For the Preschool program, our doors are open year-round from 7:30am to 5:30pm. Half-day program ends at 12:30pm. Full day pick up is from 3:00 to 5:30pm. The Toddler and Me program meets one day a week on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 11:00am for 8 weeks.

To attend the Preschool Program, a child must be at least 2 years of age at the beginning of the school year in August. To attend the Toddler and Me Program, toddlers must be ages 16 to 24 months old and are accompanied by their parent/caregiver

There is an additional fee if your child is not potty trained. After potty training has started at home, we will continue the training at school.

Your family does not have to be Christian/Lutheran. In fact, there are a number of our families that have different faith traditions or no faith tradition. Mount Olive Lutheran Church is committed to Interfaith Dialogue, especially through the Santa Monica Area Interfaith Council. Pastor Christie is very open to conversations to help you feel comfortable with the learning environment, how to talk to your children about the difference between your beliefs and the ones they might hear about in chapel each week, or any spiritual/religious questions that come up. We want to support your family and meet you where you are.

If your child is sick, please do not bring them to school until they are well and without symptoms for 24 hours. If your child becomes sick at preschool, we will call the parent to come pick up their child early.

• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Held twice a year to discuss your child’s progress and collaboratively set goals.
• Weekly Emails: Stay updated with school notices, upcoming events, and articles on child development.
• Curriculum Information and hand-outs: Organized by classroom teachers to discuss the curriculum and classroom activities.
• Informal meetings with Campus Directors and the Executive Director to discuss any questions or concerns.

Our teachers and assistants are required to have a firm foundation in child development knowledge. Each staff member must have completed required number of academic classes, have had experience in the classroom and must continue their educational experiences through workshops, conferences and in-service training.

In our classrooms with the 2- to 3-year-old children, the ratio is 1-5 with a limit of 10 children with 2 teachers.
In the classrooms with the 4-year-old children, the ratio is 1-6 with a limit of 12 children with 2 teachers.

We cater to individualized learning by focusing on each child’s unique strengths, interests, and needs. Here are some key strategies we use:

• Observation and Assessment: Teachers regularly observe children during their activities to understand their interests, skills, and areas where they might need more support. This helps me tailor my teaching to each child’s needs.
• Flexible Learning Environments: We create a classroom environment with various activity centers that cater to different interests and learning styles. For example, we have a reading corner, a block area, and an art station, to name a few, allowing children to choose activities that engage them.
• Individualized Lesson Plans: Based on our observations, we plan activities that build on each child’s strengths. For instance, if a child shows a strong interest in storytelling, we might incorporate more storytelling activities to enhance their language skills.
• Family Collaboration: We work closely with families to understand each child’s background and experiences. This helps us create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment.
• Inclusive Practices: We ensure that all children, including those with disabilities, can participate fully in classroom activities. This might involve adapting materials or providing additional support where needed.

It is our philosophy that early childhood should be a time of fun, warmth, security, exploring and discovery. Children are seen as individuals with a variety of developmental abilities, needs and interests, as well as different learning styles. Our school strives to encourage these qualities by providing a secure, nurturing environment for each child attending our school. Our program focuses on promoting independance and a positive self-concept through a developmentally appropriate curriculum. For example: our curriculum includes sharing and conversation time; stories, songs and finger plays; creative art activities and crafts; games and large muscle activities; science and nature activities. In addition, each week our whole school attends a church time with our pastor. This includes stories and songs based on Christian ideals and principles.

All Children eat lunch at school between 11:30-12:30. There are two snack times, one in the morning at 10:00am and one in the afternoon at 3:00pm. Parents provide a healthy lunch their child will like to eat, two snacks (fruit, crackers, or other healthy finger food), and a child-sized water bottle. Pack food in a lunch box that the child can open themselves. We don’t microwave or refrigerate food, so parents can pack hot food in a thermos or add a blue ice pack to keep food cold. We ask parents not send chips, cookies, dessert, or candy. Save treats for the ride home after school.

All children staying full day will be resting or sleeping at naptime. Naptime is in your child’s classroom with their teachers between 1:00-3:00pm. Some children wake up earlier and they can look at books until naptime is over. Your child can bring in a stuffed lovey for naptime. More details on naptime are in the parent handbook.

Yes, tuition is due regardless of your child’s attendance. Tuition is due by the 5th of every month.