10th Anniversary Celebrated at Community Seedlings Preschool

More than 200 people attended the recent 10th anniversary celebration of the founding of Community Seedlings Preschool, a dedicated Reggio Emilio-inspired preschool located at 27002 Camino De Estrella in Capistrano Beach.

Families of students enrolled in the preschool, alumni, Community Roots Foundation board members, faculty, and others toured the school, enjoyed In-N-Out burgers, listened to live music, got up close to a San Clemente firetruck, and more. Children were excited to receive junior-sized replica firefighter helmets and In-N-Out crew hats.

Carrie Conti Fetter, the preschool’s founding and current director, and the preschool’s co-founder Eve Fein welcomed attendees and later introduced alumni from the first years of the preschool.

Community Roots Foundation Board Chair Adele Sender thanked families for supporting the preschool, and acknowledged her fellow Board members in attendance, including Kacy Drury, and Fein and her fellow preschool co-founder Jeremy Cavallaro. She read proclamations from the City of Dana Point and Assemblywoman Laurie Davies. Abraham Tuchman, a district representative with Senator Janet Nguyen, delivered a proclamation from her office.

A reimagined outdoor learning space that provides children with an enriched environment where curiosity and wonder flourish was showcased. Located in the lower yard, the space includes a circular wooden stage that complements the rest of the school. Supporters of the preschool can donate by visiting https://www.learningcommunitie...

The preschool was located In Laguna Hills until relocating to its expansive campus in Capistrano Beach in 2020. More than 1,000 children have graduated from the preschool since its founding.

The educators at Community Seedlings have created a learning environment where young children ages two and one-half to five years can grow based upon their natural curiosity and innate ability to learn from their experiences.

“Our 10th anniversary celebration underscored our commitment to helping children discover real world connections that are personal and meaningful to them through play, small group projects, dialogue, journaling, reflection, documentation, and exploration,” said Fetter. “Through the last 10 years, we have encouraged the love of learning to blossom here through art, science, math, literacy, technology, and meaningful interaction in our campus’s expansive outdoor environment.”

The facility has multiple specialized classrooms staffed by dedicated teachers, plus more than one-third acre of stimulating outdoor classroom space to accommodate the preschool’s nature-based program that is deeply rooted in outdoor education.

The preschool has an art professional, called an Atelerista, who designs curriculum for small groups of children to explore their ideas and theories through a wide range of artist-quality mixed media materials, including clay, pastels, weaving materials, beadwork and natural materials/loose parts, and paints.

Community Seedlings also has a space for children to more deeply explore the ideas behind Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concepts, headed by a STEM specialist who brings small groups of children together to explore these interests over time, and build long-term projects that evolve with children’s theories.

Interested families are invited to log onto https://www.learningcommunities.org/welcome-to-community-seedlings/ to learn more about the preschool, fees, and to select a tour date to visit the facility, or contact Fetter at cfetter@learningcommunities.org.

The preschool is operated by the Community Roots Foundation and is a part of Leaning Communities that also includes Community Roots Academy, a public K-8 charter school, and the Community Care Club, a licensed extended care program.

###