Welcome to Pacific Oaks Children’s School!
It is my privilege to serve as the next Executive Director for Pacific Oaks Children’s School. In my 16 years of service, I was a master teacher, became a parent of two amazing boys, Joaquin and Santiago, graduated with my master’s degree from the college, and have the opportunity to use my experiences working in this school community to share with parents, educators, administrators who are working in the field of early childhood education in various capacities. Each day I am inspired by the children, teachers, parents, and staff who make up this wonderful community, it is no surprise that Pacific Oaks Children’s School is a model preschool for progressive early childhood programs in many published books.
For over 75 years, Pacific Oaks Children’s School has been committed to our founding values of equality, simplicity, non-violence, and community. We are proud to continue to honor the commitment of the seven Quaker families who opened the Children’s School all those years ago.
As one of the first Progressive Education schools in the nation, we continue to honor children in implementing the highest quality early childhood experiences. We are committed to providing opportunities for young children to grow and flourish while interacting within their environment through exploration, experimentation, self-discovery, social interactions, and most importantly, through play.
We acknowledge that during this critical period in a child’s development, 90 percent of their brain will be developed by the time they are five years old. Keeping this in mind, we work to set the stage for problem solving, cognitive development and to build a lifelong love of learning.
Based upon best practices included in the work of renowned early childhood theorists such as John Dewey, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky, we implement an emergent curriculum. Teachers build relationships and connections with each child, getting to know their individual needs. Open-ended experiences are based on the child’s unique interests and developmental growth. Rich learning takes place both indoors and out. As children discover and explore in the yard, deep learning experiences are facilitated through open-ended questioning, guidance and encouragement.
We proudly employ Anti-Bias Educational goals. The Anti-Bias Curriculum was born here at Pacific Oaks in the late 1980’s under the direction of Professor Louise Derman-Sparks and the Anti-Bias Taskforce. We continue to support their legacy by guiding children in understanding and accepting differences, while empowering them to promote equality and fairness.
Families are welcomed with open arms and the Pacific Oaks Parents Association (POPA) actively works together with teachers and staff in supporting excellence in curriculum, instruction and family involvement.
We welcome our returning families and invite those interested in joining our community to fill out the Request More Information form.
Victor Soto, M.A.
Executive Director
Pacific Oaks Children’s School