Seeds Schoolhouse

Our Teachers

With more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education, Lorena Alvarenga is well suited for the challenging and rewarding responsibility of educating, nurturing, and advocating for young children.  As a dedicated teacher and mentor,  Lorena tirelessly works to create learning environments and classrooms that foster healthy development and socialization at the earliest stages of life. 

Lorena earned her Master’s in Education from Loyola Marymount University, and for sixteen years as the Director of the Early Education Program at St. Augustine Catholic School, she developed and implemented a variety of age-appropriate curriculum and extracurricular activities. She successfully integrated new teaching tools into the program each year to help children to master the basic skills required to enter Kindergarten, and helped build community by organizing field trips and parent education opportunities. Lorena pours all of her rich experience and deep passion for her work into Seeds Schoolhouse in order to create a truly wonderful and unique experience for her families.

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Testimonials

“My name is Elia Marco-Long and I am an early-childhood education instructor for LAUSD. While I taught my adult students at Venice Skills Center, I met Lorena Alvarenga while she was a director and teacher at St . Augustine’s Church Pre School . I would send my adult students to do their practicum under the guidance of Lorena. She was a wonderful role model for a great teacher should be…Lorena is a highly educated and skilled early childhood specialist. Her kind and loving demeanor is only surpassed by her dedication and caring. Lorena is well versed in all areas of curriculum and has a wide array of fun and engaging activities. Lorena has created a warm and enriching environment where children can thrive and flourish. She also creates a safe and positive self esteem enhancing place in which the children grow and love to learn. Lorena is an example of what an exemplary teacher should be.”

“This preschool is definitely filled with love!!! Mrs. Alvarenga is a very caring and nurturing human being. I have trusted my children in her care for years!  I have been very impressed with the quality of her professionalism! She provides a great environment which supports learning and exploration! I highly recommend this school to anyone who wants a great experience!” - Roxana

“Lorena is an amazing caregiver! She has cared for our three year old daughter since she was one. Lorena brings thirty years of child care experience and a masters degree in child development. She has been so loving with our daughter and understands how to help children grow and learn through experiential engagement and tender guidance. She is also really good at helping children learn both English and Spanish which adds a great element to her school. I trust Lorena with my daughter and am so excited to watch her new school grow. Her school is also very clean, well appointed and set up for kids to succeed. Lastly, Lorena is just a delight to know and very easy to communicate with.” - Devora

“You can certainly talk about Lorena’s qualifications, which include a Masters degree in child development and decades in early childhood education, however, I think what’s worth focusing on is the bond she creates with her students. I came to know Lorena when I was new to child education. My first born tried a few places that were not the right fit and as a working mom, I had limited options because of schedule, location, cost, etc. And then I found Lorena. The first day I met her, she made ME excited about learning. I remember walking away from the school and considered for a moment all of the educators I had over the years. I could not think of one, single teacher I could honestly say had the vocation of teaching children. Lorena is that one. She has a genuine and true love of teaching children and my kids all benefited from that passion. My youngest child, already in elementary school, still holds her teachers to Lorena’s standards. None of her teachers have ever passed the Lorena test, so trust me, when I tell you, at Seeds, you have found the one who sets the bar.” - Monica

Philosophy

Children need to be in a nurturing atmosphere that encourages them to reach their potential academically, socially, spiritually, physically, and environmentally. We believe that each child is unique and must be allowed the time and resources to recognize his/her own innate goodness and self worth. We recognize the role of the parents as the primary educators, and as such, we invite them to participate in their child’s education by helping us develop an awareness of trust, responsibility, and love for his/her own self, as well as for others.

We treat every child with respect, kindness and love. Children are unique individuals with differences who learn through multiple experiences. We use a variety of methodologies and age-appropriate activities to promote growth and learning through hands-on experiences. We provide areas for development in fine and gross motor skills, language, problem solving, critical thinking, and social development.

Our program will allow children to develop cognitive, emotional, social, spiritual and academic skills in a comfortable environment.

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Location

We are located in Playa Vista, Los Angeles near Culver City and Marina Del Rey. Our program is in a standalone home in a sunny, quiet neighborhood. We have lots of natural light, outdoor space, and greenery. We’ve worked extremely hard to create a beautiful space for your child to learn and thrive.

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About our program

We offer a child-centered program that focuses on all aspects of child development, including social, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth. The program focuses on helping children acquire verbal, fine-motor and gross motor skills, to name a few.

The curriculum is based on the process of interacting with materials, environment, and peers. Children will be provided with several activities to choose from each day, and a wide variety of activities that will be available throughout the week. The activities are at varying levels of competency so that children may challenge themselves while also learning at their own pace. The program covers concepts that are age appropriate, such as numbers, letters, colors, and shape recognition. In addition, children learn problem solving, sorting, and grouping.

We provide play opportunities for children to explore and promote independence, autonomy, self esteem and a sense of mastery. Children are also introduced to the Spanish language.

The indoor and outdoor environments have been carefully planned to facilitate the children’s learning, which reflect the diverse interests, abilities, and needs of the children. The sky is the limit for what children will experience while playing outdoors.

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Admissions

Join the Seeds Schoolhouse 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 school

Come see what makes Seeds Schoolhouse unique. Please schedule a tour by filling out the “Schedule Tour” form.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application at www.wonderschool.com/seeds/apply – Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not toured.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation, you’ll pay your deposit (usually equal to one month’s tuition), fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.