Tara Redwood School During the Pandemic
Dear Friends,
Tara Redwood School has opened its doors for Fall and Spring this September. We have created a safe
space that complies with safety regulations for students at all class levels up to first grade.
We are grateful to be able to offer a wonderful forest school environment. Each class has an indoor and outdoor classroom space. Our classes are 75% outdoors with heaters and when indoors, our classrooms are well ventilated, with high quality air purifiers and upgraded HVAC filters. Learn more about Tara Redwood's COVID-19 Protocols April 2021.
Annual Giving Campaign-Building From The Foundation Up!
A letter from the Founder and Director, Pam Cayton.
Tara Redwood School is not only special for the extraordinary natural environment, but also for our unique education…an integrated curriculum of Montessori and our international program, Creating Compassionate Cultures (CCC). CCC is a whole child program developed at the school since its inception, more than 30 years ago. It draws from latest scientific research and ancient wisdom traditions such as mindfulness. We are a Universal Education partner program, and interns from around the world visit and learn from our model.
This year has made it clear that the time has come to accommodate more preschool and elementary children on the 108 acres of redwood forests and sunny meadows bordering Nisene Marks State Park in Santa Cruz.
We appeal to you to become part of this vision and offer any amount you can to expand our classrooms and help us make this dream come true, for the benefit of many more children now and in the years to come.
Thank you!
We are still accepting donations to fund the cost of permits and campus development .
Donate today and help us reach our goal!
DONATE HERE
Our School Mission
Tara Redwood School uses a global curriculum with its original framework known as the 7 Steps to Knowledge, Strength and Compassion developed over a period of 30 years.
The school’s program is a blend of Montessori and Creating Compassionate Cultures (CCC) methodologies. We engage children to develop strong academic foundations, rich in the sciences and emotional intelligence. We also value the importance of the performance and creative arts as an integral part of a child’s early development. The CCC pedagogy provides an education for the heart and mind with unique social emotional components that nurture children’s innate positive qualities while empowering them to make a positive impact on the world through their thoughts and actions.
Our educators strive to offer a stimulating learning experience through daily outdoor immersion in our Redwood Campus which is situated on 108 acres of redwood forest in Soquel.
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Knowledge, Strength & Compassion
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Exploration is Learning !
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Educating the Heart & Mind
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Compassion in Action
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Confidence & Creative Expression
Our Campus
Nestled in 108 acres of sunny, serene redwood forest adjacent to Nisene Marks State Park, Tara Redwood School is a forest school that provides an unparalleled learning environment of peace and beauty. We offer a toddler program (20 mo. & up), preschool, and kindergarten to 1st grade.
We plan to expand our facility to accommodate our 2nd – 6th grades who will also join the PK–2nd grades soon onto the Redwood Campus.
Now Enrolling for 2021-2022!
Tara Redwood School offers a unique curriculum amidst 108 acres of playground forest and creeks .
Mostly outdoors with small size class groups.
Youth Programs begin as early as 20 months!
Early care and after school care available upon request.
CHECK OUT A VIRTUAL TOUR OF TARA REDWOOD SCHOOL
Call Today!
**We follow updated guidelines from Santa Cruz County Public Health Department and from the Superintendent of Schools in order to best protect staff, students and families.
Upcoming Events
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BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP! Annual Giving Fundraiser.
December 1, 2020 @ 8:00 am - December 1, 2021 @ 12:00 am
Alumni Testimonials
"Some of my earliest and most cherished memories come from my years spent at Tara Redwood. The foundation that I received there was unlike any that I could possibly imagine. At Tara, I was able to flourish, and enhance my capacity and interest for knowledge,spiritual and mental well-being, and ambition. From the environment, to the teachers, to my fellow students — I was able to find a home at Tara Redwood — a place to grow and learn about life. Most importantly, Tara Redwood has taught me about compassion — a characteristic that has been so important to me, and helped me with human connections throughout my life. "
Alex Ivany
Documentary Film Editor for 13th & Skin in the Game.
October 6, 2018
"We are SO appreciative of all that Tara Redwood School is doing and all that this school has done for all of these wonderful families and for our immediate family as well. We believe that Tara has the formula for how education for young children should be in so many ways, and we hope that we can keep these lessons in the forefront of our day to day life as we move forward with our children’s education. We are eternally grateful for our experience at Tara."
Heidi Winig
Health Educator and mom to two Tara alumni.
November 12, 2018
"We are so incredibly grateful for our experience at Tara. We truly can't imagine having the early years of growth for our sweet girls be anywhere else. We see that so much of the foundation of the school is just a part of who they are as little people operating in this world. Everything about the program has been the perfect fit for our family and provided an immense connection for us to the Santa Cruz community and built our experience for our first 5 years in here. This is truly the best decision we made as we moved here. Each year has brought new growth, learning, support and enrichment to all of us. We are so proud to be part of the Tara community and so blessed in so many ways that we've been able to participate."
Heidi Otto
Portfolio Director, North America at Distill Ventures.
November 12, 2018
"I am so grateful for what a wonderful early childhood experience you provided for Kai, his cousin and friends. — they are all such great young men".
Tom Killion
Santa Cruz Artist and father to alumni, Kai Killion.
November 20, 2018
"Tara Redwood certainly helped my life in a positive way. It's amazing how much elementary and pre-school have impacted my life! I stay close with my best friend from Tara Redwood even today at age 27, and have a huge amount of warm memories playing in the woods and hiking up at Land Of The Medicine Buddha as a young kid. Besides that, the loving individual teaching attention I was given helped foster a passion for math and spelling that made me well prepared for honors & AP classes in jr. high & high school. More than anything, I think the early lessons in empathy and kindness have helped me build great meaningful relationships throughout my life, and been instrumental to my career after college in high tech companies and venture capital. The values taught in Tara Redwood are truly needed in today's world and will be a huge benefit to the world to come! "
Dylan Love, Alumni
November 22, 2018
"When reflecting on my time at Tara I look back with a happy heart and warm memories. Tara taught me so much about being in tune with my emotions and the world around me. Teaching me at a young age how to recenter myself with meditation and breath has been a huge benefit to my life as a teenager and adult. The community I build from my time at Tara is unlike any other community I have since connected to, and I hold a very special place in my heart for the members of my Tara community. I believe going to Tara from preschool through first grade made me a better human being, I came out more able to communicate my emotions, feelings, and needs. It also allowed me to look at challenges, both educationally and socially, as opportunities to learn. Teaching kids to grow into kind, emotionally intelligent human beings is what the world needs more of, and Tara accomplishes that task."
Sara Adams, Alumni.
November 22, 2018
"This school has had a huge impact on me physically, mentally and emotionally that I will never forget about for as long as I live. It has made me proud to live somewhere with trees and greenery to enjoy and it provided a more in depth appreciation of nature. It has taught me to respect the value of life and taught me some life lessons. Tara Redwood School has helped shape the way I look at things. It’s weird the memories help me more now than they did when they were happening."
Kai Abrahms, Alumni
Excerpt from a Sociology college paper titled, “A Formative Experience”.
April 1, 2019
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"Some of my earliest and most cherished memories come from my years spent at Tara Redwood. The foundation that I received there was unlike any that I could possibly imagine. At Tara, I was able to flourish, and enhance my capacity and interest for knowledge,spiritual and mental well-being, and ambition. From the environment, to the teachers, to my fellow students — I was able to find a home at Tara Redwood — a place to grow and learn about life. Most importantly, Tara Redwood has taught me about compassion — a characteristic that has been so important to me, and helped me with human connections throughout my life. "
Alex Ivany
Documentary Film Editor for 13th & Skin in the Game.
October 6, 2018
"We are SO appreciative of all that Tara Redwood School is doing and all that this school has done for all of these wonderful families and for our immediate family as well. We believe that Tara has the formula for how education for young children should be in so many ways, and we hope that we can keep these lessons in the forefront of our day to day life as we move forward with our children’s education. We are eternally grateful for our experience at Tara."
Heidi Winig
Health Educator and mom to two Tara alumni.
November 12, 2018
"We are so incredibly grateful for our experience at Tara. We truly can't imagine having the early years of growth for our sweet girls be anywhere else. We see that so much of the foundation of the school is just a part of who they are as little people operating in this world. Everything about the program has been the perfect fit for our family and provided an immense connection for us to the Santa Cruz community and built our experience for our first 5 years in here. This is truly the best decision we made as we moved here. Each year has brought new growth, learning, support and enrichment to all of us. We are so proud to be part of the Tara community and so blessed in so many ways that we've been able to participate."
Heidi Otto
Portfolio Director, North America at Distill Ventures.
November 12, 2018
"I am so grateful for what a wonderful early childhood experience you provided for Kai, his cousin and friends. — they are all such great young men".
Tom Killion
Santa Cruz Artist and father to alumni, Kai Killion.
November 20, 2018
"Tara Redwood certainly helped my life in a positive way. It's amazing how much elementary and pre-school have impacted my life! I stay close with my best friend from Tara Redwood even today at age 27, and have a huge amount of warm memories playing in the woods and hiking up at Land Of The Medicine Buddha as a young kid. Besides that, the loving individual teaching attention I was given helped foster a passion for math and spelling that made me well prepared for honors & AP classes in jr. high & high school. More than anything, I think the early lessons in empathy and kindness have helped me build great meaningful relationships throughout my life, and been instrumental to my career after college in high tech companies and venture capital. The values taught in Tara Redwood are truly needed in today's world and will be a huge benefit to the world to come! "
Dylan Love, Alumni
November 22, 2018
"When reflecting on my time at Tara I look back with a happy heart and warm memories. Tara taught me so much about being in tune with my emotions and the world around me. Teaching me at a young age how to recenter myself with meditation and breath has been a huge benefit to my life as a teenager and adult. The community I build from my time at Tara is unlike any other community I have since connected to, and I hold a very special place in my heart for the members of my Tara community. I believe going to Tara from preschool through first grade made me a better human being, I came out more able to communicate my emotions, feelings, and needs. It also allowed me to look at challenges, both educationally and socially, as opportunities to learn. Teaching kids to grow into kind, emotionally intelligent human beings is what the world needs more of, and Tara accomplishes that task."
Sara Adams, Alumni.
November 22, 2018
"This school has had a huge impact on me physically, mentally and emotionally that I will never forget about for as long as I live. It has made me proud to live somewhere with trees and greenery to enjoy and it provided a more in depth appreciation of nature. It has taught me to respect the value of life and taught me some life lessons. Tara Redwood School has helped shape the way I look at things. It’s weird the memories help me more now than they did when they were happening."Kai Abrahms, Alumni
Excerpt from a Sociology college paper titled, “A Formative Experience”.
April 1, 2019
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Mindfulness
Environmentalism
Thematic Curriculum
Creative Arts
