Morning Song School, Mill Valley, Marin, CA

Morning Song School provides a loving, inspiring and supportive place for children to thrive and develop. We offer an environment that cultivates and delights the young child’s creativity and imagination.

Founded in 1997, we are a state licensed school. It is our goal to foster each child’s lifelong love of learning, to encourage curiosity in all that he or she encounters and to inspire reverence for the world of nature.

Our program has remained intentionally small to provide intimate group care and excellent individual care. With a ratio of 12 students to two teachers, our group sizes are perfect for the young child’s social development, allowing children to explore and practice the skills required to build relationships. Our focus is to instill loving kindness and respect. In working and playing together, children learn appropriate social behaviors and learn the importance of recognizing social cues.

Children come into this world with an innate sense of wonder regarding the world. Adults can foster this precious state of being by consciously choosing our words and actions and by recognizing our selves the magic in the seemingly ordinary. We look for fairies in the bubbles during hand washing, use song to touch the spirit, use our imagination, and remain open for inspiration.

Rhythm is significant in our program throughout each day, week, and each season. With song, we flow seamlessly through our transitions between activities such as playing, working, gathering for circle time or story time or coming together for a puppet show. We provide a haven for the young child from the hectic, fast paced life around us all. Children’s time with us is peaceful and predictable, allowing time to blossom at the unhurried pace nature intended.

OUR ENVIRONMENT

At Morning Song School, our environment is carefully prepared to nurture the young child. The children feel the safety and love of the teachers, allowing them to relax and feel as if they were home. The teachers recognize and appreciate our significant role in setting a living example of nurturing and caring for one another; we have true interest in each child and the children feel this interest. The importance in guiding these children while they are away from their own parents leads us to create an environment rich with human warmth and tenderness. We are grateful to be present in each child’s life in such an important role; we are all family. During our time with the children, the teachers make a point to set aside all personal matters; our goal is to remain genuinely present. Our motivation and enthusiasm create inspiration and learning. The children feel the safety and love of the teachers, allowing them to relax and feel as if they were home. We love seeing the children express their happiness with joy and laughter. Working in Morning Song requires a great commitment. Our level of self-care must remain high to offer our best at all times. Our classroom is enchanting and inviting, song and laughter often fills the air. We use only natural lighting. Filtered through hand-dyed silk window coverings, soft colors fill the room.

Upon entry, you will find our nature table, a magical seasonal display with items that the children have collected outside or we have made. Our class table is a large, maple wood table surrounded by 14 little wooden chairs (two for the teachers). Nearby are play areas with lovely handmade toys, each resting in its home waiting for children to play. Our “garden path” is our large, wool rug, where we gather with the children for stories, songs, circle time and puppetry. Our play yard has its own charming appeal, with Grandfather Apple (our large apple tree) for climbing or swinging on the tree swing, organic gardens (cultivated by the children and teachers), a natural wood climbing structure, a unique sandbox and old fashioned toys. The redwood benches under Grandfather Apple Tree are where we gather for storytelling. We enjoy lunch together in the garden as many days a year as weather permits.