Tiny Trees Preschool | Enrollment FAQ’s

08 Feb Enrollment FAQ’s

Posted at 15:59h in Uncategorized by Lindsay Lucenko 0 Comments

Please click below for FAQs!

Tiny Trees embraces an emergent curriculum that is led by children’s interests and focused on the value of play in early childhood education.
Tiny Trees educators all have early childhood, or outdoor education experience. Many have a combination of both.
Tiny Trees utilizes an anti-bias approach to learning, an approach that respects and embraces difference while acting against acts of bias. Tiny Trees also prioritizes a focus on social-emotional learning while using the natural world to learn about literacy and math.
Here is an example of what you can expect your child’s day at Tiny Trees to look like! Daily Schedule

Tiny Trees serves kiddos age 3 to 5, (the children must turn 3 prior to August 31st). Children must also be potty trained and able to recognize when they need to go to the bathroom, with minimal help from the teachers.
Tiny Trees can make reasonable accommodations for children with disabilities, but we do not have any diapering facilities on site.
Tiny Trees educators do assist kiddos to go to the bathroom, and can help when accidents happen. But, we try to prevent this from happening by checking in on a kiddo's needs throughout the day, and it’s really helpful when kiddos can communicate these needs.

A class at Tiny Trees is made up of a ratio of 16 kiddos to 3 adults/teachers ratio (sometimes this 3rd adult is an AmeriCorps).
Families will provide snacks and lunches for their kiddos (except for Dottie Harper, the ten hour program, where lunch will be provided by Tiny Trees).
Tiny Trees classrooms may be nut-free depending on allergies of kiddos in the class. Rain gear (jacket and pants) will be provided every year for all Tiny Trees staff and kiddos. This gear is Grundens brand, which is similar to fishing gear.
Tiny Trees provides and uses ADA accessible porta potties that are cleaned everyday. These bathrooms are locked and private, so we are the only ones who can use it.
Schedule a phone call with us to learn more!

We understand you want to see what kind of classroom your kiddo may be learning in so we host open classrooms in the Spring and Summer. We ask that you PLEASE RSVP for these.
Additionally, enrolled families (for summer and fall programs ) will have a chance to meet teachers and participate in classroom orientation. There will also be one-on-one teacher meetings before starting. Dates will be provided soon!

Educators take a positive approach to conflict resolution. A teacher will guide the process by asking the kiddos what happened, how each of them are feeling, what feels like a good resolution, and how to prevent a conflict in the future.
Tiny Trees also have calm corners in all classrooms which have various social and emotional sensory tools.
Schedule a phone call with us to learn more about how we focus on social-emotional development in our classrooms!

Depending on the classroom, we will use cones to mark boundaries. We also use these brightly colored cones to indicate boundaries when we go on our Daily Hikes. Some classrooms are also fenced in.
We also spend the first weeks of class learning and focusing on boundaries in the classroom, and where our bodies are okay and safe to be in.

You can help set your child up for success by practicing using a port-a-potty.
Have a goodbye ritual in place (handshake, special hug or phrase) to help reduce separation anxiety.
Talk about going to preschool often, making it something your child is excited for.
Help your kiddo practice boundary setting in open spaces.
Practice going on hikes or walks with your kiddo, especially in the classroom you'll enroll in.
Invest in good boots and layers. We also give out discount codes for outdoor gear shops to our Tiny Trees community. Please reach out to us at admissions@tinytrees.org if you would like these codes!

Parents should provide good boots, extra clothes, and layers. You should also always send your child with a water bottle, a snack, and lunch.
Dottie Harper Park students are provided lunch and snacks but parents are still welcome to bring theirs from home.

Tiny Trees follow Seattle Public School closure guidelines, but to prepare for ultra cold conditions we dress for the weather, have hand warmers and do big body movements to keep warm.
Some classrooms may also forage for leaves to make tea to keep warm! Check out this video to see how we do this in our classroom.
Classrooms also have canopies for heavy rain, and in case of emergency each classroom has a designated indoor space to take cover
Classrooms will close for inclement weather including heavy rain/snow, high winds, etc. and will notify parents through Procare, a phone app our teachers use to communicate.