Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have openings for the upcoming school year?

Yes, we do have limited openings for the Fall Semester on some days. We offer flexible schedule of days a week, Half or Full day options. The first step is to fill out an application.

Where will you be located for this upcoming school year?

Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays we will operate out of Quarry Park in El Granada. Thursdays and Fridays, we will operate out of our new location 5 miles south of Half Moon Bay on Tunitas Creek Road and Highway 1.

When will the Fall Semester start?

We will have an Open House/Meet and Greet on Tuesday, September 2nd at Quarry Park from 10:00am – 12:00pm. We will begin the school year with our regular hours on Wednesday, September 3rd at Quarry Park.

How will the curriculum differ or will it be the same at both places?

At our Tunitas Creek location, we are on a farm and have two bell tents (a play/classroom tent and a nap tent. We have the ability to set the environment up as a large outdoor classroom environment. We will run a similar curriculum at Quarry Park minus the tents but will bring bins of activities to mirror what we offer at Tunitas Creek Road location. We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, creating curriculum based on the interests of the children and provocations presented by nature and that is our focus at both sites. We also model our program after the Forest School principles, and we focus on nature as the main component in our explorations with the children.

What is your teacher to child ratio?

We operate with a ratio of 1 teacher for every 5 or 6 children depending on the range of ages on any given day. Our teachers have extensive experience working with children either in a forest school/outdoor education environment or in a preschool environment with most also trained in the Reggio Emilia Approach.

What age range are the children enrolled for the fall?

We have a range of ages from 2 – 6 years old. In the summer, we go up to age 8. During the school year, our main focus is on the preschool age for right now, but we have plans to include programming for older children in the future. Once we get settled and see how things are going at our new location, we will begin to move forward with that vision.

What areas of Quarry Park will you use?

We will be based out of the playground area and the grass area above that with the tree and deck. We also have a plot I the Community Garden area. Hiking will be limited to close proximity to the playground area at first until we better know the skill level of the children. Our hikes will include the Labyrinth, the pond and other areas around the pump track.

What about the weather challenges?

As far as weather goes, we still run the program if it is raining. Stormy weather with heavy downpour, thunder and lightning or wind would either cause us to cancel for the day or if it is expected to go on for a few days, we will use the Tunitas Creek location for backup and safety since we have heat and tents there. The other factor that would require us to cancel is air quality. In the fire season, we will keep a close eye on the air quality and unhealthy levels will cause us to close for the day until the levels become healthy again.

Whatever we decide based on the weather forecast or air quality, we will have a conversation with the parents first to allow for adjustments in schedules. Just rain does not stop us, however. There is no bad weather. Only bad clothing choices. The kids love the rain! We will utilize a pop-up tent for snack and lunch time and rest time when necessary. During nice weather, we will have a blanket in the shade for story time and the children needing a rest time.

Please reach out if you have any other questions! Have an idea for any other options for us, please let us know. We are open to suggestions! We are creating this program for you and your child. Parents as partners is a fundamental value for us and parent input is important. We look forward to possibly working with you in the future. For more information about us, please visit our website at www.coastsidenatureprogram.com.

Please reach out to us at adeville@coastsidenatureprogram.net  if you have any other questions or would like an application. We look forward to working with you in the future.