The Garden School
Congratulations to the Garden School,
voted the Pacific Sun’s Best Preschool 2024!


We accept children ages 2 through 5 for full- or part-time enrollment.
Our full-time schedule is Monday through Friday and part time is Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.
Children in diapers are eligible for enrollment.
The Garden School opens at 8:30 am and ends at 1:00 pm
We use the Ross School District calendar as a guideline for all public holidays and regular vacations.
Click through the tabs below to learn more about the school.
The Garden School is a 100% child-focused program. From the way the classroom is arranged to the approach to curriculum to the way we speak to the children, everything is done with the children at the forefront.
Our classroom is designed so that the children can be successful independently and gain a love of learning while developing self-help skills. We believe that our role as teachers is to be facilitators in a child’s learning process. We meet children where they are and then work with them individually to help them learn and grow.
Nature Based
The Garden School is located on the Marin Art and Garden Center campus and the children have access to all 11 acres of the Center! Every day, the children spend the majority of their time outdoors either exploring the grounds, going on garden adventures with Gardener Michael, or having their lunch picnic-style in our front courtyard. We strongly believe in the importance of teaching child about the natural world and allowing them to experience everything that the garden has to offer. On rainy days, the children all suit up in school-provided rain suits for a day of wet weather fun!
We believe that the environment is an added teacher in our program, and we design our days to take advantage of all it has to offer. We use naturally-sourced materials as often as we can, we never waste food as art materials or for projects, we teach the children about conservation and allow them to do what they do best—explore and ask questions!
At the Garden School, we use an Emergent Curriculum. This means that primary teachers take observations of the children in their primary group and then use those observations to create individualized activities. Because our program is 100% child focused, we allow the children to be the leaders of their own learning.
Children are curious by nature and current research agrees that young children learn best through play. Teachers will take note of something that a child is showing curiosity about or needing more support around and then plan curriculum around what was observed. Teachers continue to plan activities based on the children’s interest until a new curiosity emerges. Sometimes we have curriculum units last for weeks and sometimes only a few days! By following the children’s interests, we are not only following what is considered to be Early Childhood Education best practice, but also ensuring the children’s buy-in to what we are teaching. Teachers creatively weave early mathematics, early literacy, fine and gross motor and language development skills into every curriculum unit, presented through the lens of the children’s current interest.
Our classroom is designed so that children can independently choose work off the shelf that is ready to go, presented beautifully and will allow the child to be successful in the completion of their chosen work. From day one, children are empowered to choose a work, complete the work and return the work to a shelf once they are finished.
The role of the teachers is to primarily be observers in the classroom. Teachers will float in the classroom to assist children when needed, but are careful not to interrupt a child at work. Teachers form personal and meaningful relationships with every child in the program. If a child is needing support through a challenging work, teachers have already created a relationship of trust that allows the child to feel safe seeking help without feeling incapable. The overall goal of teachers is to never be the loudest voice in the classroom. The Garden School is a place for children to flourish, not for teachers to be “entertainers” or the focus of the classroom.
Materials
As a child focused program, all the materials that are presented to the children are child sized, safe, and are designed with success in mind. Most of our materials are naturally sourced, either by teachers or collected by the children from the Garden. Teachers rotate the work and activities that are available to children so that the classroom stays fresh, exciting and challenging all year.
Daily Schedule
- 8:30-9 am Drop off in the front courtyard (pending weather)
- 9:00-9:30 am All school circle time
- focus on teaching how to use new materials
- emotional literacy lessons
- songs and stories
- 9:30-10:00 am Inside child directed choice time
- 10:00-10:15 am All school snack
- 10:20-11:00 am Curriculum time OR Extracurricular activity (Gym Bus, Music, Garden time)
- 11:10-11:40 am All school Pixie Park playtime
- 11:45-12:00 pm Story
- 12:00-12:30 pm All school lunch
- 12:30-1:00 pm Child directed choice time inside and pick up
- 1:00 pm End of day
What is TK anyway?
TK, or transitional kindergarten, is meant to accomplish one thing: give all 4- and 5-year-olds a chance to attend school before starting kindergarten. Since many low-income families cannot afford any type of preschool, the state wanted an option for those families. TK is offered based on your school district, so many of the low-income families in California can now qualify for some type of preschool. TK is meant to be a first year of preschool, not a first year of kindergarten.
Will my child be missing out if they do not attend a TK program at an elementary school?
Absolutely not! TK is not a requirement nor is it meant to be a “first year of kindergarten.” TK is meant to offer a preschool option for low-income families and to capture 4- and 5-year-olds who have never attended school before.
Are the Garden School teachers TK teachers?
The idea of TK and what makes a TK teacher is still evolving. The state is still working out what the qualifications for a TK teacher are and the logistics of what TK curriculum will look like. What we do know is that very few TK teachers, or programs claiming to be TK, have teachers who have a background in Early Childhood Education (ECE), which is specific to children ages 5 and younger. Very few teachers of school-age children have taken any classes that are specific to children 5 and younger; nevertheless, these teachers are now teaching TK programs.
The good news is that all teachers at the Garden School have taken at least 12 core units of ECE classes (often more!) and have dedicated their careers to working with young children. Developmentally, children who are ages 5 and younger are going through immense physical and psychological changes. The Garden School teachers have been specifically trained to help foster the growth and development of this critical time in a child’s life. As a staff, we are always seeking to learn more and keep up with the latest standards and “best practices” for teaching young children.
What benefits are there for my child attending TK at Garden School?
4- and 5-year-olds who are enrolled at Garden School before entering kindergarten leave our program with all the same skills that they would get in a TK program. We work closely with kindergarten teachers in our area to hear what they are noticing about incoming kindergarten children and what skills they want children to have when they enter school. After talking with multiple teachers at multiple schools over the years, what we have learned is that kindergarten teachers want children to come into kindergarten with self-confidence and self-help skills; any letter, number or other fine motor skills are just an added bonus! Kindergarten-bound children who leave the Garden School have developed the self-help and self-confidence skills that kindergarten teachers are looking for and also leave with a solid exposure to letters, letter sounds, numbers, early mathematics concepts and are ready for the next step!
- We maintain a very small student to teacher ratio (1:5 or 1:7!) with a maximum of 29 children enrolled.
- We offer daily outdoor activities throughout the 11-acre grounds, including dedicated garden time with Garden Manager Michael Bogart.
- We have our own space in the Center’s Edible Garden for children to spend time planting and harvesting seasonal produce.
- Children host annual family picnics, including our beloved Stone Soup Lunch featuring soup that all children help make!
- Children create and curate an annual Art Show in the Center’s gallery space, The Studio.
Applications and Enrollment
Application forms are accepted year round and may be submitted any time after the birth of your child. Please complete the online application by clicking the link below. We look forward to hearing from you!
Fill out the application
All new applicants whose application form and fee have been received will be given consideration in filling our class.
Due to the size of the preschool, we cannot guarantee admission to any child. We maintain a wait list, and we encourage families to place their child on it as soon as possible. Preferential consideration is based on, but not limited to, the following criteria: children who are re-registering/returning; currently enrolled families enrolling a sibling; age of child; alumni families; gender balancing of classes. To maintain our program integrity, we strive to create classes that are age and gender balanced and provide your child with the most enriching experience possible.
The second annual Garden School Art Exhibition is coming up in February! The gallery will be open to the public on Thursday, February 13 from 1 to 4 pm.
Our Director, Miss Emma, gave us a tour of last year’s show, take a look.