Students and teachers explore the ever changing seasons at Genesee Valley while building new relationships, learning cognitive skills, and simply being a kid that will go home dirty!

Our Values

Philosophy: Our program exists to develop children who think critically, explore the outdoors, and find creative solutions to problems. Teachers will encourage students to manifest empathy for both humans and non-human animals, all the while furthering their understanding of the world around them by immersing them in the natural world.

Character and Cognitive Development: The root of growth will stem from social emotional building blocks, place based learning, active/creative play, inspired by Reggio Emilia philosophy . Our program will manifest a sense of resiliency and self-efficacy within all of our seedling students in order to set them up for success in kindergarten, our growing program, and most importantly life. Furthermore, students will learn to collaborate with others, develop relationships, and work towards resolving conflicts through active problem solving.

Ambassadors for the Earth: Often we forget how important nature is, and how involved it is in our everyday lives. We are deeply connected to the natural world and will instill that every day. People are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature, and when people become disconnected to something, it is hard to get them to try to save it. Our goal is to create the connection between our students and the diverse environment around us.

Community Focus: Community starts from within. As our Seedling program students become better acquainted with their peers and their team of educators, they can connect with the environmental community of Genesee Valley, including but not limited to the animal inhabitants of the Valley, the beautiful garden spaces, along with all the other free open spaces. Ultimately, Seedling students will work towards the further conceptual understanding that our very special Genesee Valley community is woven and connected to so many other communities that make up our great big world.