Osceola Art and Garden School
Enumclaw, Washington
The mission of the Osceola Art and Garden School is to celebrate young children, ages 3-6, as artists. We remain committed to providing an early learning environment where the artistic life of children is both respected and treasured. The benefits of art exploration in the early years are well documented and provide a unique environment that supports the needs of all children and learning styles.
Program Details (2024/2025)
AGES: 3-6. Children must be age 3 by September 1st (2024) of the school year. Children who turn 7 before June 1st (2025) of the school year are not eligible to enroll.
STUDENT-TO-TEACHER RATIO: 5:1
CLASS SIZE: 10 children
PROGRAM OPTIONS: Tuesday/Thursday
HOURS: 9:30am-12:30pm
TUITION: $345/month. We are a 9-month-long program
REGISTRATION FEE: $100.00/child
Our program remains committed to:
Providing high quality art materials and tools to support learning and discovery.
Nurturing individuality through art exploration and nature immersion.
Providing choices and giving children the freedom to explore and experiment.
Cultivating and supporting connections to family, art, nature and community.
Why We Are Unique
With our 1:5 teacher-to-child ratio, children have the space to safely explore and engage with their environment through play. We know that young children learn best through play and that true play is intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, and creative. Our programs provide the time and space that children need to engage in deep, curious play together. We believe that this play is essential and that it happens best outdoors.
Our programs offer two healthy, organic snacks per school day. We gather in the middle of our day to share a warm snack and herbal tea. This special time is used to nourish our bodies, to model gratitude for our food and where it comes from, and to engage in conversations together. At the end of our day, we also provide a handheld snack - typically an in-season fruit or vegetable.
We nurture children in our program by providing them with familiar daily routines, gentle rhythms of rest and play, and loving guidance and support in an inspiring outdoor setting. As mentors, our teachers work hard to observe, recognize, and honor each child’s gifts. Throughout the week we practice awareness, thankfulness, and respect of self, others, and the natural world.
Our talented staff are early childhood educators, trained in forest school pedagogy, and are all first aid and CPR certified. To view our current staff profiles click here.
Creative learning through making and moving
We believe in the power of learning through art and nature. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, we allow for each day’s activities and projects to be lead by the environment and by the curiosity and questions brought forth by the children. As with all of our nature-based early learning programs, our daily rhythms and endeavors are informed by the cycle of the seasons, the life and breath of the garden, what’s going on with the plant life, animals, and elements around us, as well as other artistic media.
The goal of the Osceola Art and Garden School is to nurture children as artists and allow them to develop a strong, creative, sense of self.
A A ‘Sample’ Day at Garden School:
9:30 - Drop Off: Welcome and Sign-in
9:40 - Exploration and Discovery: Unstructured Play
10:45 - Circle Time: Gathering for Songs, Fingerplays,
Group Games, Discussion
11:00 - Snack: Family-style Warm Snack & Tea
11:30 - Adventure: Hike/Visit Secondary Play
Space/Special Activity
12:15 - Gather for Story/Recall/Handheld Snack
12:30 - Pickup: Sign-out and Goodbye Song
Osceola Country Gardens
Catherine Matson and her family first moved to Enumclaw , WA. in 1946. While they worked to prepare their stretch of land for farming, her father built a small home on the property. Before being restored to what is now the Osceola Art Studio, this special little building was used over the years as a chicken house, an overflow for calves, a dry shelter for hay storage, and even as Cathy’s very own childhood play house! Today, Cathy’s gardens stretch just over 3 1/2 acres and include a perennial flower garden, a variety of plants and shrubs of the pacific northwest, espaliered fruit trees, a willow orchard, and rows and rows of vegetable beds, where food is planted and harvested each year for the local food bank.
