Our Philosophy

The Sunshine Shack is a community of children, parents, and teachers . Through collaboration, we create an environment of learners that value education as a process, while integrating important goals such as social-emotional growth, conflict resolution, problem solving, relationships, creativity, and independence.

At The Sunshine Shack we believe that teachers and parents are partners in the learning process and school experience. This collaboration takes places through parents volunteering in the classroom, parent committees, and parent/teacher communication (i.e. daily connection emails, blog posts, relfection pages and parent/teacher conferences, etc.) All of these forms of communication and documentation support and create bonds between parents and teachers that enable children’s success at school. With this partnership, the children’s experience at school is one that is engaged and trusting of parent/teacher relationships, allowing for deep, connected work from both children and teachers.

We value personal and professional growth of our teachers by providing a work environment that supports open communication, allows ample time for reflection and collaboration, and invests in professional development opportunities. As a result, our staff have room to grow and feel achievement, both personally and in the classroom.

At The Sunshine Shack we believe children learn best in small groups. When children are in small groups and are provided with learning opportunities that are based on their age and interest, they become engaged and motivated learners.

Children then learn to adapt to hearing different perspectives and feel safe to share their reflections.

Their ideas are able to be heard and validated by teachers and peers. These learning opporunities help to develop a child’s sense of self, promote competency in the environment, and aid in conflict resolution.