Welcome to
Michelle’s Backyard Gardena! (Joselyn’s Backyard)
We are an outdoor, play-based Preschool & Daycare serving the greater Gardena area.
We welcome children from ages 12 months to 4 years old and look forward to meeting your family.
Enrolling now for Fall 2024!
immediate openings for children ages 2-3 years old
Contact us for more information and to schedule a tour!
JOSELYN’S BACKYARD
West 152nd Place, Gardena, California 90249
License # 197494068
Home-Based Preschool & Daycare in Gardena
An OUTDOOR, PLAY-BASED program for young children
ages 12 months - 4 years old
Welcome to
Michelle’s Backyard Daycare & Preschool in Gardena
(Joselyn’s Backyard)
El Camino Village, Gardena
Spanish & English - bilingual program
ages 12 months - 4 years old
Welcome to Michelle’s Backyard Gardena, (aka, Joselyn’s Backyard). Miss Joselyn offers a bi-lingual, Spanish - English program for your children. If you’re looking for Toddler and Preschool care in Gardena, look no further.
Michelle’s Backyard Gardena (Joselyn’s Backyard) opened up in 2021 and has since filled it’s backyard with amazing families. Infants, Toddlers and Preschool children alike, love the outdoors and the friends they make. We are a home-based Daycare & Preschool, offering a loving, warm, safe and fun environment for your child to play, learn and grow. Our program encourages Infants, Toddler and young preschoolers to explore the outside world and to experience nature first hand. We offer an outdoor, multi-age program focusing on learning through Play and tailored to the specific interests and developmental levels of our children. Inspired by the programs such as Reggio Emilia and Maria Montessori, We offer a nature inspired, outdoor, program focusing on learning through Play and tailored to the specific interests and developmental levels of our children. We interact and observe children and plan activities that will expand their thinking, encouraging language, literacy, pre-mathematical concepts, and other pre-academic skills to develop.
Here at Joselyn’s Backyard, we spend most of our days outdoors! Childhood is a precious time of discovery and development. Children today face an increasing pressure to grow up too fast, depriving them of fundamental early childhood experiences that help them to become successful adults. Michelle's Backyard is committed to preserving the experiences of childhood. We spend hours outdoors exploring, giggling, laughing and discovering the world around us. You will find us regularly covered in mud, chalk, paint or water and laughing as we splash through warm days in water tables, pools and slip n slides. Our atmosphere is relaxed and child-centered.
At Joselyn's Backyard, we take extra care to make children feel safe, comfortable, and loved. The transition from home to school is a huge change for most children and we do our best to make it as fun and easy as possible while learning the necessary skills through play. The goal for our backyard graduates is to enter school as self-confident, effective problem solvers. Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) influences our philosophy and play-based curriculum. We give the children time to ask questions, test theories, and explore topics that interest them. Reading, writing, math, science, and social development are taught through play and project-based work. Teachers take care in planning a curriculum inspired by the children’s interests.
We also believe that emotional development is the core of proper whole-brain development. We have embraced the philosophy of nonviolent parenting which stresses the importance of nurturing emotional intelligence through empathy and connection. We work to provide children with effective tools to work together in a group. We are here to help children understand the meaning behind their actions and teach them positive ways to get their needs met.
We gently hold your child's hand as they navigate the transition from home to Kindergarten.
Creating a Community is a key component of our Program. We work hard to create friends & social relationships for both parents and children. We partner with parents to navigate the path of parenthood and host parent nights to solidify those bonds. Parents are encouraged to volunteer both inside and outside of the classroom. Parents enjoy Mom’s & Dad’s nights and an occasional babysitting events, as well as get together on their own, outside of school.
We would love to have you join our Backyard Family! Contact us to get more information on availability and pricing.
Curriculum/ Philosophy/Enrichment
Philosophy
At all Michelle’s Backyard Preschool & Daycare locations, we take extra care in making children feel safe, comfortable, and loved. The multi-age setting provides a rich and natural environment for children to develop social and emotional skills. Our curriculum is play based; focusing on the current interests and developmental levels of our children. We partner with parents and believe that emotional development is the core of proper brain development. We have embraced the philosophy of nonviolent parenting, which stresses the importance of nurturing emotional intelligence through empathy and connection.
Enrichment
We believe in developing the whole child. Our enrichment program includes yoga, gymnastics, music and cooking. All enrichment happens at Michelle's Backyard during regular school hours at no additional cost. We do venture out into the community and take field trips several times per year.
Curriculum
It is our belief that children learn best when they are interested in what they are learning. We interact, observe and plan activities that will expand their thinking to allow for language, literacy, pre-mathematical concepts and other pre-academic skills to develop social & emotional skills.
Michelle Dickinson
Owner / Director Michelle’s Backyard
Our founder, Michelle, is the Director at Michelle’s Backyard Redondo Beach. She is a mom to 2 amazing children (now adults). She started Michelle's Backyard in Redondo Beach in 2008 when her children were young as a way earn some extra money. She had no idea it would grow and would get to be apart of so many amazing South Bay Families.
Michelle has been teaching young children in the outdoor classroom setting for 15 years. Being outdoors and learning through play is the foundation of Michelle’s Backyard. She loves children and feels playing is the best way to spend everyday! Family and Community is the heart of Michelle’s Backyard and every new family becomes part of the larger extended Backyard Family.
Michelle received her BA degree in Social Anthropology from Cal State Fullerton, earned her Child Development Program Director Permit in 2022 and is proud to be a certified and trained “Outdoor Classroom Specialist” by the Outdoor Classroom Project.
Hobbies include camping, reading, kayaking, and spending time with family. She is grateful to spend her days outside playing all day surrounded by smiles, hugs and curious children.
Joselyn
Director - Joselyn’s Backyard Gardena
Hi! My name Joselyn and I am the director at Joselyn’s Backyard in Gardena.
I worked for Michelle for 4 years as her assistant until the time came to open up Joselyn’s Backyard in Gardena. I love working with children and spending my days outside playing in the sand and mud. I have a background in early childhood education as well as first hand mom experience. I have 2 beautiful children of my own which definitely keeps me busy! We are either at baseball or cheer ractie on the weekends.
My Hobbies include spending time with my family, getting my nails done, or camping.
PARENT TESTIMONIALS
West Hollywood, CA
“Joselyn has been a huge blessing for our family! Our three year old absolutely loves Joselyn and comes home every day telling us she "had a great day!" As a first time parent, I was nervous sending my daughter to school but Joselyn has made the transition so easy for our family. She is kind, caring, gentle, attentive and such a great communicator. Getting text messages from time to time with pictures of your child having fun at school is the best (we got updates throughout the day during her first few weeks which was amazing and made it so much easier for us!) On top of all of that, our daughter has learned so much! She comes home telling us so many new fun things she has learned and even sings to us in Spanish! We could not recommend Joselyn's Backyard enough!”
Ridgewood, NJ
“Joselyn's Backyard has been a dream come true for our family. As an early childhood educator for the last 12 years, it was so important to me to find a developmentally appropriate program with caring and attentive teachers. The cherry on the top is the community of parents they have cultivated with outings and trips. The best proof is my son is happy going to school everyday and doesn't want to leave at pickup!”
South Redondo, Redondo Beach, CA
“Both my kids are at Joselyns back yard and it's the most fun place to be. Joselyn is caring, patient and she really loves these kiddos like her own. The best part, the kids are outside all day, it's a play based daycare/preschool and a very loving little community you can build on. All the kids love to be there and having the best time with their friends.
Can't recommend Joselyn enough if you are looking for a place your kids can call their second home”
PHOTO GALLERY
Michelle’s Backyard Gardena
(Joselyn’s Backyard)
ADDRESS:
3159 W. 152nd PL., Gardena CA 90249
El Camino Village
This is a home-based, bilingual program, offering Infant, Toddler and Preschool care in Gardena.
We are a Year round program offering Infant care, Toddler Care and Preschool in Gardena
Hours & Fees
Ages:
(12 Months - 4 years old)
Monday - Friday
8am - 5:30pm $1800/mo
Additional Fees:
Application Fee
$50
New Student Registration Fee
$150
Materials Fee
$400 annually
Due Annually for all children over 12 months
Deposit Fee
Equal to your monthly tuition
Due with your Contract & once accepted. This fee will be credited to your last month of care provided a 60-day notice is given.
Calendar / Holidays / Vacation:
School will be closed for all major Federal Holidays as well as an additional 4 weeks vacation per calendar year.
Tuition is due regardless of absences, holidays or vacations.
On these days the School is closed, substitute care is not provided.
You will be provided with a 6 month Calendar twice a year.
Field Trips:
Field trips are such a special treat for our children and we try to do them at least 4 times per year, depending on age of child. Some field trips are in House field trips where groups come to us and others are out in our South Bay. You will be notified in advance and permission slips will be sent home.