Welcome to Under the Oaks!
We are currently holding Parent and Child Classes and reopening after the fires with Summer Camp beginning June 15th
Now Enrolling Fall 2026: Preschool, TK and afterschool hiking days for elementary age children
(310)456-7111 as we are getting our site updated please call or text for forms this week…
Under the Oaks is an Early Childhood Center providing not only Preschool half and full day programs and elementary school afternoon programs but also a gathering place for families. We welcome parents and young children to join us for storytelling, festivals, parenting events, hiking, toy making, a play space for young children in nature, a place to create arts and crafts with your children, an animal program where families interact with friendly therapy animals and learn the language of the heart and the senses through interactions with them.
Our rooms are created to feel like a homelike environment with toys made of natural organic materials. We cook, paint, create, play, sing, dance, explore and learn that each person has a unique contribution.
We have a strong rhythm and activities are provided teaching fine motor, gross motor, sequencing, growing an ability to focus, language skills, social skills skills and self regulation skills all needed as a foundation for future learning. We model a sense of wonder and provide opportunities for that wonder to grow to curiosity, exploration and achievement of new knowledge and collaboration with peers. Learning here is fun, building bridges with our ideas and the ideas of others. Our focus begins with social skills and branches out to curiosity and creation.
Here at Under the Oaks Early Childhood Center located in Malibu, California, we believe early in life, children learn from the inside out, using their senses, from doing, feeling and experiencing the natural world.
In preschool, learning here takes place through imitation and example more often than through instruction.
There is a consistent flow of the day, the week and the seasons. The classroom is warm and inviting, providing a secure home like setting for a gentle transition to school.
On a daily basis children have time for music, arts and crafts, circle time activities and time for free creative play. Our preschool and early childhood curriculum are inspired by Waldorf education combined with a background in child development, a focus on inspiring appreciation for all people, our home, and places and cultures around the world with a focus on social skills building.
Programs
Our Parent and Child Classes are a place to welcome you and your toddler to our school for the first time. You will meet the teachers and other families, get to know our curriculum, the classrooms, the grounds, including two of our playgrounds, the edible garden and hiking trails. We have created our space to be a homelike environment.
As your child begins their journey of venturing out, exploring and making new friends, our classroom feels warm, inviting and filled with delicious smells of baking, cooking with basil, mint, lavender, and roses from the garden. Come participate in song and game activities. We offer seasonal craft activities. Together, we share healthy, organic community snacks.
A classroom activity “favorite” is baking bread, and we also enjoy watercolor-painting, connecting with our loving school animals, singing songs, and good ol’ fashion puppet-watching storytime. Weeks vary with parent discussions, mindful witness as the children explore and guided homeade toys you will make for your child. Everything is made from natural materials, wood, wool, cotton, silk etc. We use materials that allow for creative imagination and that incourage children’s development.
The Parent and Child class is two hours of dedicated, mindful sharing as little ones begin to socialize and develop social skills. We end each class with a game circle followed by and a beautiful Goodbye Rainbow.
Early in life, children learn from the inside out, using their senses, from doing, feeling and experiencing the natural world. Learning here takes place through imitation and example rather than through instruction. As they are rapidly changing, young children thrive on having a consistent and predictable rhythm of activities. There is a consistent flow of the day, the week and the seasons. Tuition: starts at $14,000 (9am-1pm, 3-days a week). Full day and/or full week options are available.
Super fun afternoon classes (1:30pm-5:30pm, 5 days a week) for elementary school children, including yoga, music, hiking, story-time, snacks and cooking, dance and rhythm. More information coming soon. Tuition: $50 per two hour class.
We are excited to be back on campus in Las Flores Canyon: we will be hiking, dancing, singing, gardening, having sensory water play, making arts and crafts from nature and playing with our farm and pet animals. Seven themed weeks between June - August 2026 include
Visit us with your child for a “Summer Camp' play day 10:00-11:30 Saturday, May 16th.
1. local flora and fauna including the creation of our “scrub jay cafe”,
2. farm and pet animals which will include a building project where children can help us build our new guinniepig and Bunny land,
3. Make your own boats and treasure maps in our Pirate boat and water play week, folklore story telling that will include creating a journey stick and learning the art of oral and pictorial storytelling,
4. Baking and cooking foods ranging from garden to table, and a travel around the culinary world mixed with crafts and stories from each continent,
5. Ocean adventure week including a field trip to tide pools on Latigo Shore
6. Themed week based on the interested of the children in our group
7. Themed week based on interest
. We have expansive outdoor playgrounds as well as a hiking trail along a running creek and large air conditioned indoor classrooms. Tuition: is $400/week (9am-1pm, Mondays through Thursdays). with a Friday option available. Full day options available as well untill 3pm. Sign up in April for the discounted rate of $350 per week.
Jump on board the learning express and schedule your free appointment today to learn more about our preschool and early childhood center here in Malibu!
Get to know us
We’d love to share with you more info about us and our early childhood and Malibu preschool curriculums that include:
Outside Time: There is time for expanding outward to develop the physical body, develop imaginative skills and deepen the connection with nature…. run, climb, build, explore and create!
Inside Time: Coming inside is a time for focusing activities such as artistic fine motor projects or listening to a story.
Circle Time: Circle time is a time for gathering together, for song, dance movement and language games.
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