Pacific Oaks Children’s School was founded by families, and families continue to be an integral part of the institution’s life. A trusting and mutually respectful relationship between home and school is essential to the success of our community. Parents, family members, and other important people in your child’s life are a welcome part of this community. The more parents know about life at school and teachers know about life at home, the more effectively they can work together to nurture and educate children.
Current Parents — log on to the Pacific Oaks Parent Association (POPA) portal
Special Scholarship for Pacific Oaks Children’s School Parents
Pacific Oaks College is now offering the PO Family Scholarship to parents of Children’s School students. This scholarship covers 25% of tuition and fees toward pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree at Pacific Oaks College. To find out more about this scholarship, and the degrees offered at the College in social work, human development, early childhood education, teacher credentialing, organizational leadership, and marriage & family therapy, please contact Nubian London, acting associate vice president of admissions at 626-529-8070 or [email protected], or learn more at www.pacificoaks.edu.
A Community of Families
Once a child is enrolled, our Mentor Program pairs new families with continuing families to help make a smooth transition into Pacific Oaks. Virtual parent meetings are scheduled throughout the school year to discuss issues of importance to teachers and parents, such as child growth and development, curriculum, and school activities. Throughout the school year, we also invite experts to speak with parents about topics of special interest, such as anti-bias education, the importance of play, academic and developmental readiness, and speech and language development among other topics. These informative seminars are scheduled virtually in the evening or on a Saturday morning and parents are encouraged to attend.
It has been Pacific Oaks’ policy in the past to welcome parents and family members into the classroom, and in the younger Yards we had observed an “open-door policy”—with no advance notice needed to visit a classroom. Given the new rules implemented due to the coronavirus situation, no parents or outside guests will be allowed. We hope to return to our previous policy when it can be safely implemented.
It is our tradition for each Yard to choose one or two parents as Yard Representatives (room parents). The Yard Representatives attend monthly meetings, solicit volunteers for special events, communicate school-wide information, and act as a liaison between the Parent Association and the families in their respective Yards.
Parents interested in representing their child’s Yard inform their child’s teachers or the president of the Parents Association. The president of the Parents Association represents the views and concerns of the parents to the institution as a whole by serving as an ex-officio member of the Pacific Oaks College & Children’s School Board of Trustees. We are devoted to coming together as a community through active participation and collaboration—all in service of the child.
Day-to-Day Expectations
We ask that parents send nutritious food to school with their child. Children’s appetites vary and we do not push children to eat their food. All snacks and lunches are to be brought from home for all our programs.
It is the responsibility of parents to carry on the vision of the families who founded Pacific Oaks by staying actively involved in our school. Your participation as parents in the Pacific Oaks community teaches your children to spend time on worthy causes. Children learn to be involved in the places that matter most, by observing the actions of everyone in their community.