Programs
Rocky Mountain has a morning program, and children from the morning may stay for the afternoon program as needed by individual families.
Morning Program
9:00 am to Noon
Director: Kausar Wildman
Rocky Mountain is a play-based program. When children play they are making sense of their world. Children’s play consists of active exploration of their environment. It also is filled with opportunities to make choices and large blocks of time to become truly engaged in their play. This means that children are learning and growing as they climb, draw, spin, swing, ride bikes, take hikes, jump, run, play with sand, build with blocks, read books, paint, work with playdough and clay, bead and garden. For example, playing with water is calming. It is also multi-sensory, leading to the understanding of volume, sinking and floating, math concepts of more/less, full/empty, and provides opportunities for language development and social interaction. The foundations for literacy, art, math, science and social relationships come from these hands-on experiences. This is true of all children’s play.
At Rocky Mountain, children are free to ride bikes all day or for just a little time. They can paint or not. They can climb or swing. The choice is theirs to make. When this occurs, children learn that their decisions are valued and they are respected. They also gain an understanding of what they like and what they don’t. This leads to a solid foundation for a sense of self. In the preschool years, play is learning. The two occur simultaneously. The development that occurs during these years is so important that each child must be allowed to be 3 years and 4 years and 5 years. At Rocky Mountain, we cherish these years and all the wonder they continue to give the world.
Afternoon Program
Noon – 3:00 pm
Director: Marie Miranda
"I strive to create a safe and loving environment where the children can feel grounded and are able to do their work and play. My work is to help them sort out feelings, conflicts and issues that arise. By modeling how I want to be treated the children sense and learn how to respect themselves and each other. Empowering them to make choices and decisions: “Shall we go hiking today?” “Let’s vote!” Through gardening, hiking, and working with organic materials, children discover the earth as well as themselves.
The afternoon program evolves and grows with the children’s ideas and their relationships with each other. Through reading, movement, and world music children learn to appreciate and understand the world around them. Everyone is welcome to visit and experience the program."