The Little Tree Play School
Philosophy
The Little Tree Play
School philosophy is one that respects and reveres the uniqueness of each
child. It also supports the belief that the young child’s success in the world
is directly related to his or her self-esteem and sense of security about the
world. Our program strives to promote a safe and nurturing environment that is
age appropriate in a curriculum that stimulates the whole child from all
developmental areas. We believe that a flexible play based program provides
children of all learning styles the opportunity to cultivate a natural sense of
wonder and an enthusiasm for learning.
Staff
Director/Teacher
Debra Townley holds a
B.S. in Child Development from the University of North Texas. She has worked in
the area of Early Childhood for over 20 years. Her experience ranges from
working and learning with programs such as Head Start, Gymboree, Camp Galileo,
the YWCA and Waldorf schools. She is certified in CPR and Health and Safety.
Curriculum
-
Pre-reading
-
Pre-writing
-
Gardening
-
Cooking
-
Art
-
Music
-
Outdoor play
-
Small motor skill development
-
Large motor skill development
-
Dramatic play
-
Construction/Block Play
-
Small group activities
-
Large group activities
Goals
-
To maintain a safe, nurturing,
supportive and stimulating environment for the development of the young child
-
To facilitate learning through
play
-
To model empathy and compassion
for others
-
To recognize the uniqueness of
each individual child and celebrate our differences
-
To create a trusting,
predictable environment
-
To provide flexibility within
the curriculum for children to initiate learning experiences
-
To emphasize the process of
learning without focusing so much on the end product
-
To use positive language with
the children
-
To encourage the children to try
new things
-
To provide choices for children
-
To continue to develop and
revise curriculum to meet individual needs
School Hours
The Little Tree Play
School four day program runs as follows:
Monday to Thursday
9:30AM to 12:30PM
Seasonal Celebrations
The following is a list
of our seasonal celebrations that take place throughout the year. We encourage
families to also share their own cultural or religious traditions with us so
that we can incorporate them into the calendar and share each unique tradition
with one another.
Michaelmas Celebration
and Grandparents Day
This is a day when we
make and serve soup and cornbread and have our Grandparents come to honor them
and show appreciation.
Halloween Celebration
This day at school is for
pumpkin carving and making treat bags, sharing age appropriate stories and songs
about Halloween and our costume parade.
Martinmas Lantern Walk
This is our only
celebration that is scheduled for the evening. Just before dark we will gather
in the garden for a picnic in the grass. At dark, we will light our lanterns
that the children have made and take a short walk in the nearby neighborhood
singing songs about light.
Wreath Making Day
This is a day when
parents are encouraged to join us in the kitchen for hot cider, dessert and
wreath making with the children.
Christmas Celebration
On this day we will
celebrate the Christmas season by decorating our tree with lights and with
ornaments made by the children. We welcome the sharing of other holidays in the
classroom on this day by asking families with other traditions to bring
something to share such as a menorah, a song, or a traditional food
representative of that family’s tradition.
Pajama Day
This is a day when we
celebrate literacy. We come in our p.j.’s and read books, tell stories, write
stories and take a day to generally enjoy the written and spoken word.
Friendship Day
In relation to
Valentine’s Day, each child is asked to work with a parent at home to hand make
Valentine’s for each child in the classroom. Valentine boxes will be decorated
and ready for the passing out of Valentine’s cards.
May Day Celebration
This celebration is in
relation to the welcoming of spring. We will make May flower baskets and dance
the May pole in the garden.
Parent’s Day Tea
In appreciation for our
parents, we invite them to come for a special tea put on by the children on this
day.
Contact Information:
The Little Tree Play School is located in South San Jose
at the corner of Santa Teresa and Avenida Espana at New Creation
Lutheran Church.
7275 Santa Teresa Blvd.
San Jose, CA 95139
The Little Tree Play
School
Director/Teacher: Debra Townley
Phone:
408.209.9041
Email:
debratownley@sbcglobal.net
New Creation Church
Pastor: Anne Carlson
Phone:
408.972.9200
| 
