FAQs

What are your ratios?

1:6 with a max of 12 children enrolled. Please see our teacher bios on the right hand side of the page for more information about our teachers’ qualifications.

What should my child wear to school?

Anything that is weather appropriate, comfortable, and OK to get messy in will be fine. We recommend closed toed shoes that your child can take on and off.

What should my child bring to school?

Your child does not need to bring anything to school except a jacket on cold days and a water bottle for the yard on hot days. We will provide a healthy and nutritious snack. We even have extra clothes in case of accidents. If your child wants to bring a small lovey to school, this is fine. The lovey can remain with your child or we can place it in a safe spot if/when your child is done with it. We cannot guarantee that a lovey will remain clean at school. If this is a problem, please do not send one.

What about food allergies?

In the case of food allergies, we would like to post a small photo of your child with any allergies listed on the photo in our snack prep area. This is to ensure that no one mistakenly gives your child the wrong food. We can provide alternative snacks for most food allergies and will be happy to work with you on this matter. Our snacks contain no peanuts or peanut products.

What holidays does Nature and Nurture celebrate?

Because we are an inclusive and secular program, we do not specifically celebrate any holidays. We will celebrate the seasons, the environment, and each individual child. Children and families are welcome to share their traditions with the class. We invite you to bring items from home or tell stories that are meaningful to your family. Please speak to a teacher if you would like time on our class schedule to share family traditions with the class.

In the interests of diversity and inclusiveness, we will not celebrate any religious holiday, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day. We will give the children an opportunity to make one gift item every month to be sent home and given to the friend or relative the child chooses.

What about birthdays?

If you would like the class to celebrate your child’s birthday or a special day in your child’s life (for example, if your family prefers to celebrate a milestone or an anniversary as opposed to a birthday) please let the teachers know. We supply the (all natural, made from scratch) cupcakes!

We invite you to make a small contribution to the class such as a book or puzzle. This is completely optional. Teachers will keep a running list of needed items if you would like suggestions. Your child will get to present the item to the class at circle time and will get to be first to use the item in the classroom.

How can I be involved in the classroom?

We welcome family involvement in the classroom. Family members are invited to share traditions, help with special projects, or chaperone field trips. We also need two or three family members who may be available to volunteer in the classroom as a substitute teacher on occasion. If you are interested in substitute teaching, please let the teachers know. You will need to fill out a PVRPD Volunteer Application and be fingerprinted.

We hold seasonal parties 4 times a year. Families are encouraged to attend.

Do you do parent teacher conferences?

Yes, we will hold parent teacher conferences in May to discuss your child’s development throughout the year. We will also hold parent teacher conferences as needed. Just ask!

Do you track how children are learning/progressing?

Yes, we do. We keep detailed developmental portfolios. Every month, we look at what each child is doing in several domains: cognitive, language and communication, social skills, self help, gross motor, fine motor and creative development. In addition, the portfolios often include photos and samples of art and writing.

Twice a year we fill out a developmental assessment called the Desired Results Developmental Portfolio. The DRDP looks at 43 skills that preschoolers are developing.

Our portfolios and assessments allow us to track your child’s development, look for patterns, guide our lesson plans, and give children extra support as needed.

What does your program cost?

The short answer is that we charge approximately $60/week. The longer, more accurate answer is that PVRPD charges class fees based on how many class days there are in a month. So a month with 8 class days will cost less than a month with 12 class days. PVRPD also adds a $3 administration fee to every class they operate. Tuition is paid to PVRPD by check or by credit card.

We charge a $25/month materials fee, paid by check or cash directly to the teachers, that covers our snacks, consumable art supplies, field trips, and special projects. PVRPD does not collect this money, nor do they take a cut of it, which is why this money is separate. If it was collected along with tuition, we would have to charge roughly $40 to get the equivalent $25. We regret this inconvenience but it is a cost cutting measure.

Including the materials fee, our program for the 2012/2013 school year cost a total of $2804. If you divide that by 12 months, it was an average cost of $234/month. This is one of the lowest cost programs in Camarillo yet we are adamant about providing the highest quality of care with low ratios, highly educated teachers, healthy snacks, etc.

Furthermore, we promise not to nickel and dime you. We do not charge a yearly registration fee or an activities fee. We do not charge extra for field trips or class gifts. We do not ask families to provide supplies or go to fundraisers. We do not ask you or your children to sell anything.

Collaborating with PVRPD allows us to share their site and keep our overhead costs low. We are very fortunate to be working with them.

What IS a "Preschool Age Class" ?

Preschool Age Class simply means that we are a class offered through PVRPD rather than a free-standing preschool. Free-standing preschools and child care facilities are licensed in California under the regulations of Title 22. These regulations ensure things like the qualifications of staff, the ratios of teachers to children, the safety of the site, etc. Programs offered by existing parks and recreation districts that meet for 12 hours a week or less are considered license-exempt. This does not mean that we relax our high standards though. For example, Title 22 licensing requires 1 teacher per 12 children, we have 2. Title 22 requires that teachers have at least 12 college units of education. Michelle has a bachelor's degree; Kristin has both a bachelor's and a master's degree. PVRPD maintains the safety of the site. Both Nature and Nurture and PVRPD are committed to offering an exceptional experience for young children.

I’m interested in enrolling my child in your program. What do I do now?

We recommend all families come in for a tour before their child starts attending. Please email Kristin at naturennurture@ymail.com to set up a tour. This gives your child a chance to see the classroom and meet the teachers. It gives you a chance to ask any questions you may have.

We will add you to our roster if there are openings or to our wait list if we do not have openings. Once you are on the roster, PVRPD will be informed and you may register by calling them at 482-1996 or going in to the park office at 1605 E Burnley St