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Dear Parents,
We welcome you and your family to the Santa Cruz Forest School (SCFS) Program for 3-5 year olds. This year is sure to be filled with fun, adventure, exploration, learning, laughter, and trying many new things. The Handbook, which was designed to give you a complete orientation to the Santa Cruz Forest School, is found below.
If you or your child(ren) are unclear about the information in this handbook for any reason, please do not hesitate to call, text, or e-mail so we can have a conversation that will answer any questions you have.
With much excitement for exploring our world with your child,
Santa Cruz Forest School Staff
Santa Cruz Forest School Handbook
Program description
Santa Cruz Forest School is an entirely outdoor, nature-based program for 3 to 5 year-olds, where the premise for our day-to-day activities is play, exploration, and discovery. Our mission is to guide and nurture the whole child. We believe the natural environment presents a wonderful setting where a child may grow and develop freely, that Mother Nature is our teacher and classroom, and that work and play are one. The outdoor classroom offers engaging learning experiences that develop the senses. It offers both large and fine motor challenges, open-ended materials, and opportunities for imaginative play, all of which are necessary for early childhood development. In addition, forest school children will likely develop a deeper respect and sense of wonder for our environment, and most importantly, cultivate social relationship skills that form a foundation for learning. Some of the many student benefits are: • Awareness of primary hazards found locally in nature • Developing meaningful bonds with nature • In-depth awareness of a specific location in nature • Awareness of the seasonal changes and rhythms of an ecosystem • Developing skills in sharing experiences and stories in front of a group • Interacting with people from different backgrounds • Development of sensory awareness skills • Being physically active in an outdoor setting • Empathy for animals, plants, and other people • Inquiry and exploratory skills
Registration Requirements
• At least 3 years old at the start of forest school • Toilet trained by the start of forest school. Unlike traditional indoor programs, your child will frequently be sorting through many layers of clothing before going to the bathroom. The ability to know and regulate toileting is therefore a necessity. • Your child must be prepared (and want!) to be outside rain or shine. The First Day: Starting a social program is a big step for most children. Some may adjust quickly and easily while others are more nervous at first but warm up as they engage in activities. Others still may have a longer adjustment period. There is no “right way” for your child to adjust to forest school. Our expectations are open-ended and we understand your child will adapt in his or her own way. There are many ways to prepare for the first day of a new program, such as talking about it during the week before. “Next week you’ll be going to Forest School! You’re going to have fun!” It’s important to tell your child exactly what will happen at drop-off and follow through (trickle-in happens from 9:00-9:30, and after that all parents have made their exit). Recognize that if a child does not know when a parent is leaving, there can be unnecessary stress waiting for that moment to occur. Planning and practicing a routine can be comforting for everyone involved. When it comes to saying goodbye, trust that doing just that is the best course of action and that it will ensure to your child that you are confident they are going to be fine.
Safety and Hazards
The safety and well being of each participant is of paramount importance to the Santa Cruz Forest School. Reasonable care and precautions are taken to ensure a positive, fun and educational experience where safety is a priority. We have an excellent safety record which we make every effort to maintain through staff training, risk management procedures, and first aid training. All staff are First Aid/CPR certified and some are Wilderness First Responder certified. Poison oak and ticks are some of the natural hazards. Although we teach children to recognize and avoid poison oak, daily tick checks are recommended.
Daily Rhythm
We start with warm greetings, simple games or crafts, and exploration. When everyone has arrived, we'll have our morning circle, where we share gratitude, enjoy song and dance, story-telling, announcements and safety agreements. Afterwards we play and explore until our first snack time. Each child brings their own snack and lunch. Stories, books, and conversation are often shared during snack and lunch time. Following snack, we play, craft and explore until lunch. We finish the day with reflection and hike back to the drop off location to meet our parents and care-takers at 2:00 pm. Light integration of materials such as yarn, paints, markers, drums, sound makers, buckets, tools, etc. is often available during free play. Please encourage your child to leave their own toys at home.
Behavior Expectations
We strive to nurture an environment where everyone feels respected and honored. We support a culture of validation and strive for an environment of cooperation rather than competition. If negative behavior occurs, teachers will address and seek to resolve it directly with the child. We teach and encourage children to respect others and their surroundings by using problem solving and conflict resolution skills. We also use redirection, positive modeling, and gentle reminders to foster positive behavior. Physical punishment is strictly prohibited. Any cruel and unusual discipline that is frightening or humiliating is also prohibited. Hurting another child or throwing a tantrum leads to being away from the group until the child is calm enough to rejoin. Abuse of an activity or object (such as a stick) leads to a loss of the privilege of using that object or participating in the activity for a time. If a child intentionally hits another student, teacher, or animal with a stick or other object, the stick will be removed and we will talk with the child about the importance of keeping everyone safe around sticks. Repeated unprovoked hurting of another child and/or using objects as weapons to injure staff or children leads to a call to the parent to come and take the child home. Because we are not confined by walls or fences, we emphasize the importance of listening when a teacher calls a student back to the group or asks a student not to run ahead on a hike or adventure. Listening is a skill we cultivate at Forest School – listening to our feelings, our friends, our bodies, and our surroundings. We value the relationship between parents and teachers and work together to nurture the growth of children during this important developmental time. We are always happy to schedule time to discuss any social, emotional, or developmental questions either by phone, e-mail, or in person. Please let us know of any significant events in your child’s life such as visitors, work trips, moving, new babies, divorce, illness or death, as these types of things can affect children in class. When we know about these events we can better offer support and encouragement to your child.
Core Values
The Santa Cruz Forest School's purpose is to provide a community of love and respect. The following are some of the core values we ask our families to follow. • Honest Communication Communicate your questions and needs. Be trustworthy and sincere. Come from a place that is solution oriented rather than a place of complaining. • Sensitivity Towards Others Be sensitive and caring towards others’ needs, opinions, and differences. Refrain from judgment, put-downs, and harmful physical contact. Come from a place of peace and optimism when interacting with others. • Self Supervision Take care of people and property. Respect and honor all living things as beings that wish to live. It is important to remember that students participate in our programs by agreeing to these 3 core values of the Santa Cruz Forest School. They are responsible for upholding these principles, and thus creating the environment for self-enhancement for all individuals in our programs. Behavior that is determined to be a violation of this agreement can result in the suspension of the student from our program.
Clothing and supplies
Each day, children will need a lunch/snack, plenty of water for drinking, and an extra set of clothes in a plastic or “wet” bag labeled with their name. A handkerchief, sun-hat and/or rain protection depending on the circumstance may also be needed. All items should be labeled with the child’s name and fit in a backpack that is comfortable for the child to carry. Winter will require a waterproof rain jacket, rain pants and rain boots. Base layers and socks should be of non-cotton material. Wool or synthetic (polyester and nylon) are highly recommended. During cold weather: hat, mittens, long-underwear, fleece or down jacket, wool or thick socks. Children will carry their backpacks during hikes. We have found child backpacks with a chest strap are very helpful, especially in combination with a raincoat. Please label all clothing and lunch bags/boxes with your child’s name.
Location and Field Trips
We are pleased to partner with the NEST, a privately owned natural space with more than 30 acres dedicated to outdoor education. The NEST is located at 645 Toll House Gulch Road in Felton, CA. Please keep dogs on leash and drive slowly. Field trips will occur periodically throughout the school year. Drop off and pick up is at the field trip location, with start and end times the same. Parking fees may apply in some cases, such as the $10 State Park fee. Field Trip Locations: Fall Creek Unit Trailhead – Meet at the trailhead at the gravel lot on Felton Empire Road, just west (uphill) from Highway 9. From Felton, the lot will be on your right just past Ley Road. Henry Cowell Main Entrance – 101 N. Big Trees Park Rd., Felton. Meet at parking lot 1 in the picnic area. If you don’t have a state park annual pass, just let them know you are dropping off your child for forest school and they will give you ten minutes free parking. Quail Hollow Ranch – 800 Quail Hollow Road, Felton. Meet near the parking lot or farmhouse. Henry Cowell Campground – 2591 Graham Hill Road, Scotts Valley. Meet at the parking lot; $10 parking fee if staying longer than ten minutes. Natural Bridges State Park - Swift St. and West Cliff Dr. $10 parking fee. Meet at the main entrance near the parking kiosk.
Program Cancellation Policy
The Santa Cruz Forest School (SCFS) program is a rain or shine program, meaning we hold class during mostly all weather. On rare occasions, however, dangerous weather or other environmental conditions out of our control, such as poor air quality, force us to cancel the program in the interest of student and staff safety. During these rare occasions we take every measure to hold the program when possible by finding safety in other alternatives such as site relocation. If we need to cancel a day we will try to give families as much notice as possible. Due to these events being out of our control, we cannot offer refunds for cancelled days due to these reasons. When the calendar allows, we try to offer a make up day during the program year. Some examples when a program may be cancelled or cut short include: ● Wind advisory: when wind forecasts are predicting sustained winds around 35-40 mph, or gusts around 45-50 mph. Often wind is site specific and the decision to cancel the program will be decided in the field on the day of the program. ● Heavy Rain causing flooding or road closures and site access due to slides. ● Air Quality: Air Quality Index above 100 as determined by airnow.gov ● Lightning: Lightning is also site specific and will often be determined on the day of the program in the field. ● Forest Fires: The location of the fire, smoke, and emergency services alerts will determine program status. ● Earthquakes or other natural disasters. Hard to predict most of these. ● If a program is cancelled due to low enrollment, tuition and deposits will be fully refundable or transferable. Our program's participant cancellation policies are based on our investment in staff, course planning, as well as supply and equipment purchases before the program year begins. We cannot recover many of our expenses if someone cancels before the year ends. We consider Santa Cruz Forest School to be a 9-month program, and we plan accordingly and ask for your commitment to do the same. We do recognize however, that life happens and sometimes changes need to occur. For this reason, please ● Email notice sent to santacruzforestschool@gmail.com at least 14 days prior to the last day. We sincerely appreciate your support of the Santa Cruz Forest School program and will strive to make each day full of adventure and kindness. We are continuously grateful to our forest families, teachers, the NEST, and our state and county parks that provide the space to support our program. We look forward to a time together filled with wonder, growth, community, and joy!