Like all parents, when my daughters were toddlers, I wanted them to have a safe, loving, positive childcare and preschool experience. I wanted to drop them off each morning and feel confident that their day would be nurturing and stimulating, with caregivers and teachers that I trusted and valued. And when I found that for them at The Acorn School, I truly felt, emotionally, in my heart, “all children and parents deserve this kind of program.”
One of my favorite quotes is: “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. I see Wilderness as an opportunity to be that change. My hope is that our community will see the value of early childhood education and invest in our vision, not only because it benefits children and families, but because it benefits our community.
“I am an Acorn parent because I like the family/community feel.”
“This is a wonderful place full of amazing staff and children. What we do here is important work.”
The top three reasons I love The Acorn School are:
1. First and foremost are the wonderful children. Every one of them is so special, full of potential, and blessed to have such wonderful families to care for them.
2. The families at Wilderness are simply terrific. I have had the honor of meeting and getting to know many of them. I hope to grow in my relationships with them over the coming years.
3. Finally, our teachers and staff are yet another reason why I love this school. I am honored to be teaching amidst such an educated and devoted staff. I appreciate all of the different perspectives they have to offer, special talents, ideas, and creativity. I will learn a lot from my time here with them.
“The teachers were 100 percent engaged with their kids, not sitting and socializing amongst themselves, as I have seen at other places. It felt like a family in the best sense.”
“I witnessed firsthand how the teachers individualized their care based on the needs of the child. And it meant a lot to me that I was encouraged to sit and hang out as long as I wanted. In short, it was just the warm and welcoming environment that I envisioned for my son.”
“For us, what makes Acorn different from other schools is the immediate sense of family. Everyone here is so genuinely friendly—we feel the affection palpably.”
“The magic of this place lies in the teachers. The way we think about it, they are the angels that have been sent us to look after our daughter.”
The teachers develop personal relationships with the children, and although each person who works at the school has a clearly defined role, when it comes to how the kids are cared for, they definitely spread the love around lavishly. Everybody knows who you are, and more importantly, who your child is.
I’ve had three children go through Acorn. Every milestone of my kids that they noticed they celebrated with me. Learning to walk, language acquisition, math skills. The teachers seem as excited as parents are when their kids learn a new skill—and they are just as motivated to get them to succeed. We work with the teachers, at school and at home, to provide consistency in what we teach the children. With my older son, who was talented at math, his teachers challenged him every day to develop his proficiency. With my other son, they picked up and flagged some early learning struggles that later turned out to be ADD. And with my daughter, who is bilingual, the teacher took an active role in learning some Spanish words to support my daughter’s growing vocabulary. They encourage the kids to accelerate where appropriate and to get extra attention as needed. They never make them feel like they are in the wrong place or behind.
I realized quickly that Acorn takes the care they give children very seriously and gives their needs paramount importance. But I also loved the focus on individual expression, both on the part of the teacher and the child. For example, all the teachers at Acorn have rock solid credentials, yet each teacher has their own unique style—and room to express it.