Our Philosophy
The Background
Our first location in Hollywood has been under the same director, Ruth Segal, since 1977. Over that time, Ruth has seen incredible developments in the field of early childhood education. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience along with an eclectic tool bag, hoping to bring true joy into learning.
The Environment
We seek to foster a very loving environment that is beautiful, inviting, and full of laughter. As a learning environment, we use our outdoor spaces just as much as our indoor ones. Building outside with blocks and toys, planting vegetables and herbs, and free play in the yard are all such important experiences that allow children to engage their environment and nature at large.
The Self
We strongly encourage our children to express their needs through words, as good communication is a vital part of life at every age. This becomes very important during peer to peer conflict resolution where teachers guide their students to express themselves to one another in healthy and constructive ways. Weekly show & tell gives children the encouragement to tell stories publicly about something meaningful to them. Class performances help promote self esteem by allowing them to sing and dance together in front of others while having fun.
The Education
We realize that learning happens differently for every child, so the more we can engage our students in multi-sensory activities the better. We have themes for every month where our activities, books, and artwork all reflect that different unit on learning – the more hands-on the better. By giving our children the freedom and encouragement to play, we enable them to face challenges and complete tasks with an empowered sense of confidence.
The Arts
Giving children the tools to express themselves artistically is foundational to our program. Weekly music classes supplement daily creative projects happening in the classroom. A multitude of ever-changing monthly cultural and musical events also help enrich each student’s exposure and creative experience.
The Family
We strongly encourage our parents to volunteer, and welcome them to participate in their child’s school experience. There are so many different ways to be involved, and we are always excited when parents bring their own unique offerings to our general program or their child’s specific classroom.
