Background
In the summer of 1993, three teachers from Westtown School were looking for a place for their children to spend their day while they were at work. Inspiration struck and on August 23, 1993, they started Oak Lane Day Care in the circa 1928 Quaker Meeting House on the Westtown School campus. Within the first year, the daycare had seven children enrolled.
Today, over 30 years from its tender beginnings, Oak Lane Day Care serves approximately 35 children, cared for by seven teachers and two administrators. We are proud to say that one of the first teachers at Oak Lane is still with us today! Oak Lane Day Care is a member of the Friends Council on Education and NAEYC.
Oak Lane Day Care is located in the Westtown Monthly Meeting House on the campus of Westtown School. Though located on its campus, Oak Lane Day Care and Westtown School are independent organizations. Admission to the day care is not associated with admission to the school.
Philosophy
Children at Oak Lane are nurtured in a manner consistent with the Quaker testimonies of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship (SPICES). We incorporate these testimonies in everything we do. Our focus is on the whole child and we strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment in which children can learn through structured play. We establish developmentally appropriate goals for every age group, encouraged through hands-on activities with various materials, small group interactions, and outdoor play. Low student-to-teacher ratios allow the teacher to adjust daily activities to the class as well as to the individual child. Children are exposed to numbers, letters, and other concepts through play and experimentation. One of our goals is to unleash their curiosity for the world around them and encourage their imagination.
Highlights
With a beautiful 600-acre campus to explore, outdoor education is a highlight of our program. Walking to the lake, the farm, or the woods, as well as simply exploring a field full of dandelions, are daily activities in our curriculum. With space and time to move, breathe, and experience the beauty of nature in every season, we nurture respect for the natural world and compassion for living things.
Music is a companion to language development and so many other goals. We sing daily: for educational purposes, for community experiences, and for fun. Sometimes we’re accompanied by a ukulele or guitar, sometimes we sing with movements, and sometimes we hum just to harmonize our voices into one lovely sound.
Family
Family involvement is an integral part of Oak Lane’s success along with its growth and development.
Parents are always welcome in the classrooms and often help out with other tasks such as spring cleaning and organizing fundraising events. Oak Lane’s vision is to go beyond providing a service to create a community that includes the entire family. Throughout the year, we host dinners in which the entire family is invited. We believe that when the whole family is involved, the children are more likely to feel that the daycare is a safe place for them.
Oak Lane Day Care is a cooperative program. Parents who enroll their children in Oak Lane Day Care are expected to participate for at least six hours per family each school year in activities that maintain the facilities and program. Parent participation is essential for fostering group responsibility for the program as well as controlling our costs.