Happy Hearts Preschool

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Where it all began....

A little about me... my name is Alison Hill. I grew up in Petaluma and come from a long line of educators in my family. I had been teaching at a preschool back in 2010 for a few years, when I decided to create my own school that aligned with my values of nature and free play. I opened Happy Hearts Preschool in 2011 in my home in Petaluma. I had 6 students and the classroom was a back bedroom and a big backyard. Then in 2013, I had converted my garage into a bigger classroom with 12 students. After five years and a thriving school, I decide to expand and become a childcare center and start at a new location in 2016. The Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma was the perfect fit. I love that we still bring that warm, small community feeling to a center.  I am now celebrating our 14th school year and could not be more proud of what Happy Hearts has become in our community. What sets us apart from the rest is our incredibly strong, positive, creative team of magic makers that come to school every day excited to be early childhood educators.

 

Happy Hearts Preschool is licensed for 61 children. Each classroom has 2-3 teachers in it. On a typical day, you'll see 7-8 teachers on our playground when all children are outside together, keeping our ratios low.

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Happy Hearts Preschool offers two mixed age programs:

• Ladybugs: ages 2 to 3 years old, do not have to be potty-trained

• Sprouts ages 2.75 - 4 years old, potty trained 

• Blossoms: ages 3.75 - 5 years old, Pre-K/Kinder Ready

 

During free play on the playground, all classes will integrate to allow for multiage exposure.

 

Each day... We paint. We draw. We laugh. We cry. We learn lessons. We say sorry. We grow. We change. We share. We share EVERYTHING. We discover. We ask questions. We wonder. We imagine. We dream. We create. We sleep. We eat. We play. We build. We move. We stop. We dance. We sing. We fall down. We get back up. We hug. We hold hands. We swing. We ride. We explore. We sit. We wash. We dry. We dress up. We dig. We plant. We water. We stack. We praise. We appreciate. We say thank you. We do it all again the next day.

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Our Philosophy

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Happy Hearts Preschool Program is child-centered, with a play-based philosophy.  We believe children learn through active exploration in an environment that is rich in materials and provides opportunities to converse, socialize, work, play and negotiate with others.  Our classrooms are planned to encourage curiosity, exploration and problem solving.  We believe that purposeful play is the true work of the child.  Through this play we view children as thinkers reflecting about their world.  Learning to make decisions and gain knowledge.  We provide this learning environment for 2 year olds to kindergartners. 

 

We believe that all children deserve respect, love and attention.  Happy Hearts Preschool believes that children learn best when they are in a safe, positive and stimulating environment; one in which children are allowed to explore and imagine the what-if’s of the world.  We strive to foster age appropriate development through learning opportunities that happen naturally through play and curiosity.  Our job as early childhood educators is to nurture these opportunities. 

 

During a typical day there are structured and unstructured periods, allowing children to learn at their own rates.  Children are actively involved in experiences, which include foundations of math, science, social studies, creative art, language arts, music, movement and dramatic play.  Happy Hearts Preschool considers all aspects of child’s growth and development- intellectual, social, emotional, physical and creative.  

 

We have a strong emphasis on the importance of Mother Nature.  We believe that by educating the next generation of their impact on our planet- we can empower them to protect and care for it.  In a world that has become so electronically driven, Happy Hearts believes there is great importance in raising children to care for the earth and have a love of nature and the outdoors.  We celebrate each season and it’s changes to nature throughout the year. 

 

We believe that socialization at a young age is an important component to children’s development.  By allowing the children to problem solve and giving them the tools to do so in a positive way, we are helping to create strong interpersonal skills.  We believe in the positive discipline method, first designed by Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs.  Designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful and resourceful members of their communities.  This method “teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful and encouraging for both children and adults.” (Jane Nelson)

 

At Happy Hearts Preschool our goal is to give children the tools they need to venture out and become lifetime learners.

 

It is our goal that each graduate leaves with:

 

- Development of a positive self-concept

- Acceptance and expression of both positive and negative feelings

- Positive ways of interacting with both peers and adults

- A high regard for the environment and nature

- Academic readiness for kindergarten

- Growth of creative thinking and problem solving skills

- Age appropriate problem solving skills

- Kindness & respect for all living things

 

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