Ecole Claire Fontaine

We nurture the innate wisdom of children, honoring their presence and voices. Together children and faculty discover gardens, oceans and cosmos, taking cues from the remarkable connectivity that vibrates through all things. Living in art and nature, ECF infuses a creative spirit into an emergent curriculum that morphs annually with the interests of children.

ECF students exercise their strategic thinking through Architecture Atelier, Construction & Building, Chess, a bountiful Botanical Nature and Science Lab, Astronomy, Mathematics and Oceanography. Imaginations and fine motor skills are stretched by Embroidery, Graphic Design, Kirigami, Painting, and Writing with Printing & Cursive. Spiritual and emotional centers are exercised, along with gross motor skills, through Mindfulness, Yoga and Conflict Management. Oratory and olfactory senses are bathed in the sounds of Choir, Piano and Berimbau, along with the smells of simmering jam and sautéing aromatics.

We communicate through many languages to deepen our dialogue and neurological capacities – English, French, Russian, Spanish and Arabic, the language of mathematics. Using their native language only, teachers speak to the children using the OPOL Method – One Person, One Language.

Intrinsic to the pedagogy of Ecole Claire Fontaine is ensconcing the children in the beauty and importance of the elements of nature, and their remarkable place among it all. Exploring, imagining and playing in the gardens is a part of every child’s day. Faculty are ready to assist and guide, while also honoring the inherent capacity of children to discover new ways of co-existing and creating with their friends. Children absorb the languages of French, English and Spanish, deepening cultural awareness, fluency and neurological capacities, as Faculty use their native language only while speaking with the children.

As the children live through the changes in nature around them, they transform in harmony with seasons of growth and rest. We welcome the experimentation, the blossoming before our eyes, as it is not that we know our children once and forever but rather they unfold. In ECF’s gardens, surrounded by leaves, seeds that are planted firmly in the ground blossom into flowers with faces as varied as our children. With an international family and teacher base, we learn from, and are sensitive to, cultures other than our own, particularly that of the culture of children.

USEFUL ARTICLES:

Transitioning & Separating

 Tips for Bathroom Independence

Spring Changes

The Dreaded Lice

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease

Seasonal Shifts

Our school is located on three beautiful garden campuses in the heart of Venice Beach. You may wish to browse through our magazines.

Our Founder

Bonjour@laclairefontaine.org

(310)314-9976