Little Owl
Day School
PROGRAM AND PHILOSOPHY
We are a nature, play-based program encouraging curiosity and hands on learning with a small group of kiddos between the ages of 3.5 to 5. We provide a pre-K, TK / kindergarten calm environment offering personalized instruction and guidance in a home environment. Our 5:1 ratio of children to teachers provides an excellent relaxed environment for learning, respect, guided play, developing social skills, and security. ​
We have tortoises, a bunny and many local seasonal pets that the kids help catch, maintain and release (such as lizards, snakes, tadpoles, salamanders, crayfish, walking sticks and crickets). Kids regularly make granola, bake muffins, and make personal pizzas with their toppings of choice and more from scratch. We have cozy corners for reading, open areas for building and pretend play, and outdoor spaces where children explore freely. We spend our days imaging, creating, experimenting, and collaborating; one moment we might be building a city out of blocks, the next we are acting out the Gruffalo, painting rainbows in our sky room, or exploring Strawberry Creek.
We do seasonal activities throughout the year as well as weekly themes. We love to do arts and crafts and kids keep an art journal for regular art lessons. We keep our school unhurried, allowing the children time to settle in, explore, fostering the learning that follows their curiosity – not the clock. We prioritize regular excursions to local parks in Berkeley and Emeryville and recognize the profound value in nature observation and being outdoors. In our preschool program children engage with age-appropriate games that encourage critical thinking, problem solving and communication. Board games are more than just fun, they are powerful tools for learning. These activities foster social skills, patience, and collaboration, while also introducing foundational concepts like numbers, colors, patterns and strategy. We also have a large selection of individual games including from the Smart Games company.
​
Our play-based program, combined with small class size, allows us to tailor learning experiences to each child’s interests and to the play they enjoy most. Through games and activities we learn math, phonetics and language skills. We focus on communication, independence and self-awareness, striving to have children engaged and having fun all day.