Play is the work of the young child, and our educational program meets their needs with a curriculum including literacy, art, music, dance/movement, science/nature, pre-math and pre-reading activities.
A low teacher/student ratio of 1:6 gives our staff ample time with each child to recognize specific learning modalities and needs, and allows children to learn at an individual pace.
We encourage children to be creative with art materials, problem-solving activities and dramatic play with friends. We also help them learn effective communication skills they can use to express their feelings and work through disagreements.
Each daily session follows a reassuring routine that allows creativity and choice. These include:
Children select among various indoor and outdoor activities such as painting, manipulative toys, dramatic play, dress up and sand and water play.
All children gather in a circle to participate in movement, singing, music or discussion of a specific theme. On Sharing Days, children are encouraged to bring something special from home.
Each child brings a healthy snack and beverage in his or her own lunch box.
We have our own private play yard, which includes a sandbox, climbing equipment, custom play structure, and small garden.
We end each day by coming together to read stories and sing.
The playground in the backyard of WITW.
A sand table at WITW.
Playing on the mats.
In 2013, Wind in the Willows added a Transitional Kindergarten program to accommodate families whose children's birthdates made them ineligible for the San Francisco Unified School District Kindergarten entrance. To help round out the program, it was recently expanded into what we call Kinder Prep, meaning children who are in their last year of attendance (and will be moving onto Kindergarten in the upcoming fall) can enroll and receive the benefit of a mature schedule that allows for more preparation and focus on Kindergarten readiness skills. This is a Monday - Friday program that runs until 2:30pm. Typically, this classroom does not exceed 8 students.
Specific teacher-led activities allow this small group of older children to develop more rigorous academic and social/emotional skill sets required in kindergarten. This program bridges the transition between preschool and the entrance to elementary school, but is still based on experiential joyful learning in a developmentally appropriate context.
For an additional cost children in the preschool program may stay until 2:30pm.
Our schedule generally follows the San Francisco Unified School District calendar for holidays and vacations as well as start and end dates for the school year. We also offer a summer camp for our students during the month of June.
