Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool

Our Teachers

Green Garden Preschool was started by Maritza Vera, who has 10 years of experience in early childhood education.  She graduated from the University of Chiapas in Mexico with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration. She also attended UCLA and received her certificate in Early Childhood Development. 

As a loving mother of two, she has an understanding for the needs of both the parents and children who come to Green Garden Preschool.  She enjoys and firmly believes in fostering a child’s creativity through art.  It is important to Maritza that learning is fun, which is why she incorporates music, story time, dancing, cooking, and gardening in her childcare program.

Testimonials

It’s all about the love!!!  Before I get into specifics, let me give you the bottom line:  My little Jack has been at this preschool for over a year and everyday I pick him up I can tell that he loves Maritza and she loves him back.  He runs to hug her, he smiles at her, he says cute little mumblings to her.  It just feels great to see him in such a loving environment.  All of the girls who work here are sweet, caring, and nurturing.  I trust this preschool and feel good about sending my boy there. And my little gringo is learing spanish!  He asks for his zapatos in the morning, knows a naranja, can count (almost) to ten in spanish.  However, we still get good feedback from Oliva and Lucy in english about Jack’s progress, how he is napping, how is he developing, playing with other kids, eating, etc.   And they just added a new wooden play structure with a shade covering, have flexible hours, feed them healthy food (and plenty of it), and the place is clean.  They do yoga every week! My kid is doing doing a downward dog in the living room at night.  We love it!  And they regularly post the pics on facebook so I can see him from my desk during the week.   We love the environment of a home daycare.  The care seems more personal and there are fewer kids than a preschool or large daycare.  The mix of personal attention and small group interaction seems to work the best in my opinion. So i give it an A+.  Also, we’d be happy to talk to anyone who has questions.  Just ask Maritza for Jack’s mom or dad and give us a call.  Jack will be there for a while before he moves up to preschool. Good luck!

Maritza and Green Garden is a very special place for our family.I was initially very hesitant to put my daughter in preschool after having a brief, yet bad experience with a different one, but after the first week at Green Garden, I knew this was going to be a different story. Maritza communicates with us every morning and afternoon about my daughter’s day– what she’s learning her social and developmental progress, and suggestions for what we can continue to work on and develop at home. They also serve home-made, healthy, and mostly organic food for breakfast, lunch and 2 snacks throughout the day. I often leave the place wishing that I could stay for lunch because the house smells so good! We’ve been at Green Garden preschoo for almost 2 months and within that time, I’ve watched my daughter progress and grow tremendously! From barely talking to an expanded vocabulary in Spanish… Maritza is a great educator and person taht cares of your child. We really thankful for the love they give to my daugther. We love Green Garden Preschool.

I agree with Jack’s mom. It is all about love ! My little girl has been going to Green Garden for 2 years now and I am amazed at the wonderful person she has become in the loving and nurturing atmosphere of Maritza’s school. Our home is a non-spanish speaking household , but she is learning fluent Spanish. They have great food and snacks and so many activities around the week! The kids have Music class, Dance class, Cooking class, Yoga class , exercise in the morning, crafts and learning, fruit picking and gardening .. the list is exhaustive !!! They have truly creative and fun ways to teach the children and my daughter is thriving ! I will always cherish the bonds I have made with the teachers and parents of green garden. Maritza , Karen and Oliva.. we love you !

Philosophy

The philosophy of Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool is based in the thoughts and pedagogical work of Loris Malaguzzi, the early childhood educator who pioneered the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy. The paint, music, multiple languages, and the co-participation with parents are the strategies that permit development of the intelligence while using it.

Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool enriches the process of learning using Spanish language, art, dance/movement and different activities. This is a school conceived with the system of interactive learning inserted in an ecological project, where the moral values and the ethic are permanent in our daily routine/activities.

On Mondays, we have a chef come teach professional cooking lessons. On Tuesday mornings, we enjoy a relaxing Yoga session with a trained instructor. Wednesdays are programming features a special half-hour of music and on Thursdays we dance!

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Location

Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool is located in a welcoming, inviting single family home in the Culver City neighborhood.

We’ve designed our care environment with play and learning areas that allow children to explore various developmentally-appropriate activities based on their interests. Some of our favorite areas include manipulatives and math area (for fine motor skills and beginning math concepts), dramatic play area (for self-expression and empathy), and nature area (for discovering nature and science concepts).

Children will have some outdoor time everyday in my private yard or outdoor space. Children need space to run, jump, and move!

At Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool, I want to provide a loving home away from home.

About our program

We are a family-operated preschool in Culver City, CA that provides early childhood education for children ages 3 months to 5 years. We currently have a waitlist for infants. Green Garden Preschool is the right place to experience a relaxing and fun relationship with other children.  Children will enjoy learning in this playful, nurturing environment which allows each child’s creativity to grow.  

Children will experience an open, tender dialogue with other children, thus making special memories that last a lifetime.  Sacred to our mission is respect for our children.  We believe in providing your children with a safe, inspiring, and motivating environment that invites creativity and exploration through fun, play, art, and communication.

Meals

Breakfast and lunch are provided and are mostly organic, including turkey, chicken, vegetables, fruits and whole wheat pasta. Snacks are served twice a day and because Green Garden Preschool is health and environmentally conscious. We serve mostly organically grown fruits and vegetables (some we even grow in our own backyard) together with healthy whole grain crackers. ​ Good nutrition and rest is a part of our curriculum and very important for the success of a child’s day.  

Activities

Green Garden Preschool offers a number of wonderful activities included in the weekly curriculum such as yoga, music and movement class, and art class.

Research proves that children learn best through play and through their own interests. We provide various choices for the children to make.  Teachers are close by to help the children with language development, social skills, letter and number recognition, and, most importantly, peer interaction.  Our emphasis is teaching the children socially acceptable behaviors to get their needs met amongst their peer group.

Admissions

Join the Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Green Garden Preschool Wonderschool unique. Please schedule a tour or attend an Open House event.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.