About Us
In Tibetan Buddhist cultures, the snow lion represents curiosity, clear-mindedness and delight; unconditional cheerfulness, a mind free of doubt, and a natural sense of delight. The snow lion is in each of our children.
Our Core Values
- Self-love
- Compassion and respect for all beings
- Honesty
- Courage to work with our minds, emotions, and experiences
- Awareness of impermanence; the ability to respond to challenges skillfully and flexibly
- Acceptance of interdependence as well as cause and effect
- Appreciation of stillness in the midst of constant change
With influences of the developmental psychologists Jean Paiget, John Dewey, Lev Vygotsky and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Snow Lion is a play-based school. We are not overtly academic, but in an environment that is rich in imagination, collaboration and thoughtful curriculum, our children are well prepared for elementary school. We do not formally “teach,” but rather provide an environment where children grow and expand their minds and skills naturally. We guide children in cultivating a love of learning implicitly – through their experiences, rather than by imposing information and rules.
Children’s social skills, knowledge base, and physical abilities broaden as they interact with those who share similar but not identical developmental stages. In our mixed age classes, children develop at their own pace, yet each has a model and is a model for the next stage. Through their growth together, children at Snow Lion develop an awareness of each other and each other’s feelings. A deep sense of community forms naturally as the youngest members look to their older peers, and the oldest children shepherd the youngest ones.
Children at Snow Lion are 16 months – 5 years old when they begin school in the fall. Children attend school between two and five days per week, Monday through Friday. Parents choose their child’s schedule, including full or half days, on an individual basis.
We pride ourselves on a low student to teacher ratio, which gives us the opportunity to deepen connections and foster a strong, close knit community. In the Lions class (ages 2.5 – 6 years old) our ratio is 7:1. In the Cubs class (16 months – 2.5 years old) it’s 4:1.