Olivenhain
Our beautiful Olivenhain Campus is conveniently located at the intersection of Encinitas, Olivenhain, and Rancho Santa Fe. The entire school serves children 2-5 years of age in 3 classrooms. We have a total of 60 children at school each day.
Rooms
Guppy Room
(2-3 year olds, 12 children and 2 teachers, 1:6 ratio): When families enter our school in the Guppy Room, we are very attuned to getting to know each child intimately as a unique individual. We have an immense respect for each one of these little beings and for everything he or she is learning, at every moment in the world. For many children and families, this is their first experience in a school setting and we work hard to facilitate children and families' development as they begin to broaden their world to include our community. We are here to provide children a safe base from which to explore this new environment.
In the Guppy Room, we strive to educate the whole child, by providing children many opportunities to develop in all domains: social, emotional, physical, and cognitive. As our children work to gain a sense of autonomy, our intentional environment, purposeful planning, and engaged teachers facilitate this development. Children in this room strive to master taking turns, being part of a group, potty training, exerting their independence, climbing, jumping, running, moving, listening to books, singing songs, exploring the outdoors, and experimenting with new experiences and materials. They do this all within the context of relationships. Here, relationships are at the core of everything we do. And within these supportive relationships, we watch children thrive. We see them make friends, create pieces of artwork, use their imaginations in dramatic play, and climb to the highest point, as they announce to the world, "I can do it!"
Mixed Age Preschools
(3-5 year olds, two classrooms of 24 children and 3 teachers each, 1:8 ratio): At Olivenhain we have two mixed-age preschool classrooms. Children typically spend two years in our Preschool Room. Here, their world expands, becoming more interconnected and deep. They are now ready to explore, investigate, and wonder about the larger world around them. As this development naturally occurs, our curriculum begins to look more outward. We use projects in a more in-depth manner to study, question, understand, and affect the world around us. Our Group Times are longer, with more interactive dialogue and deeper connections to our shared experiences. The environment and materials in it are more complex and invite active exploration and investigation, with space and time to delve deeply into play. There is an art/construction room for building, tinkering, and making imagined creations come to life. There is ample space for dramatic play as children's inner fantasies are explored and their social skills are refined. And, there is a natural flow from inside to outside, as children spend a significant portion of the day in our outdoor classroom.
In a mixed-age environment, such as our preschool room, the youngest learn from watching the eldest, and the eldest learn from teaching the youngest. We strengthen the bonds of community. As Dr. Lilian Katz, an early childhood education guru says, "Mixed-age grouping resembles family and neighborhood groupings, which throughout history have informally provided much of children's socialization and education" (from The Case for Mixed-Age Groupings in Early Education, 1990). In addition, we divide the children into two groups during our teacher directed times, such as Morning Meeting, Enrichment, and Project Based Learning for more focused, developmentally appropriate work. Our standards, which come from the California Preschool Foundations, are woven throughout our day and include domains such as: language and literacy, social/emotional development, mathematics, science, social science, visual and performing arts, and physical development.
Community Space
The Reggio Emilia Approach inspires us to be more than simply a place where parents drop off and pick up their children, but instead to find ways that we can meet the needs of our community, serving as the center of our families’ lives. Our Olivenhain Campus allows us to fully reach this vision with our gorgeous Community Space that is available to rent for workshops, gatherings, classes, birthday parties and more.
Meet our People
Amanda Manger
Owner
I am passionate about teaching young children and supporting them as they develop their learning by doing, exploring, helping one another, collaborating, and playing. I strive to foster a love of learning through creativity, magic and wonder. I believe that children learn best when they are valued and in which they feel invested in.
I have been a teacher for 11 years and have my Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education. I’ve had the pleasure to be teaching at Kids by the Sea for 7 years. Before joining this community, I was an Early Childhood Educator at Twin Oaks Elementary in San Marcos, Ca. I live in Carlsbad with my husband of 25 years and have raised two amazing children, Madison and Mason. As a family, we love exploring the beaches of San Diego, where we love to hike, surf, snorkel, kayak and be foodies to all the wonderful restaurants that San Diego has to offer.
I am thrilled to be part of this amazing community of families and teachers at Kids by the Sea.
Casey Falkner
Owner
Erin Lane
Owner
Diane Antonelli
Director
I have been in the field of early childhood education for over 20 years. I have worked as an administrator and teacher in various Early Childhood Education settings from Stuttgart, Germany, to Connecticut, to California. Through my years of experience and recent studies, I have come to believe that having a deep respect for each individual child is at the heart of every good program. I appreciate the curiosity of the children and their capabilities. I absolutely cherish ECE and am honored to work with children every day. I am thrilled to be a part of the KBTS community and partnering with each of you as we welcome your children into this space.
I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Southern Connecticut State University and hold a CDA at the preschool level and currently hold a California Preschool Site Supervisor Permit. I currently partner with Mira Costa College as an ECE mentor teacher. I enjoy spending time with my five children (and our Boxer pup, Pabu) doing anything outdoors. I also enjoy traveling, baking and reading.
Jennifer Medina
Teacher
I am passionate about teaching young children and supporting them as they develop their learning by doing, exploring, helping one another, collaborating, and playing. I strive to foster a love of learning through creativity, magic and wonder. I believe that children learn best when they are valued and in which they feel invested in.
I have been a teacher for 11 years and have my Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education. I’ve had the pleasure to be teaching at Kids by the Sea for 7 years. Before joining this community, I was an Early Childhood Educator at Twin Oaks Elementary in San Marcos, Ca. I live in Carlsbad with my husband of 25 years and have raised two amazing children, Madison and Mason. As a family, we love exploring the beaches of San Diego, where we love to hike, surf, snorkel, kayak and be foodies to all the wonderful restaurants that San Diego has to offer.
I am thrilled to be part of this amazing community of families and teachers at Kids by the Sea.
Preschool Teacher
Coming Soon
Preschool Teacher
Coming Soon
Preschool Teacher
Coming Soon
Preschool Teacher
Coming Soon
Ms. Beth
Enrichment (movement)
Ms. Beth has been teaching movement and dance classes in Encinitas for years. You may know her from yoga classes at the Encinitas Library. She incorporates mindfulness, body awareness, and dance into all her classes. We love her enthusiasm, patience, and skill and feel so privileged to have her teach movement to us each week.
Victoria Weinzierl
Enrichment (garden)
Coming soon
Mr. Troy
Enrichment (music)
Mr. Troy has been teaching music at Kids by The Sea for years. We are lucky to have him come to visit us every Monday to teach music to the children. We love his energy, sense of humor, and the endless quantity and variety of instruments he introduces to us and lets the children play.
LOCATION
2240 Encinitas Blvd
Encinitas, CA 92024
HOURS
Monday–Friday
10am–6pm
PHONE
(760) 303-4186
Our program is designed for children two to five years of age. We offer a variety of programming options to meet the diverse needs of the families that we serve.
MORNING PROGRAM
8am–12:30pm
EXTENDED PROGRAM
8am–3:30pm