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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
Mission
Tara Redwood School offers an education for the heart and mind. Our philosophy is based on ancient wisdom, modern neuroscience and psychology. Tara Redwood School’s program was founded on the belief that all beings have innate goodness and unlimited potential for development. Our commitment is to provide education for awakening the wish and confidence for each child to make a positive difference in the world.
Our Values
Tara Redwood School has a program founded on these basic values:
1. Insight
To develop a deeper understanding of our unlimited potential awareness of the effects of our actions on oneself, others and the environment.
Insight to understand our emotions in order to exercise the freedom to make skillful, compassionate and helpful choices.
2. Authentic Speech
Speaking words that are helpful, kind, encouraging and complimentary.
Refraining from speaking words with ill intent i.e., divisive speech, lying, gossip, harsh speech, name-calling, belittling, and exclusion.
3. Kindheartedness
Showing respect and compassion for all living beings (creatures great and small).
Taking responsibility for helping others whenever possible.
Being mindful not to harm others.
4. Generosity
Practicing generosity and sharing our material belongings, our knowledge, our time and resources.
Not taking that which has not been offered or does not belong to you.
5. Tolerance
Practicing patience, respect, acceptance and forgiveness of differences
Not responding with anger, jealousy, pride or resentment
We offer a curriculum with an emphasis on academics and the creative arts.
Our open classroom style allows children to fully explore and pursue their special areas of interest. Tara Redwood School integrates:
- Mindfulness
- Stimulating mathematics and language curriculum
- Creative arts
- Music program
- Ceramics
- Life lab studies with access to our own organic farm and garden
- Weekly excursions to the forest for wilderness studies
- Yoga
- Performing arts
- Geography
- Social Studies
- Coding
- Environmental Studies
Our Campus
Nestled in 108 acres of sunny, serene redwood forest adjacent to Nisene Marks State Park, Tara Redwood School provides an unparalleled learning environment of peace and beauty for our preschool. We have a second campus for our elementary grades that is temporarily located in the heart of colorful Soquel Village until the Redwood Campus will host all grades in the coming year.
NOW ENROLLING!
APPLY FOR 2019-2020 SCHOOL YEAR
Tk – 6th Grades:
Early care and after school care available if needed.
Redwood Campus: 831-462-9632 Village Campus: 831-475-0201
REVIEWS
"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
November 20, 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.
"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, AlumniExcerpt from a Sociology college paper titled, “A Formative Experience”.April 1, 2019
Dowload the 2019–2020_Yearly_Calendar_
Upcoming Events
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Community Get Together
September 20 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm -
CCC Parent Class
October 2 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm -
CCC Parent Class
October 9 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm -
No School – Teacher Prep
October 14 -
CCC Parent Class
October 16 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm -
CCC Parent Class
October 23 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Greentree is the company we print with and for every book sold they plant a tree. This year Tara ordered 55 books, so 55 trees are being planted. GO GREEN YEH!
Save the date for our annual beach gathering!
Capitola Beach, near the Esplanade stage.
September, 20th. 4:00pm–6:00pm
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Mindfulness
Environmentalism
Thematic Curriculum
Creative Arts
