Seaside Playgarden currently offers 2, 3, and 5-day programs for children ages 2½ to 6. Is your child not quite ready to be away from you? Consider the Seaside Family Playgroup: Parent-Child Meet Ups! (More information for this can be found below our additional programs in the right column.)

Our early childhood programs nurture imagination and respond naturally to the child's developmental needs. Future conceptual and academic learning is nurtured through a rhythmic program rich in puppetry, song, poetry, movement, bread-baking, gardening, and artistic activities. Every daily activitiy contributes to the children's appreciation and respect for nature, their environment and one another. Al programs are inspired by Waldorf and/or Lifeways philosophies.

Natural, seasonal or organic, snacks are provided during each program.

Re-enrollment Time! Re-enrollment for 2011-2012 school year will begin in mid-February. Please return your re-enrollment promptly so we may plan accordingly. Open enrollment will begin in mid-March for families that are not currently attending.

This early childhood program provides a nurturing home environment, with natural toys and play areas to nourish healthy play, simple circle time with singing and movement, artistic activities and stories with puppets.

The program is specially designed for the younger child’s first experience away from home, allowing the parent and the child a time for transition. For the first 4 weeks, the child attends only one day per week with a parent or caregiver. After this transitional time, the child attends two days without the parent. Although children do not have to be “bathroom independent” to attend this program, they should be in the final stages of toilet training.

Hours offered:
    2-day morning program: Thu & Fri: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

    2-day afternoon program: Thu & Fri: 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

This mixed-age program provides creative play (indoors and outdoors), artistic activities, (watercolors, bread baking, coloring, beeswax modeling, handwork and gardening), circle time, stories, and puppetry.

Hours offered:
    3/4/5 day program: Mon thru Fri, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Like the Hummingbird Garden, this program provides creative play (indoors and outdoors), artistic activities such as watercolors, bread-baking, coloring, modeling, crafting, and gardening. In order to meet attendance requirements for the Duval VPK program, while allowing us to have child friendly school hours, Saturday festivals are also considered schooldays for VPK children.

Our VPK program will follow our existing developmentally appropriate emergent literacy rhythm with a circle time rich in music, movement, and poetry, stories, and puppetry. Children must be 4 years old by September 1st to participate. The initial VPK application process goes through the Early Learning Coalition of Duval. Once accepted to the state program, parents are welcome to apply to The Seaside Playgarden for 4 year old preschool enrollment. (Our VPK, like all our programs, has a teacher/child ratio of 1:10.)

VPK liaison is Janice Walton, janicewltn@gmail.com.

Hours offered:
    3-day program: Mon thru Wed, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Note: 5-day program is available.