Bilingual Education

Multiple languages open the world to children- forming new relationships, fostering empathy, and activating different parts of the brain. Doing this at a young age is so fun! Through games, sentence frames, music, routines, total-physical-response, and friendship, children gain listening comprehension and speaking skills along with the foundation for reading and writing skills. 

Our program ratio is 80/20 : Spanish/English. Unlike language immersion philosophies, our bilingual pedagogy benefits simultaneous bilinguals, and native speakers of any language to develop Spanish and English by making connections, finding patterns, and developing language strategies. The time designated for English is important for making connections and building English Language competencies. Spanish is always welcome in this space. During our designated Spanish time, we aim to provide instruction and activities solely in Spanish, to elevate its value and enforce the expectation of practicing this language.

Nature Program

Studies have repeatedly shown the various benefits of being outdoors for extended periods of time. In nature, wonder, relaxation, and exploration occur naturally, and, as teachers, we provide purposeful structures within this environment for play, problem-solving, engineering, art, collaboration, and critical thinking. Children climb, play, and work within their own limits; we do not perform tasks for children, assist them in climbing, carry them or their belongings, or mandate a specific form of conflict resolution, but scaffold them and provide strategies in achieving goals in their own time, allowing them to develop motor skills, persistence, global stewardship, problem-solving abilities, and empathy among peers. Any discomfort we encounter in all aspects of our school experience fosters resilience. Furthermore, as teachers, we can address the needs of  the whole child in an environment that naturally engages our mind, body, and spirit. 

Social-Emotional Learning

Space. Co-regulation. Kindness. Collaboration. Problem-solving.

We want each child to be flooded with positive interactions and experiences, affirming them as individuals and their place in our community. We focus on equipping children with strategies for regulation and problem-solving, based on observing and listening to each other’s needs, desires, and ideas. Space, stories, scaffolding, and reflection are important parts of this process. At times, gentle redirection, natural consequences, or separation, may be necessary for the benefit of the child and the community. As a group, we exercise a sociocracy in decision making to foster an understanding of consent, individual value, and social problem-solving.