What Is Wildwood Park Discovery School?

Welcome!

Wildwood Park Discovery School is a Small Family Homestead and Natural School rooted in Waldorf & Charlotte Mason Principles encompassing Outdoor Discovery, Natural Artistry, Cultural Music & Dance, Fostering Creativity through Imaginative Play & Storytelling, Nurturing Empathy & Compassion, with a strong emphasis on LifeCycle Science.

Wildwood Park Discovery School Highlights:

Preschool Program Ages: 2-6yrs of Age
Date Night Program Ages: 2-6yrs of Age
Saturday Care Program Ages: 2-6yrs of Age
Summer Camp Program Ages: 18mo-8yrs of Age
BrightWheel App Access for Continuous & Immediate Child Updating Throughout the Day
No Potty Training Requirements
Anti-Choking Devices & CPR Assistance Masks for All Sizes of Children
Continuously Recording Cameras on Property to Ensure Child Safety & Monitoring - Secured
Organic & Hormone Free Food Provided
Fragrance Free Diapers & Wipes Provided
Tooth Brushes, Flouride Free Tooth Paste, Teeth Flossers
1 Balanced Breakfast - All Breakfasts include a Fruit, Vegetable, Protein, Grain, & Dairy
Example Breakfast: Egg, Sausage, Bell Pepper and Spinach Breakfast Burrito on Whole Wheat Tortilla, Fresh Blueberries, & Milk
1-2 Balanced Snacks - All Snacks include a Fruit/Vegetable, Protein, & Grain
Example Snack: Greek Yogurt with Fresh Strawberries & Flax Granola)
1 Balanced Lunch /Dinner- All Lunches/Dinners include a Fruit, Vegetable, Protein, Grain, & Dairy
Example Lunch/Dinner: Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice, Glazed Carrots, Fresh Blueberries, & Whole Milk
Fresh Filtered Clean Cold Water refilled in Children Water Bottles throughout the Day
Ample Outdoor Time
Arts & Crafts
Watercolor Paints, Clay Molding Materials, Yarn
Music & Movement
Language & Early Reading Support
Fine Motor & Gross Motor Support
Safe & Enriching Play Space
Teeth Brushing Support
Potty Training Support
Socialization & Friendship Building Skills
Gardening Skills Support
Small Animal Empathy Development
Developing Knowledge of LifeCycles
Homestead Environment with Fruit Trees, Chickens, Olde English Babydoll Southdown Sheep, Massive Gardens, and more
Cooking & Kitchen Skill Building Support
Kindergarten Readiness
Toxin Free Cleaners & Soaps - We Use Vinegar Based Cleaners & Plant Based Soaps
Nature Based Curriculum
BEarth Institute - Waldorf Curriculum
Blossom & Root Early Years - Charlotte Mason & Waldorf Curriculum
Natural Toys - Wooden, Wool, Plant, Handmade
And so much more!

Our main focal for our preschool program is Life Cycles, Art, Music, Learning through imaginative play and outdoor exploration. Every season we have a specific theme for our Life Cycle. We have previously studied Puppies, Guinea Pigs, Bees, various different plants, Tadpoles, Caterpillar to Butterfly, etc. All of our themes are hands on and use age appropriate materials. We believe that the first few years of a child's life are crucial to their life long development. That's why we strive for children to dig their fingers into the soil as they experience first hand growing their own plants, learning how to care for animals such as friendly chickens, exploring art through sensory and story telling, cultivating friendships, hands on exploration for science and cooking projects, and all around the family style environment that we provide.

Wildwood Park Discovery School is a City Licensed Family Child Care Home located in a safe residential neighborhood with a fully fenced in and secure yard in Puyallup. We are Licensed with The City of Puyallup to maintain 12 children per session. We are a mixed age program with children ages 2-6 attending daily. We work closely with DCYF (Department of Children, Youth, & Family Services ) to ensure we are always following state licensing laws and to ensure we are always within compliance for our licensing status.

See more about our Licensing Information on our Licensing Page

Building strong roots for our children helps create a solid base for their foundation as they grow and develop ever so quickly, join our program today!

Meet Amber - Director

My name is Amber Johnson (Previously Longsine) - I'm 35yrs Old and have been working in childcare for over 20 years.

I have a blended family with my Husband William and our 4 children; Dj, Hollis, Hawthorne, and Axel.

We have a very neruo-spicy family with a variance of neurodivergent diagnosis' including non verbal level 3 autism and severe intellectual disability, ADHD combined presentation, Level 2 autism, etc.

I have worked in child care settings as: a private babysitter, nanny, commercial child care center lead teacher, distance learning assistant, and director of the little saplings preschool. I have worked professionally with ages 3 weeks to 12 years with a focal in ages 1-5. Most of my childcare career, I have worked closely with children who have experienced hardships in life, medically fragile children, special needs, foster care, substance dependency in infancy, and learning disabilities as well as helping families adjust to new familial situations such as blending 2 families together or divorce.

I have a strong passion for the care of animals, I took a short two year hiatus from my focal in childcare to own and operate a Doggie Daycare and Boarding facility called Dogwood and Cattails LLC which was a puppy based care program in 2019 to 2021.

I have a strong passion for art and music, learning and teaching through imaginative play and storytelling, and believe strongly that children should play outdoors as much as possible. I have an extensive background in dance arts and incorporate music and movement as a main source of teaching children new habits and skills.

The Natural style of teaching/learning has always played a role in my care approach with children. I believe in attachment parenting, motherhood support, baby wearing, cloth diapering, bed-sharing and co sleeping, natural childbirth and midwifery when safe to do so, naturopathic and homeopathic health care when applicable, organic and toxin free lifestyle, homesteading, Waldorf and Charlotte Mason parenting and teaching styles, extended breastfeeding, family support, a more natural approach to child rearing, gentle parenting approaches with healthy boundaries, and instilling the healthy habits we want in adults beginning with young children.

It won't be surprising to see me baby wearing an infant, doing dress up play to teach through imaginative play with children, having Earth beneath my fingernails, etc as I believe in play based teaching styles and interactive modeling and feel I can best support children in their learning experience through being on their level and involved in their activities when appropriate.

Certifications/Qualifications:
High School Diploma

Animal Grooming Certification

Incredible Years Parent & Teacher Certification

Zumba/Zumbini Instructor Certification

Child Development Associates Degree Credits
Car Seat Safety Certificate
45 General Education College Credits
First Aid and CPR Certification
Bloodborne Pathogens Certification
Animal CPR and First Aid
Food Handlers Permit
Clean Driving Record and Current Active Driver's License
Clean Current Background

STARS ID: 753491794

Certificates received through Stars/MERIT:

Confidentiality
Strategies for effective visual supervision
Dyslexia: warning signs strategies and myths
Understanding attention spans in young children
Beating burnout: child care providers play crucial role
Effective play and activities are key
Every child is naturally good
Make Way for a successful day
Bridging the gap: improving parental communications
Creating a language Rich environment
Creating the right atmosphere in your classroom
Enhancing motor skill development
Helping children get to sleep they need
Keeping your cool: dealing with tantrums and aggression
Navigating transition time successfully
School readiness
Simple is often better in math and science
Tell me a story! Stories and storytelling build literacy skills
The importance of play and art expression in learning
Strategies for reducing separation anxiety
Recognizing and managing autism
Time out techniques
Creating opportunities for fine and gross motor
Recognizing and managing attention deficit disorder
Music and movement: the value of music in learning
Suggestions to help prevent and limit tantrums
Rest time and nap time: what works and what doesn't