Contact | About | Services | Publications | Calendar | Kindergarten Forum | Home

My mother, Betty Peck, and I are delighted to welcome you to the Kindergarten Forum. As part of my mother's doctoral studies, she developed a program to support kindergarten teachers sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education in 1989. Each Monday after school twelve teachers came to our home for a weekly burst of inspiration and practical advice on pedagogical themes and activities through the seasons.

After several years these gatherings became the quarterly Kindergarten Forum. Wide ranges of topics concerning the young child and an esteemed list of presenters have contributed to the Forum's continued success. The Forums are held at our home in Saratoga and sometimes in other local kindergartens or preschools with exemplary indoor environments or school gardens.

The participants- teachers, parents, and administrators- come from all over the Bay Area and drive long distances from other parts of California. When remarkable people and ideas meet together, there is a feeling of renewal and inspiration.

NEXT FORUM:

Friday, March 10, 2017: Anji Play with Julie Nicholson.

Saturday, June 17, 2017: Puppetry with Jennifer Aguirre Click here for PDF program.


Listings for recent Forums:


The Forums take place at our home in Saratoga where, Betty and Willys Peck (my parents) created a haven for the imagination. The backyard amphitheater has hosted countless Shakespearean plays and other performances. A narrow gauge train still runs on old drying yard tracks, a print museum houses a working press and linotype, and an oaken throne for the May Queen overlooks the dancing green. The great hall, with spacious elegance, holds the indoor portion of the gathering. The prototype for my own commitment to children and nature is my mother, Betty Peck, a truly inspired and celebrated early childhood educator, who has initiated many educational programs including Los Gatos Saratoga Observation Nursery School, and the former Saratoga Community Garden, an environmental education center, where I worked with UCSC master gardener, Alan Chadwick, and learned about biodynamic gardening.