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An outdoor enrichment program in San Luis Obispo for children grades TK-6
Monarch Hills is an alternative education program that allows children to learn through hands-on exploration in a community with their peers and teachers and through engagement with the environment.
A space that allows children to grow at their own pace
We believe that each child deserves to see themselves as a competent and successful learner. Each child’s unique learning styles, developmental timeline and interests will be honored as we work together to build all skills. Academic concepts will be reinforced through hands-on exploration that allow children time and opportunity to learn these skills in their own way.
A space to explore nature
We believe in the calming and restorative powers of allowing children to spread out in the fresh air and sunshine, sink their bare feet and hands into the mud, while exploring and observing their natural surroundings. We believe that learning of all types can and should be experienced both inside and outside; that our time outside should be more than just recess, but an integral and plentiful daily experience. Without limits, children should be allowed to bring their learning opportunities into whichever environment suits them. Both our indoor and outdoor learning environments are rich with opportunities for exploration and deep thinking.
A space to be a part of a community
We believe that one of our most important responsibilities is to support children through the mastery of living and collaborating in community with others. We believe in allowing children to work through the challenges that they come across in social play alongside a skilled facilitator prepared to calmly wade through the tumultuous waters of disagreement, modeling and teaching the skills needed to come out the other side: the give and take of listening to another’s feeling and ideas, and then offering our own flexibility, collaboration, and patience.
“A school needs to be a place for all children, not based on the idea that they are the same, but that they are all different.”
— Loris Malaguzzi
Cultivating a strong connection with nature
