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​Our Mission

To support your child’s growing sense of self and world view by showing great respect for her ideas, needs, and processes, while also fostering her community awareness and responsibility; to engage her mind with joyful and deep learning activities; to stretch and strengthen her body through lively games and movement; and to support her open heartedness with a kindness based school community, playfulness, positive guidance, and lots of loving attention.

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​Our Space

The preschool is held at our cozy, comfortable, child-proofed home. It includes a spacious lawn and deck, outdoor covered area, sandbox, play fort and play house, slide, swings, climbing dome, water table, gardens, kitchen, play room, circle room, and quiet room, and incorporates areas for group circling, quiet reading, napping, music, cooking, arts and crafts, building, dress up, puppet and doll play, playing in forts, running, tumbling, throwing, bouncing, dancing, stretching, and playing independently.

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The Teachers

Tyana Maddock and Nathan Walker are a loving husband and wife team, seeking an increasingly beautiful world through the enrichment and development of our young people. Lifelong learning, participation in community, and untethered creativity are commitments they share.  Humor and thoughtfulness are their trademark. 

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​Tyana Maddock

Tyana has been involved in education in a variety of forms for 18 years and has a passion for creating a positive, experiential, community and service based learning experience wherein individuals make discoveries and cultivate new knowledge and wisdom with delight.

Tyana taught the multi-aged grade 4-6 class at Living Compass, where integrated themes, non-violent communication and experiential education were grounding principles. She has directed several environmental and outdoor education programs, including River Quest – a youth at risk river education and rafting program, Kids & Creeks – an elementary school watershed education program, SLEWS – a land based and service learning program, and various in-class programs for the City of Chico and Butte Environmental Council.  She was a leader and facilitator for Adventure Outings and Chico Bound – wilderness expedition based programs that included skills development, team building, leadership and self discovery.  

Tyana created The Lorax Theater Troupe, a touring children’s theater, and has enjoyed playing in four wonderful bands, including her current Nevada City percussion troupe SambaDrop.

Her training includes Asset Based Community Development, Non Violent Communication, Facilitation, Success Counseling, Start Small, Early Quality Matters, and she holds certifications from Child Care Initiative Project, Wilderness Education Association, Project Learning Tree, Project Wild, Project WET, Power of Positive Parenting, Pediatric First Aid/CPR and Rescue 3 International.

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Nathan Walker

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Growing up in a household full of music and art, Nathan learned from an early age to enjoy self expression, and he shares his joy of creativity with everyone he meets.  Kids are naturally drawn to his humor and fun attitude, and he loves their unique perspectives.

Nathan worked in after school programs in Massachusetts, where he learned a lot about the unique needs and gifts of children of all ages.  Art school in New York City further developed Nathan’s creative and artistic character, and living in the Big Apple gave him the opportunity to engage intimately with people and cultures from around the world.  

He has enjoyed teaching and tutoring English both domestically and abroad, and his experiences have brought him to near fluency in Spanish.  The kids respond with enthusiasm when he speaks it with them.

Nathan enjoyed a long career creating visual effects on the computer, for film and television productions.  He will tell you going from the big clients of Hollywood to the small clients of the classroom has been a marvelous delight.

Nathan’s favorite activity with the kids is to play guitar and make up new songs with them.  They are forever coming up with amazing new material.

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We look forward to discovering who your children are as individuals, helping to guide their development, and sharing in their growth along with you!

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