Who are we?

• Our Mission
• General Requirements for Little Wonders Families
• What Little Wonders Classes are Like
• Little Wonders Bylaws

Our Mission

Little Wonders, a Parent-Child center, is a self-supported, non-profit, non-sectarian co-operative school teaching parents child growth and development. We do not discriminate with regards to race, religion, or economic status. Little Wonders offers classes to parents of children aged 9 months to 33 months as of September 1st of each school year. Our teaching staff is responsible for our educational direction while parents manage and maintain the operations of the school. Founded in 1992, Little Wonders serves families in communities from South San Francisco to Menlo Park.

At Little Wonders, we feel each child is unique. It is our goal to help parents develop a style that is appropriate to their family. Our program provides the environment, materials and information to allow parents and their children to learn and grow together. The program is set up to encourage educational, emotional, social, physical and creative growth for both parent and child. Above all, Little Wonders is a fun place where a child's play becomes an opportunity to share and explore parenting styles.

General Requirements for Little Wonders Families

Little Wonders is a parent co-operative program. Your active participation is necessary for the smooth operation of our program and school. The following is a summary of requirements that are the responsibility of each family. Please refer to your Little Wonders Handbook for further details.

Attendance

Regularly attend day classes and fulfill responsibilities in your class (take responsibility for the supervision of a classroom stations, e.g. art, dress-up, outside, every other week as well as join three other parents in cleaning up the classroom six times per year as scheduled).

Select and carry out one job for the year. There is a Buy-Out program available in place of a job. The fee is $350/year. Notify a registration representative if you are interested in obtaining a Buy-Out registration form.

Maintenance

Participate in one 2-hour maintenance session (Super Wash Saturday) with other parents in your class. Our school must be thoroughly cleaned each month to ensure the health and safety of our children.

Health Forms

Have a Tuberculosis Clearance form on file for the parent attending class, as required by state law. This clearance must have been completed within the last 3 years. All health forms must be submitted prior to attending class.

Fund-Raiser

Participate actively in the annual fund-raiser. Your help keeps our tuition reasonable and assists in the purchase of new equipment.

Night Class

Attend two parent-education night classes at the beginning of each session. Classroom health and safety issues, along with interesting topics about your child's age group, are discussed at each class.

All School Meeting

Attend the All School Meeting in the Fall.

What Little Wonders Classes are Like

Class Description

Classes are grouped by age (e.g., 9-14 months, 13-19 months, 20-33 months) with discussion topics appropriate to that developmental level. Classes meet once per week for two hours. Class time is relatively unstructured. Children are free to move through a variety of age appropriate activities both inside and outside. Classes are limited to 22 parents and their children.

Class Discussions

During the second hour of classtime, observation parents meet for discussion topics appropriate to that developmental level. Here are sample materials used during a typical discussion.

Topic 1 - Ages and Stages

• Ages and Stages Observation Sheet
• Parenting Book Recommendations
  Ages and Stages by Dr. Charles Schaefer and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo
• Ages and Stages Handouts
  The One Year Old Handout
  The Two Year Old Handout
  The Three Year Old Handout

Outline of a Typical Little Wonders Two-Hour Class Session

15 Minutes: Arrive, sign-in, go to stations or take an observation sheet. Children free play.

45 Minutes: Free play and free choice for the children; supervision of stations or written observations by parents, followed by hand-washing on the patio in preparation for snack time.

15 Minutes: Snack time for children and parents, announcements made by class liaison.

30 Minutes: Free play resumes for children, station parents return to supervision, observation parents meet for discussion.

15 Minutes: Music time, followed by goodbye song and clean up by four designated class members.

Little Wonders Bylaws

Little Wonders' official bylaws define its procedures and policies in legal terms.