Call Us: (865) 263-1110
Garden Path School for Young Learners
Enriched Early Learning in a Small Group Setting in Fountain City, Knoxville, TN
Garden Path School offers high quality Christian, Montessori early childhood education to a small group of students through hands-on activities, purposeful play, in-depth projects and curriculum themes, character development, and a loving community. We support all stages of early learning, starting with young preschool and including kindergarten prep and private kindergarten.
Children learn and thrive through child-initiated and teacher-led experiences, both indoors and outdoors, in a safe and respectful environment, with predictable routines and an emphasis on building positive relationships.
Garden Path School is unique in its natural blend of Christian and Montessori philosophies, promoting respect and care for oneself, peers and adults, and the materials and school environment.
Beautiful and Comfortable Learning Environments
Our school is unique among home care programs, with a genuine early childhood classroom at the garden level of Angela’s home, and a large fenced-in porch and outdoor classroom in the backyard.
In both the indoor and outdoor classrooms, there are several different learning centers, each equipped with a range of materials for play, exploration, learning, and collaboration in areas of the curriculum. Outdoors, there is equipment and space for large motor play, a sand box and a dirt box, a mud kitchen, a garden, and a natural habitat for exploring the environment. Both indoors and outside, children learn to take care of their materials and play spaces while they discover more about their world.
Beautiful and Comfortable Classroom
Our school is unique among home care programs, with a genuine early childhood classroom set-up at the garden level of Angela's home, and a large-fenced in deck and back yard.
In the classroom, there are several different learning centers, each equipped with a range of learning materials for play, exploration, learning, and collaboration in areas of the curriculum. Outdoors, there is equipment for large motor play, a mud kitchen, a garden, and a natural habitat for exploring the environment. Children learn to take care of their classroom and outdoor settings.
Always a Small Group
Each child receives plenty of individual attention and personalized instruction throughout the day. Garden Path School is licensed for twelve full-time students with two loving, experienced teachers. We often divide into smaller groups by skill levels or interests.
The balance of open-ended and teacher-guided activities supports children’s self-expression, growth, learning, confidence in trying out and mastering new abilities, and skills in getting along with others. Older children have daily project time, during which they experience more in-depth, self-paced curriculum.
Always a Small Group
Each child receives plenty of individual attention and personalized instruction throughout the day. Garden Path School is licensed for seven full-time students.
The balance of open-ended and teacher-guided activities supports children’s self-expression, growth, learning, confidence in trying out and mastering new abilities, and skills in getting along with others. Older children have daily project time, during which they experience more in-depth, self-paced curriculum.
We Teach the Whole Child
Children are respected as unique individuals with their own styles and interests.
The curriculum is designed to meet each child at his or her own stage of development in a variety of social, physical/motor, language, and cognitive/early academic skills. We use Handwriting Without Tears materials and workbooks, as children learn to build and write letters and move toward writing as communication. Children enjoy daily jobs that include calendar/weather, setting the table, and putting out the cots for rest time.
Curriculum themes emerge from the children’s interests and may continue for several weeks, involving a wide range of activities and extended projects. Recent themes include: community and community helpers, music and musical instruments, dinosaurs and life cycles, giving and creativity, ladybugs and other insects, mapping and our environment, animals and habitats, Saint Francis and other positive role models, and the solar system. We have traveled on the trolley, visited the library and Ijams Nature Center, and hosted guest visitors, including a firefighter, a nurse, and a harpist. We have visited with elderly residents at a local assisted living center to share Christmas songs and activities with them. Children are supported and encouraged to build skills in each area of their development, and the activities they experience are designed to engage them on many levels. Our program values children’s freedom to explore and express their love of God, pray for someone, develop a sense of gratitude, and learn positive ways to express feelings and resolve challenges.
We Teach the Whole Child
Children are respected as unique individuals with their own styles and interests.
The curriculum is designed to meet each child at his or her own stage of development in a variety of social, physical/motor, language, and cognitive/early academic skills. We use Handwriting Without Tears materials and workbooks, as children learn to build and write letters and move toward writing as communication. Children enjoy daily jobs that include calendar/weather, setting the table, and putting out the cots for rest time.
Curriculum themes emerge from the children’s interests and may continue for several weeks, involving a wide range of activities and extended projects. Recent themes include: mapping and our environment, animals and habitats, community and community helpers, Saint Francis, and the solar system. We have traveled on the trolley, visited the library and Ijams Nature Center, and hosted guest career visitors, including a firefighter and a nurse. Our upcoming themes will include gingerbread, baking, giving, and creativity. We will visit with elderly residents at a local assisted living center to share Christmas songs and activities with them.
Health Safety and Specialists
Garden Path School has an optional health screening protocol through Tadpoles, our online parent-school communication program. Our state-mandated guidelines ensure that children and families are symptom-free before coming to school. Children, parents and staff wash hands frequently and practice safe-sneezing techniques. All surfaces, toys and materials are disinfected at least once daily, if not more frequently. We have a Registered Nurse who is available to consult with staff in real time about children’s health concerns.
We also have a Speech Therapist and an Occupational Therapist who, by prior arrangement with parents, can work with individual students needing support in these areas, either on site or at home.
What Parents Are Saying about Garden Path School. . .
Angela is great about collaborating with us as parents so that we're all on the same page and can keep him stimulated according to the different development phases.
Highly recommend Garden Path!"
I wouldn’t want my daughter to go anywhere else."
Our 2 year old daughter has transformed in the 2 months she's been attending. She speaks so much now and her vocabulary has multiplied, she listens better to her parents and she had built confidence in doing things herself like putting on her shoes and clothes.
It is remarkable how much happier she's been.
Activities
Students at Garden Path School become immersed in a wide range of learning activities, including art, music, numeracy and geometry, science and STEM, writing, phonics and early literacy, yoga and other large muscle activities, manipulatives and other fine motor activities, and sensory play.
Our Typical Schedule:
Garden Path School is open from 8:30am – 5:30pm, with extended hours by prior arrangement.
8:30 Centers and Arrival
9:00 Small Groups
9:15 Snack and Conversation
9:45 Projects & Center Play
11:00 Recess & Exploration in our Outdoor Classroom
12:00 Lunch & Conversation (We bless our food before lunch), Preparation for Nap, Stories
1:00 Nap and Quiet Books
3:00 Wake Up, Snack, and Indoor Activities
4:00 Outdoors
5:00 Stories and Winding Down
5:20 Final Dismissal
Receive Real-Time Photo and Video Updates
Parents receive photos and videos of your children in real time during the day through Tadpoles. At the end of your child’s day, you receive a report summarizing the day’s highlights and menu, the time of your child’s nap, and any reminder notes.
Parents appreciate being able to drop in, join us for lunch, or help with special projects. We have a supportive group of parents at Garden Path School who value the unique opportunity this program provides their children.
Get to know the Owner and Teacher
Angela Mayfield, M.Ed.
Angela is a professional early childhood educator with over 30 years of experience in the field.
She has taught in a variety of settings, including full-day and half-day public school preschool, full-day public PreK and Kindergarten, educational day care, and private early learning centers.
Angela has coached and mentored teachers and parents of young children and has supervised early childhood programs. She is delighted to now offer Garden Path School to Knoxville, TN and the surrounding communities.
Interested in Learning More?
Contact Us
*Please allow a few seconds for processing after submitting this form