Welcome to Acorn to Oak Nursery and Preschool! We are a play-based and nature focused program that works towards preserving the magic of childhood in an inclusive and natural environment. We serve children ages 3 months to 5 years and are located in Sacramento's Arden neighborhood.
Classrooms
Acorns
(infant - walking)
Sprouts
(walking - 2 years)
Saplings
(2 - 3 years)
Oaks
(3 years - Kindergarten)
About Us
Our Mission
Acorn to Oak Nursery and Preschool strives to create a welcoming and accepting community for children that inspires a persistent love of learning, enriches the imagination, and brings nature into the rhythm of daily life. Our philosophy draws inspiration from the beauty and nature of Waldorf, the emergent curriculum of Reggio Emilia, and the child-focused learning of Montessori.
Founders
Francesca and Isobel are sisters who share a passion for early childhood education. They both have their Master’s degree from Pacific Oaks in Early Childhood Education, and are qualified infant and preschool teachers. Francesca completed her thesis study on emergent literacy in early childhood and Isobel studied children’s use of the outdoor play space for her thesis study. Francesca and Isobel are proud to be able to share their program and philosophy with the community.
Infant & Toddler Philosophy
Our infant and toddler philosophy is based on Magda Gerber's 10 Principles of Care Giving.
Preschool Curriculum
Our curriculum is play-based and nature-focused with specific inspiration from Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia.
From Waldorf we bring the idea that children's imaginations and creativity should be free to explore, using open-ended materials and nature as our backdrop for learning.
From Montessori we incorporate respect for children as capable individuals, and allow them to problem solve through hands-on learning experiences.
Finally, Reggio Emilia brings the idea that the curriculum should evolve constantly, and should revolve around the child's interests - and should never be manufactured and forced down by adults.
Daily Schedule
Our Acorn room is purely on-demand, while the rest of the classrooms start to fall into a consistent rhythm. The schedule for the day starts with free-play during dropoff. Once most of the children have arrived, we start the day with a morning circle which includes music, movement, and stories. After morning circle, we provide the children with an organic and vegetarian snack. From snack, we move to our morning curriculum which incorporates math, science, art, and language in a play-based and nature-forward environment. Around midday we enjoy lunch brought from home and then settle down for a nap inside. After nap, we provide an afternoon snack and do another curriculum activity before closing the day with an afternoon circle time.
Tuition Rates
All prices listed are in USD and due monthly.
Get In Touch
We are currently full in all age groups and are not enrolling new children or conducting tours. However, if you would like to be notified if a tour becomes available for your child’s age group, you can do so by filling out this form.
If a spot becomes available, we will reach out to schedule a tour. If you don't hear back from us, it is because there are no spots available for your child's age group.
Our program is small, and there are a limited number of spots available each year in the infant room. As our infants grow, they will fill the spots in the older classrooms, so spaces won’t become available in other rooms unless a family chooses to leave our program. We are currently fully enrolled for the rest of 2022, and only have a few infant spots available in 2023.