting our strawberries and tomatoes during the Summer and the children love to juice apples from our bountiful yard in the Fall.
Art
Our art curriculum is an enjoyable way to reflect and celebrate seasonal changes and events, in addition to building fine motor skills.
We undertake a weekly themed art project and children have the opportunity each day to explore different mediums of child centered art; painting, pasting or sculpting individual projects.
Enrichment Activities
Our day unfolds in several stages. It often differs but relies on an established schedule that children find comforting. We love to sing and do so daily; songs about numbers, letters and in Spanish too. We invite the children to jam along with musical instruments. Story-time is both organized (with interactive characters) and one-on-one. We chant nursery rhymes and use clapping to develop coordination.
MUSIC
Mr Alexei Wajchman
We have a weekly in-house session with a professional musician, Alexei Wajchman. The children have the opportunity to learn about instruments from all over the world, whilst dancing, singing and practicing rhythm patterns in this interactive lesson.
https://alexeirocks.bandcamp.com/album/tell-everybody
PUPPET SHOW
The Rabbit Hole Children's Theater
Nurturing creative thinkers and dreamers through theatrical play and self-expression. These puppet shows tell enchanting, interactive tales, incorporating songs and a themed craft activity.
We have monthly (outdoor) onsite performances.
https://therabbitholetheater.com
INTERACTIVE SCIENCE PRESENTATIONS
Tree Frog Treks
Tree Frog Treks believes that science can be fun and engaging, so take a hands-on approach to teaching. Tree Frog Treks' pride and joy are the amazing Animal Ambasadors; rescued lizards, snakes, tortoises, frogs, insects, and spiders who are brought onsite for the children to learn about and interact with.
Our response to Covid 19
We are a stable cohort of 12 to 14 families. All families agree to our “best practices” when they join our group and we respectfully ask that compliance to the Science backed protocol is followed.
