70 YEARS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN MARIN COUNTY
Learn about our sister preschools, operating since 1956:
Tamalpais Preschool (Mill Valley)
Strawberry Preschool (Tiburon)
ABOUT OUR PRESCHOOLS
Our History
In continuous operation since 1956, Tamalpais Strawberry Preschools have the distinction of being among the oldest independent preschools in Marin County. While our schools are nonsectarian, each was built cooperatively with the church in which it's housed. Tamalpais Strawberry Preschools are licensed by the State of California and welcome all children regardless of their race, religion, or ethnicity. We operate as a private 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.
Our Staff
Hired on the basis of their professional commitment to children, all our teachers have been trained in Early Childhood Education and participate in regular in-service training, workshops, and seminars. Each teacher strives to be supportive and responsive to children throughout the day by facilitating play, arranging the physical environment for appropriate learning challenges, and guiding the children's behavior and emotional development.
A Part of Your Community
Preschool is a vital opportunity for your child and your family to meet other families in the community. We hold fun gatherings throughout the year such as our back-to-school lemonade social, parent coffees, Halloween Festival, Parents' Night Out, a spring party at the park, and group play dates. We adapt our events to meet the needs of our community in the hopes of creating lifelong friendships for our students and their families. Download each school's Social Calendar (within Parent Resources).
Our Curriculum
Our programs are based on children’s ages and levels of development. Each child is given varied opportunities for working and learning through a play-based curriculum that's tailored to their interests—and it evolves as teachers observe topics suggested by their spontaneous play. Weekly and monthly themes are the foundation for learning tasks and creative activities across a range of developmental stages at both our Tamalpais and Strawberry schools.
Our Philosophy
Our focus is the whole child, emphasizing each child’s overall growth including social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. This primary teaching philosophy is based on the work of Jean Piaget, a Swiss philosopher and developmental psychologist. This child-centered approach to education facilitates cognitive development by:
- providing activities or situations that engage learners
- presenting challenges and opportunities that actively involve children
- practicing problem-solving through language, play, and socialization
- engaging children in the appropriate stage of motor or mental operations to provide foundations in language and literacy, pre-mathematics, and science
- working in small groups that help children see things from other children's perspectives, progressively increasing their knowledge of the world around them.
By emphasizing your child's overall development, we lay the foundation for social adaptability, creative achievement, the ability to take on cognitive challenges, and a joy of learning.
Read these articles written by our two school directors:
CONTACT US WITH QUESTIONS OR TO SET UP A TOUR
410 Sycamore Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941 (view Google Map)
(415) 388-4286
director@tamalpaispreschool.org
240 Tiburon Boulevard, Tiburon, CA 94920 (view Google Map)
(415) 388-4437
