Frequently asked questions
Q1. What is your philosophy?
Nature’s Gift's philosophy is to let children enjoy their precious childhood through a well-rounded approach. We focus on all areas of development—cognitive, social, and emotional. We understand the importance of play, hands on learning, and one-on-one attention during these critical years of each child's life.
We believe that a good balance between play based learning and teacher directed structured learning is most effective and produces magical results for the children. Children graduate from Nature’s Gift as advanced learners and accomplished little artists!
Q2. How is Nature’s Gift Preschools different from other programs?
Nature’s Gift Preschools is a boutique-style, high-quality preschool, offering small class sizes with an excellent child to teacher ratio of 10:1. Teachers build positive & close relationships with the children and their families. Children receive time, attention, quality care, and education at Nature’s Gift!
Q3. What is the class size?
Nature’s Gift Preschool at Blacow Road offers part-time and full-time programs and small class sizes with qualified teaching staff.
Our 2.9 year old Busybees class has 8-9 children with one or two teachers.
Our 3-4 year old Dragonfly has a 10:1 ratio. The RolyPoly classes have a 10:1 ratio.
Our 4-5 year old Pre-Kindergarten classes has a 12:1 ratio.
Q4. What are the qualifications of the teachers?
Nature’s Gift teachers exceeds the State of California Community Care licensing standards to teach preschool. Teachers have a minimum 20 ECE (early childhood education) units. Teachers have ECE teaching permits, have Associate’s degrees or Bachelor’s degrees from another field. All teachers are also First Aid & CPR certified.
Q5. What is the staff turnover rate?
We have very little staff turnover. Nature’s Gift has selected a dedicated team of outstanding teachers who are kind, helpful, patient, and loving. Our teachers are a group of very special people who have genuine interest in the little children they teach and take care of. We are very proud to have an outstanding team of teachers.
Q6. What is your curriculum like?
Our curriculum is based on our philosophy to balance play-based learning and structured, teacher-directed learning. The program addresses children’s social, emotional, physical, language and cognitive development and builds foundations for school success in arts, music, reading, math, and science.
Q7. Are there progress reports? How do I find out about my child’s daily progress?
Staff can communicate through an app called Procare Connect. This app allows us to share photos, videos, notes, and messages with parents. Additionally, parent-teacher conferences are held twice per school year.
Q8. How do teachers discipline the children?
Teachers usually start the school year by establishing classroom rules and teaching the children about feelings & building friendships. Children are taught to listen and follow the class/school rules, to reflect, and to make good choices. For example, teachers teach children that hands are for helping and to use kind words. This resolves most of the conflicts in class.
Q9. Does my child need to be potty trained to attend school?
Children must be potty trained and at least 2 years 9 months old to attend Nature’s Gift Preschool. The Busybees class is a part-time class (Tue and Thur: 9:00 am. - 12:00 pm.)
Q10. How long is outside time?
Part-time children who attend school for 3-3.5 hours a day receive 30 minutes of outside time. Full-time or school day children receive at least one hour total.
Q11. Do you serve snacks and lunch?
We serve snacks for the children. One snack is served in the morning, another is served in the afternoon. Snacks usually consist of fresh fruit and a grain (crackers, quesadillas, bread, etc.), or dairy (yogurt, cheese, etc.) and a grain. We also provide water. If your child has dietary restrictions, you may send the child his/her own snack to school.
We do not provide lunch. Full-time/school day children must bring their own lunch in an insulated container.
Q12. Are there special events?
Due to COVID-19, we are currently postponing field trips until it is deemed safe to gather in groups in locations outside of school. We are doing our best to provide alternate activities, such as outdoor puppet shows and outdoor projects. The school also hosted outdoor musical performances twice this year. Nature’s Gift produces wonderful musical/dance shows which are a joy to watch!
Q13. How do you handle separation anxiety?
We encourage the parent and child to visit the preschool for a pre-visit before the child starts school. We can schedule a participation day if needed. Each child’s situation is unique and different. In general, we have the parent do a quick drop off and come back at an earlier time to alleviate the child’s anxiety. Once the parent returns, he/she can stay to participate. We work with each family differently based on the child’s needs.
Q14. Can parents volunteer?
Please let us know of your availability and we can assign you a few responsibilities. We do need help from time to time, especially during winter holidays, special events, graduations, and at the end of each school year. Due to Covid 19, we will only have vaccinated parent volunteers.
Q15. Do you teach religion?
No. We leave that up to the parents as religion is a personal choice. We do dye eggs at Easter because it is fun.
Q16. Do you help children with special needs?
We have helped children with speech delays, hyperactivity, autism, global developmental delays, and selective mutism. If your child has special needs, it is important that we know about it. We can discuss it and determine how to best help your child.
Q17. What are your tuition rates?
Nature’s Gift tuition is in the upper median range compared to other Fremont preschools. Tuition is due on a monthly basis. We can chat about our specific rates when you visit.
Q18. Is there an application or material fee?
Yes, there is an annual material fee. Please inquire about the fee during your tour or at the time of enrollment.
Q19. Can we have a tour of your schools?
We are currently providing group virtual tours at the moment. Please fill out a tour request form and we will be able to send a scheduled invite based on your child’s age and desired start date.
Q20. Can my child visit and participate?
After the child is enrolled, we can offer a complimentary participation day before the actual start date.
Q. 21 What does the schedule and curriculum look like?
Class schedules and curriculum, please look online.
Q22. How can we enroll? When does enrollment begin?
Class Please sign up for a virtual tour request, and start the enrollment process. The new student enrollment begins around mid March every academic year. Your child's space is reserved when we receive a complete set of paperwork (check under the forms tab), the registration, material, and 50% deposit to hold the child's space.
Q23. How do I know I’m making the right decision for my child?
We recognize that deciding on a school for your child is important and can be a difficult process. We recommend checking out diffrent preschools and see if the school is the right fit for your family. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has set 10 standards for early childhood programs that can help families make the right choice when they are looking for a preschool. Read more about those standards ›