The Approach | The Playgarden

Rhythm is our Curriculum

The Playgarden is a Jacksonville Beach pre-school and kindergarten located just blocks from the beach. It is a perfect place for children preschool to kindergarten to explore, grow, and create. In early childhood, daily life experience is the “curriculum”.

The child’s relationships to the caregivers and to the environment are the two most important aspects through which the child can experience healthy life rhythms and routines. These include the “nurturing arts” of rest and play, regular meal times, exploring nature, practical/domestic activities, social creativity, music, and simple artistic activities.

The Playgarden is a LifeWays of North America representative site, the first in Florida. We also offer the first Forest Kindergarten program in the southeast US. Check it out now. We continue to grow the Jacksonville Beach pre-school, Jacksonville Beach kindergarten and Ponte Vedra pre-school communities.

Each child, in each pre-school and kindergarten, in each of our communities deserves to be healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. The ever increasing demands of the 21st century require a new approach to education to fully prepare students for college, career, and citizenship.

Research, practice, and common sense confirm that a whole child approach to education will develop and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of today and tomorrow by addressing students’ comprehensive needs through the shared responsibility of students, families, schools, and communities.

In short, a whole child approach provides for long-term student success.

The Whole Child