We've been waiting for you to come to this place...
About Us
The Garden Patch Play School strives to be a community honoring children, parents and teachers who are in the process of growing.
A safe place of belonging that offers children the gift of time and a big open space to explore and take risks. A place of joy, a place of curiosity, a place of love and wonder.
Our Patch community is built on respect and trust and we honor children and work to form a deep connection and a nurturing partnership with families.
We are all capable of great things and we will always champion the rights of children to have this time to play and grow.
Our Mission
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The Garden Patch Play School is an IRS approved, non-profit corporation. The Patch is an independently operated, nonsectarian program. Its primary focus is to provide a safe and inviting natural outdoor environment for children to play and grow at their own pace.
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Our Philosophy
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The Garden Patch Play School is a reflection of multiple educational theories and philosophies, all of which are linked to a model of education called social constructivism. Social constructivism emphasizes collaboration and the exchange of ideas in an environment which is more child-centered, than teacher-directed and which concentrates more on thinking and understanding rather than simply recalling facts and performing on cue.
At The Garden Patch Play School, your children ARE the curriculum. Our goal is to form a deep connection with each individual in our group and work to create the best learning patch together. Through observation, we will get to know where they are developmentally. We look at the whole child - their physical development, social, and emotional, language development and cognitive skills.
They will have experiences with art, science, and sensory, as well as opportunities to take risks and challenge their gross and fine motor skills. We will truly have an emergent curriculum as teachers will be able to follow children’s interests and supplement with materials to expand their learning. The environment is really our extra teacher at the Patch as we will use the Garden, Sandbox, and Mud pit - we’ll run and have obstacle courses in the Meadow, and swing as high as the sky.
Testimonials
“My son had been to two other preschools prior to starting at The Patch. They were good schools but we wanted something that aligned more with our parenting style and that offered a different environment for our active little guy.
I literally have to drag him home at the end of every day at The Patch. He begs to stay longer no matter how long he has been there. The teachers are passionate, creative, caring, and wonderful with cultivating a fun loving space for kids to be kids. We are so thankful to be part of such a beautiful community!”
Melanie Gingrich
