Curious Minds Learning Center offers a drop-off school program and before/aftercare for children turning two by the beginning of the school year in September up until the year before Kindergarten. Our programs run on the September-June calendar.
As our programs are very relationship-based, we encourage families to choose our school carefully, with the intention of building a community throughout the preschool years.
Once a week on Friday, both classes are dropped off and picked up at the Richardson Bay Audubon Sanctuary in Tiburon for a four-hour Natural Classroom day.
Our WILLOW class is appropriate for two and three-year-old children. The school program is from 8:45 to 12:45 pm, with options for two mornings (Tuesday, Thursday), three mornings (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), or five mornings (M-F) a week. Aftercare is offered from 12:45 to 4:45 pm every day except Friday. Friday hours are 8:45 to 12:45 p.m. Beforecare is available at 8:00 am, except on Fridays.
Children in this class begin to form their first relationships outside the home setting, learning that “grown-ups always come back” and that there is a negotiation process to getting what you want. With nurturing guidance, the educators facilitate the children forming their first community of peers while the children begin to see themselves as unique individuals with strong preferences. Through dramatic play, sensorial experiences, and exposure to various art materials, the Willows soon emerge as OAKS.
Our OAK class is for three, four, and five-year-olds. The morning program is from 8:30 to 12:30 p.m. The aftercare program is from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., except on Fridays. Before care is available as well at 8:00 a.m., except on Fridays.
Children in this class begin to form a strong community with their peers and teachers. Their friendships begin to emerge and communication becomes a large part of their day. These children begin to process the information on a higher level, investigating “why”, developing hypotheses, and experimenting to derive new understandings. We see them testing new materials, sharing their thoughts, and sharing their explorations with other children in the classroom. Projects begin to become more in-depth and last for longer periods. As these children grow as a community, they begin to push themselves and develop into deep-rooted OAKS.
Children in this class are ready to embark on new explorations, both in the classroom and the surrounding community. Using the wonderful resources available to us at the Marketplace Shopping Center, the class is very much respectfully seen and heard in their community. Projects and explorations in this class involve small group committee work, monthly self-portrait work, and strong social connections both in and outside the classroom. By the end of their 4-5-year-old year, these OAKs are truly intellectually and socially ready to fledge and enter the big world of kindergarten.
