Polar Bears and Sea Lions share the Ocean Room. This class operates similarly to the Garden room but differs in entry age. Polar Bears are children ages 2.6 to 2.11 years. Sea Lions are children ages 3.6 to 3.11 years. This class offers a great opportunity to gently introduce your child to preschool and school routines for both Polar Bears and Sea Lions.

For Polar Bears, this is the first time away from home, therefore, mindful transition plans are put in place so that separation is smooth. Home visits are offered as an optional part of the program for first-time preschoolers to ensure a successful and smooth transition into the program. Children do not need to be potty-learned to start this class; potty-learning is seen as a naturally occurring process in the development of young children. Children who show signs of readiness will be given the proper support and encouragement. Because Polar Bears are older toddlers and share a mixed-age environment with older children, most Polar Bears learn to use the potty within the first few months of school.

Children spend most of their time outdoors enjoying nature and engaged in activities of interest. As children transition, focus is placed on developing social connections with peers and teachers as well as developing autonomy and independence through daily classroom routines and intentional curriculum planning, The teaching staff continues to scaffold the children’s development in their second year of preschool as a Sea Lion. With one year under their belt, the Sea Lions are ready for a wider scope in the curriculum. An age-appropriate curriculum is developed using a combination of emergent and teacher-proposed themes. The thematic topics are woven into the context of what is happening in the world around them. The emergent curriculum continues to be developed alongside the teacher-proposed one according to the interests of the children.

This classroom setup serves as a model for our educational framework which comprises a community of learners whether it is peer-to-peer, teacher-child, or child-teacher. For Polar Bears a natural boost of self-confidence and autonomy emerges organically from the coexistence and relationships built between peers. By sharing space in a mixed-age environment, older children develop compassion, tolerance, and social responsibility toward younger children. While younger children look up to older counterparts as peers and people they can learn from in addition to their teachers.