Leigh's House

Our Teachers

Director, Leigh

After attending San Francisco State University, Leigh began a career in health care management but found herself inspired by the teachers of young children that she knew. Eventually, she decided to change direction and follow her desire to work with children. Although she has experience working with all ages, she found herself especially drawn to working in groups of young children, which lead her to begin her career in Early Childhood Education.

Finally, in 2005 she realized her dream of having her own school after the birth of her daughter. Her favorite thing about what she does is developing relationships with the children that she teaches and their families. She believes that small class size and the development of a strong community allow her and her team to really know each child as an individual and to provide a solid and supportive foundation in the early years. She has a saying that “Once a Leigh’s House kid, always a Leigh’s House kid,” and this is proven by the number of children and their families that return to visit or help in the classroom after graduation.

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Philosophy

At Leigh’s House, we strive to create a safe and caring community of young explorers inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Our program is a place where children can learn through doing, invent through making, and solve problems by working together.

We believe that when children are truly engaged with their environment, magic happens. Our team of experienced and innovative teachers do this by creating a space driven by the interests and ideas of the children who inhabit it.

Location

Leigh’s House is located on a quiet residential street in Piedmont, CA. The school is separated from the main house and has its own entrance.

The deck space right off of the classroom is used as an extension of the room as an outdoor classroom. Getting outside is an important part of our program and the backyard provides many opportunities for children to explore. There is a sandbox, mudpie kitchen, art area, a slide, as well as materials for children to design and build their own structures.

Getting out into our community is important to us and we venture out most days to local parks or the library.

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About our program

At Leigh’s House, we teach the concepts of math, science, engineering, art, social sciences and early literacy through our play-based, child-led curriculum. We use the interests and ideas of the children as a jumping off place. The materials are open-ended and invite discovery. Children make their own investigations and draw their own conclusions whenever possible.

We use teaching strategies that facilitate social emotional competence and self regulation. We give children the tools to work out things on their own or with their peers. We believe that this inspires self confidence in children that will last them throughout their lives.

We believe the classroom belongs to the children and it is carefully laid out in order to inspire play and reflect the interests of the children who inhabit the space. Because we believe that creativity is a cornerstone of learning, children have access to a variety of materials which are constantly changing based on what inspires them.

We believe that as early childhood educators, we must address the needs of the whole child. We strive to work with families and communities in a way that is meaningful to everyone. We work to build a community within the classroom, not only of young learners, but of families working together with our team of teachers. Leigh’s House is a truly special place because of this community.

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Admissions

Join the Leigh’s House 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 Leigh’s House unique. If we are currently hosting tours, you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page. If we are not currently hosting tours, you’ll see a “Request Info” button at the top of this page; if you submit your information using this button, we will notify you when we start host tours again in the future.

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.

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