VENICE PARENTS DAYCARE AND PRESCHOOL
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : p*******t@d*******r.o*g
Mission Statement
We are reinventing an old concept, kids learn through play.
About This Cause
Our school’s philosophy is an extremely tangible and visible part of who we are. We believe in the fundamentals of childhood and in slowing down so that our children can savor this time in their lives. We believe in supporting children’s natural drive to explore and discover rather than putting them in traditional classrooms and teaching them concepts that they memorize. During a time when testing and academics are literally stressing kids out, we are daring to move the needle back to embrace childhood. Our school creates an environment where children’s imagination and play can lead their learning. At the same time, we focus on helping each child build a foundation of emotional intelligence and a strong sense of self that permits them to evolve on their own terms. We choose to be different than almost every other preschool on the Westside: Kids have unstructured free play at our school. Preschoolers don’t need academics. Unstructured play helps children develop problem solving, risk-taking, and social and verbal skills. Most schools make the children work (and the teachers teach) from a book or a chart. We flip that – our teachers creatively design environments and teaching plans that help children learn experientially through what they are already programmed to do - play. The majority of children’s play and learning experiences at the school take place outdoors. We are an official Outdoor Classroom Project Demonstration Site – one of 14 in Los Angeles County. Our emphasis on tactile, organic environments supports imagination, learning, and self-confidence, putting children where they belong – as close to nature as possible. Children play in mixed-age groups, which allows them to learn and gain experiences from one another and builds empathy, patience, and social skills. Coupled with the child-led approach, we incorporate structure behind the scenes that supports the play-based curriculum. We have highly skilled teachers who create rich, inviting environments for the children to explore and discover every day. The kids move freely from one environment to the next. We have a 1:4 teacher-to-child ratio (lower than any other preschool on the Westside) so that teachers can support every child as an individual, helping them resolve conflicts and process big emotions. Unstructured play doesn’t work without the ratio. A 1:8 ratio is more common at other schools (where as a result kids have to be corralled into classrooms and participate in planned activities.) Our school was founded by parents and continues to be supported by a Board of Directors comprised of past and present parents. We incorporate parents into the school everyday, giving them the opportunity to collaborate and support the children’s development, both in and out of school. School History Our preschool has a long history in the community. More than 25 years ago we started as a concept in the backyard of the then Venice Food Co-op where parents saw an opportunity to collaborate to bring a new kind of learning to their kids’ lives. Now – more than 1,000 graduates later – we run a successful school that welcomes 36 children in the morning and continues the merriment with another 18 in the afternoon. We are members of the Parents Education League of Los Angeles, the LA chapter of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools, and the reDiscover Center. Our most treasured affiliation is with the Outdoor Classroom Project – our status as an official demonstration site shows that we are able to drive the same curriculum outdoors as we do indoors. This allows our preschoolers the opportunity to be outside all day, uncovering whatever learning they are focused on for the day. Our school’s impact can be found in the strong association shown by over 1,000 alumni parents, whose support (from a time, resource, and funding perspective) will be evident as we pull together to transition our school to a new location. Barbara Olinger, one of the original founders, has her Masters degree in Social Work and has worked with children and families in both educational and therapeutic settings for 30 years. Barbara remains the thought leader of the program and is always on site facilitating the curriculum alongside the teachers. How Our Philosophy and Space Fit Together We embrace the space we occupy and work to build our habitat in a way that is natural to our curriculum. As a play-based, unstructured, and child-led program, our goal is to build a rich, tactile, inviting environment that stimulates curiosity and is “safe-enough” to encourage risk-taking and problem-solving. We do not aspire to be a fancy and overly designed space; we love simple, safe, and clean environments that naturally and organically evolve with the children’s play. We know our spaces are successful if they elicit the children’s squeals of excitement or the profound silence of their careful contemplation. Our kids dig a lot, share a lot, and most importantly, play a lot. The school’s free-flowing space is the children’s world and we do not restrict it – preschoolers can decide to move from one area to another and discover a world of unlimited possibilities along the way. The physical space is divided as follows: Tinkering Room – a place to use tools and materials to build and create. Children learn that they are capable, fueling their confidence and sense of discovery. Big Yard – a place where children can move around freely and plant, water, and climb. It is an open space without traditional playground equipment, which gives children the opportunity to collaborate and negotiate (e.g., on how to use the tires or milk crates), but also gives them little spaces to wander into and take some me-time if that is what they crave. Pillow Room – a safe place where children can use their bodies to express themselves and get their sillies out. Art Area – an area where children can explore colors and textures to express themselves. Features a different focus project everyday. Journal Corner – a place where children are encouraged to explore writing (or scribbling) at their own pace. Communal Space – a gathering place for morning meetings, snacks, lunches, and goodbyes that gives children an anchor and supports transitions such as drop-offs and pick-ups. Library – a secondary gathering place for “meetings,” storytime, and the exploration of movement and music.