Tiny Green Trees follows a daily rhythm, that allows for flexibility in the day based on individual child needs and incorporates our goal of being outside 4-7 hours each day. Drop offs occur from 7 am – 9 am. Our morning snack takes place around 8:30 am. After snack, the teachers typically implement their intentional lesson plans for that day. Children come inside around 11:30 am for lunch and a quiet rest time. Afternoon snack takes place around 2:30 pm and the afternoon ends with pick ups, often from our backyard, outdoor classroom.

Based on the typical schedule above, we are able to support individual child needs (bottles, naps, etc.) with the flexibility of our daily rhythms. We have teaching staff in place to allow for children that nap 2-3 times per day to nap uninterrupted or eat based on their own schedule. Children are able to nap and eat outside as well, weather permitting!

Tiny Green Trees runs under the belief that anything done inside can be done outside, with planning and preparation. Young children enjoy the sensory experiences of being outside and older children get to explore, investigate, and learn through play. Relationships with teachers, caregivers, and peers are created through being held, stories, fingerplays, songs, lessons, and dramatic play. Being present with nature at any age has numerous mental and physical benefits, and allowing children to witness the changing world around them allows them to create those connections and be passionate about our world later on in life.

There are three circumstances where it is considered “inclement weather” and we do not go outside with the children. The first is if the “feels like” temperature is under 20 degrees for children under age 2, or under 0 degrees for children over age two. The second is if the “feels like” temperature is above 90 degrees. The last circumstance is extreme weather, like thunderstorms or a blizzard.

Tiny Green Trees actively works to be outside 4-7 hours each day with the children. Proper gear helps with reaching this goal. We ask parents to supply their child with rain gear, snow gear, and sun gear. We provide a list of recommended gear in our Parent Handbook, that is sent out at the time of enrollment.

Our younger mixed aged classrooms are held at a 4:1 ratio, with a maximum of 8 children and 2 teachers each day. Our older mixed aged classrooms typically consist of 12 children with 2 teachers.

Every member of our teaching staff adheres to state licensing requirements for paperwork, training, and continuing education. Our teachers complete background checks, fingerprints, CPR/First Aid/AED training, SIDS training, Abusive Head Trauma training, Mandated Reporter training, and a health report/TB test. Each staff member completes 20-30 hours of continuing education per year, depending on their position and hours of work.

Our beloved Silver City location is located near Three Bridges Park, which we use weekly, if not daily, as our beyond space classroom. Our new Story Hill location located next to Doyne Park, which is used as our beyond space there. The inside classrooms, teaching staff, lesson plans, and overall rhythms, mission, and vision remain the same at both locations.

Please visit this link: https://www.tinygreentrees.com/covid-19 for information on our COVID policies and procedures at both our locations.

We are unfortunately unable to give an exact answer for this question. Our enrollment shifts unexpectedly at times and our enrollment depends on many different factors. We do tend to see a shift in our enrollment come the summer and fall months. We can give an estimate on your family’s spot on the waitlist at any time. Full time spots will always be given priority.

We cannot give an exact answer on your spot on the waitlist but we are able to give an estimate. We enroll children based on when they submitted their waitlist form, when they are looking to start care, the age of their child, if they have siblings that need care, and availability for enrollment needs.

We are unfortunately unable to accommodate alternating/flexible schedules at this time, but it is an option we are exploring for a future offering at Tiny Green Trees as we continue to grow! We do offer the option of adding days to your child’s current schedule or utilizing a “drop in day” for a currently enrolled child based on availability of our current enrollment.