Olive Tree Early Learning Academy

06/02/2026

As part of our AAPI Celebration study, we shared real classroom moments where children experienced with curiosity and care.

During recent food experiences, children had opportunities to notice textures, use new words, compare familiar and unfamiliar foods, practice fine motor skills, and listen respectfully to one another's reactions.

From Chinese Potsticker to Laos Fried Rice from , from Indian Makhan Butter to Hawaiian Bread. From the crunch of seaweed and sesame sticks to saucy butter chicken, we have enjoyed exploring the way children enjoy food all over Asia and the Pacific Islands.

Food is only one doorway into cultural learning, but when adults guide the experience thoughtfully, it can open meaningful conversations about family, belonging, respect, and the many traditions that shape our community.

We are grateful for the teachers, families, and community partners helping us make this learning joyful, accurate, and connected to children's real experiences.

What is one food or family tradition you loved as a child?

06/01/2026

Summer has a rhythm at Olive Tree.

This week we are kicking off with the playful routines that will carry us through the season:

> Messy Monday gives children space for sensory play, process art, and hands-on discovery.
> Tiny Travelers Tuesday invites curiosity about the world through stories, nature, maps, walks, and family connections.
> Water Wednesday turns pouring, splashing, and experimenting into problem-solving, language, and self-regulation.
> Think & Create Thursday is for building, inventing, testing ideas, and making thinking visible.
> Friendship & Fun Friday celebrates cooperation, games, laughter, and the relationships that help children feel known.

It may look like just summer fun, but underneath the bubbles, chalk, water, and paint, children are practicing the skills they will use their whole life: language, confidence, independence, flexibility, creativity, and connection.

Which summer day do you think you would love most?

05/31/2026

At Olive Tree, cultural learning is more than a theme on the calendar.

During AAPI Heritage Month, our classrooms have been filled with opportunities to honor the stories, traditions, creativity, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Children are tasting foods that are new to some and familiar to others, moving together through music and dance, listening to stories rooted in cultures beyond their own, and creating art inspired by Asian traditions.

These moments matter. In early childhood, respect begins with real exposure, shared experiences, and the joy of learning from one another. 🌏

We choose classrooms where culture is not just talked about. It is lived.

05/28/2026

We love when community leaders take time to read with our students!

A few weeks ago, State Representative Gloria Johnson visited Olive Tree to read with our children.

Read-aloud moments like this may look simple, but they support so much early learning:

* Listening and attention
* Vocabulary and language development
* Curiosity about stories and ideas
* Connection with trusted adults
* A sense that our wider community cares about children and learning

At Olive Tree, books are one of the ways children build confidence, imagination, and belonging.

Thank you, , for spending time reading with our students!

What book has your child been asking to read lately?

05/22/2026

Yesterday, we celebrated something really meaningful 🎓

Not just a graduation, but a year of growth that has shaped how these children learn, relate, and see themselves.

Over time, they have developed:
• Confidence in who they are
• The ability to navigate relationships
• Problem-solving and persistence
• The beginnings of emotional regulation

All of this has been built through relationships, intentional teaching, and a learning environment rooted in connection and care.

They leave here with more than readiness for kindergarten.
They leave with a foundation that will support them far beyond the classroom.

We are so proud of who they are and who they are continuing to become 💛

05/21/2026

05/21/2026

☀️ Now Enrolling for Summer Pre-K at Olive Tree Early Learning Academy! 🌿

Spots are limited and they’re filling fast!

Give your child a summer full of:
🌱 Hands-on learning
🎨 Creative play
🌼 Outdoor exploration
🤝 Friendship and social growth

📅 June 1 – July 24 - 8AM-4PM
💵 $175/week - Breakfast, Lunch, and Snacks included
👥 Kindergarten Bound Aged Children
📍 Olive Tree Early Learning Academy

✨ Ready to get started?
Fill out our quick interest form below, and we’ll guide you to complete enrollment:

👉 https://forms.gle/Nir234f2QExokFo18

Spots are limited and enrollment must be completed to be considered.

Learn more: olivetreelearning.org

05/19/2026

At Olive Tree, when we talk about “kindergarten readiness,” we are talking about so much more than letters and numbers 👩‍🏫

We are talking about children who can:
• Engage with others and build relationships
• Communicate their needs and ideas
• Stay with a task and work through challenges
• Regulate their emotions with support

These are the foundations of executive functioning, social-emotional development, and long-term learning.

Over the past year, our Pre-K students have been building these skills through play, connection, and intentional guidance.

This is what readiness looks like for Olive Tree students.
Not just what a child knows, but how they think, connect, and move through the world.

And they are more than ready for what comes next. 🎓

05/15/2026

A story, a circle, and a group of children leaning in 📖

In this moment, learning is happening in ways that go far beyond the page.

As the teacher reads, children are building language through listening, expanding vocabulary, and making connections between ideas.

They are also developing attention, memory, and early comprehension skills as they follow along and engage with the story.

At the same time, they are learning how to be part of a group.
How to take turns.
How to listen to others.

This is where literacy and social development come together.

At Olive Tree, moments like this are intentional.
They are designed to support the whole child, not just academic outcomes.

05/14/2026

Sometimes learning looks like slowing down and taking a breath 🌿

In this moment, a teacher and child are practicing “The Drain,” a breathing strategy from Conscious Discipline®

This is not happening in response to a meltdown.

It is being practiced proactively while the child is in a calm, connected state so that it can be accessed later during moments of stress or big emotion.

At this age, children are still developing the ability to regulate their emotions.
They rely on co-regulation, which means the adult becomes the safe, steady presence that helps guide them through those experiences.

Through consistent practice like this, children begin to build the foundation for emotional regulation over time.

They learn how to pause.
How to notice what is happening in their body.
How to move through big feelings with support.

This is what intentional behavioral guidance looks like.
It is taught through connection, modeling, and relationship.