The Family School provides challenging personalized academic and artistic programs that establish a strong educational foundation and inspire a love of learning.
School begins: Wednesday, September 1
Thanksgiving vacation: noon on November 23 through November 26
Holiday vacation: noon on December 17 through December 31
Midwinter vacation: February 21 through February 25
Spring vacation: noon on April 1 through April 8
Last day of school and graduation: June 9
Average class size: 11
Total enrollment: 88
The Family School is located 6 miles from the center of Los Olivos. The beautiful campus, adjacent to the Midland land preserve and the Los Padres National Forest, provides an ideal setting for our outdoor activities and focus on environmental education. Click here to see a map and directions to the campus.
The Family School believes that children are born eager to learn, and that given the proper tools, will continue to seek out knowledge all their lives. The school supports our students’ joy of learning by creating an enthusiastic and safe learning environment. Our teachers cultivate curiosity, encourage participation in a wide range of activities, and provide the foundation and time for children to make powerful connections. The entire school community demonstrates respect for each individual in an atmosphere of trust and alliance. We are dedicated to:
• The education of the whole child: physical, emotional, intellectual, and social.
• The nurturing of the child’s positive self-image and self-respect in an atmosphere of trust and dignity, instilling self-discipline, and engendering respect for others;
• The development of the child’s critical and creative thinking processes for problem solving, conflict resolution, tolerance, understanding, and effective communication;
• Working together with families and encouraging parent participation in both the school and the child’s learning experience.
The Family School was founded in 1974 by a group of parents to be an educational extension of the family unit, with small classes to permit attention to individual students and create opportunities for children to learn from each other as well as from the teacher. The group researched many different educational philosophies, and ultimately modeled the school after Pacific Oaks College Children’s School in Pasadena. The first teacher-director was Helena James, whose background was in the British infant and primary schools. She began with a class of twelve eager four and five year olds in a temporary classroom at the Los Olivos Grange. A parent from each family was required to spend at least one day a week aiding in the class. In 1975, The Family School received a generous offer from Midland School to lease land for a permanent site. The beautiful rural setting was ideal, and Family School spent its second year meeting in a borrowed Midland classroom while the first building was under construction. Funds for the permanent structure were donated by a Valley resident who was also a patron of Pacific Oaks. That building, and the two that followed, were constructed by Family School parents working on weekends and evenings, often learning how as they went.
Much has changed at The Family School in the subsequent 35 years. We now serve approximately ninety students in preschool through fifth grade. Eight full-time classroom teachers, together with specialist teachers in art, science, music, drama, physical education, Spanish, and reading, provide a comprehensive and engaging curriculum. Our recent buildings were professionally constructed and all are now up to code. Parents are no longer required to serve as classroom aides, although they support the school in many welcome and necessary ways.
At the same time, the heart of the school is true to its origins. The Family School’s commitment to individual attention, small classes, developmentally appropriate curriculum, and providing opportunities for the discovery and cultivation of individual interests and talents has remained constant through the years. We look forward to honoring this commitment for the next 35 years and beyond.
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