Garcia Street Club is a full-day preschool and family resource center. We focus on supporting the entire family. As part of our well-rounded nature-, arts-, and play-based program, we offer the following programs:

Preschool Program

Our three preschool classrooms are designed for children aged three to five years. With a ratio of 1:6, we offer a full-day schedule and the option of two, three, or five days per week. Our structured daily schedule is intentional but flexible and includes project work with activities designed to build skills in all the domains of learning (with a special focus on social-emotional competence) as well as outside time and nature experiences, free play, meal times, rest time, art, yoga, and music and movement classes.

Toddler Program

Our two toddler classrooms are designed for children ages 12 months to two and a half years. We offer a full-day schedule and the option of two, three, or five days per week. With a ratio of 1:4, our toddler groups spend their days engaging in hands-on, sensory-based activities that are intentionally created to support the children’s development in all the domains of learning. We spend our days doing project work, playing outside, exploring nature, and making art. Our daily schedule is intentional but flexible and allows for lots of free play, as well as meals, rest time, art, and music and movement classes in addition to our classroom exploration and learning time.

Parent Education Program

Quarterly parent education evenings feature a variety of speakers on a variety of subjects, from mindful parenting to positive discipline and guidance to nutrition and wellness to toilet training and kindergarten-readiness. Dinner and childcare are always provided.

Home Visiting Program

Home visits from our teachers help strengthen the home-school connection and allow families to work with their child’s teachers to set goals and discuss concerns. With a stronger home-school connection, children thrive!

Early Intervention and Inclusion Support

GSC works closely with local specialists, from Speech-Language Pathologists to Occupational Therapists to Developmental Specialists. Our staff is trained to monitor children for any developmental, behavioral, or social-emotional concerns and to work with families to help them navigate the evaluation process and receive any early interventions that may be necessary.

GSC Giving Tree

GSC offers support for families with food insecurity and families in crisis. Our confidential Family Needs Survey provides an opportunity for families to request assistance with locating food, clothing, diapers, or other essentials. Our holiday giving tree program and our fall food drive also support families with obtaining needed items or financial support.

Outdoor Education Program and Farm to Table Project

GSC has an all-weather outdoor play policy. We believe strongly in the lessons learned from authentic interactions with nature and spend some time outdoors every day, regardless of the weather. Children who attend GSC are given opportunities to play in the mud, jump in puddles, and build snow forts. We also utilize our neighborhood paths and acequias as much as possible! We explore concepts like building, sculpting, storytelling, maps, plant diversity, animals, and our ecosystem by spending time outdoors.

Outdoor education and exposure to nature has been proven to increase resilience and provides countless opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem-solving, and STEM education. Interacting with natural environments allows children to learn by doing and experiment with ideas. In nature, children think, question, and make hypotheses — thereby developing inquisitive minds.

We love to Garden! Each spring and summer GSC children plan and plant their own gardens and grow food from seed. In the fall, we host a FAMILY HARVEST FEST and children serve dishes they made from their harvest.

Portfolios, Assessments and Parent-Teacher Conferences

Our assessment tool tracks each child’s development and documents the each child’s strengths, milestones, and interests through observations, art and writing samples, anecdotes, photographs, and more. Biannual conferences focus on the individual child and provide an opportunity for teachers to discuss each child’s strengths and uniqueness and share their work. It is also an opportunity to discuss any concerns and set goals.