At Peaceful Heart Preschool we guide young children to be the most vibrant version of themselves.   We hold a space where children are seen, heard and respected as the whole and wise humans they are, all while learning nuanced and heart-filled skills of being in community.  

We enroll children ages 3 - 5, including children who want  a Pre-K year before Kindergarten,  and offer a variety of scheduling options  within a Monday - Friday 9am - 3pm schedule.    

What we're about:  

• Yoga, mindfulness & plenty of time to bask in nature, art & music to honor the wisdom and growth of the whole human. 

• Reggio Emilia approach for inquiry-based and child-led learning designed to connect children to community and the land.  

• Hand in Hand Parenting approach, among others, for support with emotional well-being from a place of connection and relationship. 

• Stellar social skills that Congress could learn from ;)

• Academics like literacy and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are explored through movement, art, stories, games, songs, and extended projects, creating meaningful and authentic opportunities to develop these skills. 

• Organic foods, no chemicals, a calm and organized environment, lots of movement and outside play for a healthy preschool experience. 

• A personalized experience with compassionate, attuned teachers who are passionate about early childhood education.   

Changes for our 2023-24 school year

We are making a few changes to our preschool this coming school year (2023-24) including moving back to the original preschool space (725 W. Alder St. STE 3) and offering two programs that will run side by side, with a variety of scheduling options. 

We moved to a fully outdoor program during the 2020 school year in response to the pandemic, and then to another location for the 2021 and 2022 school years (our current location) that offered an outdoor area conducive to spending most of our day outside, along with an indoor location.  Due to the upkeep of cost of two spaces, we are happily returning to the studio location downtown where the preschool had been since it's creation in 2013.  

However, we loved being outside so much with the kids that we are searching for a permanent forest location to be an outdoor classroom for us to visit regularly.  

We will also be outside daily at the park across the street or in the large grassy area next to our building where we'll have our own play area.  The more central location will also make it easier to resume field trips to natural areas and farms, places where we can volunteer, and to other venues that support full body learning, like dance, gymnastics, arts, music and theater.

We will be changing our scheduling structure slightly to offer two programs:  One with Miss Jess, the founder of Peaceful Heart Preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and one with Miss Katie and a co-teacher, Miss Celia, that will be a Reggio Emilia-inspired program that will operate Monday - Friday 9am - 3pm, with options for 3 days as well.  The programs will operate independently, but the three of us will work closely sharing space, individual skill sets, collaboration and inspiration. 

Miss Jess has been tuning into young children as a preschool teacher for 12 years (and older children for 8 years prior to that) observing and learning about their spirits.  She is an intuitive energy worker, student of non-violent communication and Possibility Management (study of using feeling energy consciously), a 500hr trained yoga teacher,  and finishing a certification program to be an instructor with Hand in Hand Parenting.   These tools, along with a lifelong passion for honoring young people, have guided her approach to holding a space where children can be the shiniest version of themselves.

Miss Katie has a Master's degree in early childhood education in the Reggio Emilia approach from the University of Colorado Denver in collaboration with the Boulder Journey School.  She has been teaching preschoolers for 9 years and is a certified yoga teacher as well.  Miss Celia has been teaching preschool for 8 years and is currently enrolled in the same masters program, offering the two of them some beautiful symmetry in their work. The Reggio Emilia approach, at its heart, is about honoring the innate wisdom that exists within each child and engaging in deep listening -- to the  individual, the group, and the environment. Teachers follow the lead of the children, scaffolding their experiences  with inquiry-based learning opportunities, and give them plenty of space to explore and ask questions.  Celia loves to cook with children and Katie carefully curates child-led art projects that turn into masterpieces. 

Schedule and Tuition 

Our final schedule will remain fluid until we have our first round of applicants.  The benefit of a small program means we can tailor the program to the needs of our clients!  When you apply, you will be able to choose the schedule options that you prefer, and then based on what you all request, we'll decide our final structure around the beginning of March and place children in the class and schedule that seems like the best fit for all parties.  We may also offer half days at the beginning of the year and increase to full days.  

See below for scheduling options and tuition rates.  Please note:  the 4 day per week option is limited and may not include some of the variations listed below.  Please get in touch to discuss.  

• 2 days/week (9am - 3pm), T/Th, in Miss Jess's class:  $390/month

• 3 days/week (9am - 3pm), M/W/F, in Miss Katie's class:  $575/month

• 4 days/week (9am - 3pm), M/T/W/F, M/W/Th/F, or M-Th in Miss Katie's class:  $735

• 5 days/week (9am - 3pm) M-F, in Miss Katie's class:  $900/month

We will offer two  Outdoor Nature School days  (on Wednesdays) per month in natural settings around the valley for both classes.  For the T/Th class, this would be an optional extra day for the week it is offered, and for all others it would be part of the school week.   The daily rate will be $48 for those who will be adding it on.  

Schedule considerations:  

• Preschool will mostly follow the public school calendar.  We start September 5, 2023 and end when they do in the middle of June, with holidays off. A calendar and handbook will be given during the summer.  

• We will be offer at least a rest time each afternoon for the children who stay until 3pm.  We will most likely be able to accommodate naps, depending on how many kids need it. 

• Each class will have a maximum of 12 children enrolled each day; and a minimum of 2 teachers present.

Tuition and Fees: 

• Tuition is due on the 1st of each month.   

• Tuition is calculated as an annual fee and is divided into 9.5 monthly payments. 

• A tuition deposit of $150 is due June 1, 2023. 

• A one time enrollment fee of $75 ($25 for a returning student; $50 for a sibling of a past student) is due upon enrollment, after you receive your child's acceptance letter and schedule offer.  

• A $100 supply and activity fee is due in two installments of $50 each:  due September 1, 2023 and January 1, 2024

• We care deeply about equality and diversity and making preschool available to as many children as we can who would benefit from it.  A small amount of Financial Aid and Work/Trade options are available to those who need it.  A link to this application will be provided after you submit your application. 

This schedule is very approximate and will vary with different groups and seasons.  We will spend more time outside when the weather is warmer. 

9:00 - Centers - Children choose which stations  as they arrive at school:  puzzles, playdough, a table full of open ended craft materials, marble roll game, building blocks and more. 

9:45 - Morning Meeting -  We may sing a good morning song, read a story,  take some fun yoga breaths or some morning stretches, listen to a puppet show about a social struggle or follow our curiosities in a discussion of an interesting subject. 

10:00 - Snack - We provide a healthy, organic snack with a variety of foods that may be new to the kids as a way to encourge eating a diverse diet.  We may have children help prepare the snack or even assist in cooking or baking our daily snack!

10:20 - Project / Lesson - As a group or in small groups based on age or interest level, children will embark upon their studies through experiential, inquiry-based learning.  We may go on a scavenger hunt, create a giant group piece of art, create a puppet play, become food in the digestion system as we act out the process on a giant life-sized body, play a giant collaborative game of "ground is lava", sculpt with clay, create a river bed out of sand or build life-sized homes as we imagine and embody how a variety of animals live. 

11:30 - Lunch & Free Play outside  - Children enjoy a lunch brought from home. 

1:00 - Yoga - We will move, breathe and learn body awareness through games, music, play, teamwork, yoga poses, balance, focus, strength building, relaxation and more!  We might do poses as a story, to make the shape of letters, as a way to embody animals or natural landscape (tree, river, ocean), dance to a song with animal poses built in or they may create their own new yoga postures!

1:30 - Rest / Nap / Calm Centers- Some children may nap while others rest listening to music or audio stories, followed by quiet individual centers such as coloring, play dough and looking through books. 

2:30 - Optional Afternoon Snack / Clean-up / Closing Circle

3:00 - End of the school day