Where does Forest School take place?

Forest School takes place at various locations throughout Los Angeles, in canyons and in urban parks and wild spaces. Seasonal locations included but not limited to locations in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Topanga, Calabasas and the Santa Monica Mountains.  

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Is Children's Forest School a private homeschool?

No, we are a non religious, nature based enrichment program for homeschooling children ages 5-11. We will not be teaching classes, providing work samples, testing or offering tutoring for your children. We believe in using nature and place, change-of-season & child interest as the primary way of learning and believe in the importance of hands on experiences. 

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Are parents allowed to stay?

We are a drop off program and most children enrolled are dropped off. However, we recognize that separation looks different  for every child and as such, we will work with each family to come up with a respectful separation plan that is developmentally appropriate for each child and their individual needs. 

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Are you a vendor through a charter school?

Yes, we are an approved vendor with Blue Ridge Academy and Sage Oaks Charter School. If you are with a different charter school, we are happy to apply to become a vendor once your child is enrolled.

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How many days do you operate, and what are the times?

​We operate weekly sessions Tuesdays and Thursday in Fall, Winter and Spring  seasons and we are closed in the Summer season as well as short breaks between seasons.  Our program starts at 10am and ends at 2pm for pick up. 

Fall Season runs September  through December

Winter Season runs January through March

Spring Season April through June 

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What is the ratio of Mentors to Students?

Children's Forest School founders are also the mentors for every session with a 10:2 ratio. Keeping our enrollment numbers low allows for increased site & child safety, while also allowing for plenty of adult-supported individual / group exploration & learning opportunities.

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How do create consistency with a part time program ?

Although we do not meet each day, we create consistency with our routine and daily rhythm. We hope that as children attend on a consistent basis, they can make connections and build on their friendships as the groups moves through natural spaces and find learning opportunities that they can build upon each week. 

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Do you practice Anti-Bias Education?

One of our approaches in creating a learning environment that fosters an understanding of diversity and equity is anti-bias education.  When implementing the work of anti-bias, children learn to be proud of themselves and their families, develop respect in human differences, learn to recognize and resist biases and speak up for what is right by taking action.

We believe all children deserve to access to spend time in nature regardless of race, gender identity, gender expression, culture, age, orientation, or set of abilities. When topics like this emerge within the group, we always try to approach discussions from a developmentally appropriate perspective and a place of mutual respect for each other. 

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Do you serve children with special needs?

We do our best to support most children in our program but we may not be able to support ALL children due to our landscape and limited staff. We hope to be able to work in partnership with each family to devise a plan that best serves the child and the group However,  if in the event, we are unable to make it work we will help you find a program that can better serve the needs of the child. 

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What is the financial investment for families who want to enroll at Children's Forest School?

We believe in making our program as accessible to families as possible, so we offer flexible enrollment options. Your child can attend twice per week, once per week or every other week.  Our daily rate is $80/day and we require a minimum commitment of 4 sessions paid in advance. 

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Cancellation Policy:

Children's Forest School is unable to provide refunds, makeups, or reschedule sessions for cancellations. If we cancel a class for any reason (other than natural emergency), families will have the option to apply the credit to a future session. 

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What else does Children's Forest School offer?

Children's Forest School  was granted a large garden plot at the 20-acre Sepulveda Basin Community Garden Center, enrolled children will have the opportunity to learn about gardening and growing their own food through the seasons with regular visits to tend to the garden throughout the year.  We also take great pride in hosting family friendly workshops for our homeschooling community throughout the year by inviting guests with special knowledge and skill to share their gifts with us. We have hosted Mushroom Walks with Aaron Tupac, Herb Walks with Herb Club LA, Wild Clay workshops with Evelyn Hernandez, Cooking workshop with Kitchen Sink & Inner Garden, Plant Dye workshops with Berbo Studio, Pigment workshops with Mona Lewis & Alan Salazar and Basketry with Karla Mejia with more workshops in the works. 

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Can we visit Children's Forest School?

Yes, we encourage families to visit our program before enrolling their children to make sure we are a good fit for their child. We schedule visit days individually and based on availability, contact us to set up your visit.

 

See you outside!