Currently Enrolling
Mousewood's Licensed
Programs for Preschoolers
Mousewood Mornings Program:
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Outdoor Forest & Nature School (*FNS)
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8:45 - 1:00; 2 days per week.
Part-time Full-days:
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2-3 days per week; 5-11 hours per day.
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Includes Mousewood Mornings Forest & Nature School (*FNS)
Full-time:
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5 days per week; 5-11 hours per day.
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Includes Mousewood Mornings Forest & Nature School (*FNS)
Ages 3 - 5 Years
Days & Hours
Mousewood Mornings: Outdoor Forest & Nature School (*FNS)
Days & Hours
Day Choices:
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2 Days per week:
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Mondays and Thursdays (Enrolling)
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Tuesdays and Fridays (Waitlist)
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Hours:
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4.25 Hours Mousewood Mornings: 8:45 - 1:00
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Please indicate your Day Choice when responding.
Class Size
and
Composition
The Program
Described
Daily Rhythm
Times
Approximate
Parent Involvement
and
Orientation
Fee
and
Subsidies
Calendar
and
Closures
Next Steps
Fill out
Form
Class Size & Composition
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Maximum *8 children* per class.
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Due to licensing regulations, children who are not enrolled in the class cannot stay for classes.
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Part-time Care classes will be primarily chosen based on complementary ages and personalities so that the children can have friends and really feel belonging.
About Mousewood Mornings and Part-time Childcare:
These sessions are technically *licensed childcare* but with a unique twist and nature-based setting. They are conducted in the way of a Forest and Nature School* program.
Led by experienced ECEs, the program is semi-structured:
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Most morning sessions will take place outside except when it is unsafe to do so.
-
Every class follows the same predictable rhythm, with time flexibility for the children’s needs that day. (eg. having snack earlier.)
-
There is a mix of free play, group projects, and curious explorations.
-
With a balance of *emergent child-led,* *inquiry-based project approach,* and *teacher-suggested* topics.
-
Teacher-suggested topics include our local wildlife, trees and plants, habitats, tracks and scat, seasonal changes, growth cycles, and beginners bushcraft skills.
Daily Rhythm: Times are Approximate
8:45 Arrival time for morning-program children; Children put on their gear and get ready for outside; Settle in; Free play in front yard; Activities have been set out. (Occasionally indoors)
9:15 First Group Meeting; Chat about what's new; Consider Plan, Do, Review. Back to free play if time.
9:40 Snack outside, in warming shelter, or inside (brought from home)
10:00 Bathroom break. Then out to enjoy our forest classroom, go for walks, engage in group projects or follow own curiosity. Many opportunities for connections to place, land, self and others.
12:00 Lunch (outside or inside) (Brought from home)
12:45 Closing Group Meeting. Talk about the day. Consider plan, do, review.
1:00 Home Time for Mousewood Morning Program, 4.25 Hours
Parent Involvement: Mousewood Mornings
Parents are welcome to participate on a self-determined duty day schedule (similar to parent-participation preschools).
Those staying for duty days will receive an orientation before sessions begin, covering:
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Criminal record checks
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Parent duties and expectations
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Mousewood child guidance philosophy
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Fire, emergency, and disaster policies & drills
FEES
Mousewood Mornings Parent Fee: (2 days per week)
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$102/month
Subsidy: Mousewood accepts:
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CCFRI (Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative)
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Applies all children at Mousewood
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CCFRI pays $27.25 per day ($218/month for 2 days/wk)
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Fee displayed is already adjusted
-
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ACCB (Affordable Child Care Benefit, income-tested up to $111,000)
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Other subsidies (e.g., Métis)
About Fees
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Fees are paid in advance at the beginning of each month regardless of attendance.
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Fees need to be paid by parents until funding comes through.
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Mousewood Mornings: A $100 security deposit is required at registration and will be applied to the last month's fees if proper notice is given, as per the Care Contract.
Calendar and Closures
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Does NOT follow School District 57 closures or NID days
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Mousewood Mornings is closed for Winter Break and Summer Break.
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All programs are closed for statutory holidays.
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Complete list of closures are in the Childcare Contract.
Next Step
Please book a Meet and Greet Tour
Or fill out the waitlist form below.
Part-time Full-day Childcare
Days & Hours
Day Choices:
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2 Days per week:
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Mondays and Thursdays
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Thursdays and Fridays
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3 Days per week:
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Add Wednesdays to one of the above choices
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Hours:
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Over 4.25 Hours
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Available 8:00 - 5:00
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Includes Mousewood Mornings: 8:45 - 1:00
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Extended hours 7:00 - 6:00
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Please indicate your Day Choices when responding.
Class Size & Composition
-
Maximum *8 children* per class.
-
Due to licensing regulations, children who are not enrolled in the class cannot stay for classes.
-
Children in classes will be primarily enrolled based on complementary ages and personalities so that the children can have friends and really feel belonging.
About Part-time Childcare and Mousewood Mornings:
We have chosen to provide part-time childcare and our morning programs together because there have been many people telling us that those are the programs they need or want. This is our way of providing both.
Preschoolers registered for part-time childcare will join the Mousewood Mornings Forest and Nature School (*FNS) program when it is running. When it is not in session, part-time children will take part in Mousewood's daily multi-age program.
The Mousewood Mornings classes for preschoolers are pull-out sessions of the multi-age licensed childcare.
Led by experienced ECEs, the program is semi-structured:
-
Most morning sessions will take place outside except when it is unsafe to do so.
-
Every class follows the same predictable rhythm, with time flexibility for the children’s needs that day. (eg. having snack earlier.)
-
There is a mix of free play, group projects, and curious explorations.
-
Balance between *emergent child-led,* *inquiry-based project approach,* and *teacher-suggested* topics.
-
Teacher-suggested topics include our local wildlife, trees and plants, habitats, tracks and scat, seasonal changes, growth cycles, and beginners bushcraft skills.
Daily Rhythm: Times are Approximate
8:00 Arrival begins for full-day children.
8:45 Arrival time for morning-program children; Children put on their gear and get ready for outside (depending on sunlight); Settle in; Free play in front yard; Activities have been set out.
9:15 First Group Meeting; Chat about what's new; Consider Plan, Do, Review. Go back to free play.
9:45 Snack outside (brought from home)
10:00 Enjoy our forest classroom, go for walks, engage in group or follow own curiosity. Many opportunities for connections to place, land, self and others.
12:00 Lunch (outside or inside) (Brought from home)
12:45 Closing Group Meeting. Talk about the day. Consider plan, do, review.
1:00 Home Time for Children here for Morning Program, 4.25 Hours
1:30 Nap and Rest Time (Usually indoors)
3:00 Snack and get ready for outside play.
4:00 - 5:00 Home Time
FEES
Part-time Childcare Parent Fee: (2 days per week)
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4-5 Hours /day Total: $182 monthly
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5-7 Hours /day Total: $640 monthly
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7-9 Hours /day Total: $502 monthly
Subsidy: Mousewood accepts:
-
CCFRI (Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative)
-
Applies all children at Mousewood
-
CCFRI pays $27.25 per day ($218/month for 2 days/wk)
-
-
Fee displayed is already adjusted
-
-
ACCB (Affordable Child Care Benefit, income-tested up to $111,000)
-
Other subsidies (e.g., Métis)
About Fees
-
Fees need to be paid by parents until funding comes through.
-
Fees are paid in advance at the beginning of each month regardless of attendance.
-
Mousewood Mornings: A $200 security deposit for morning only programs is required at registration and will be applied to the last month's fees if proper notice is given, as per the Care Contract.
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Parent-time Childcare: For children enrolled more than 4.25 hours per day, the security deposit equals half a month's fee.
Calendar and Closures
-
Does NOT follow School District 57 closures or NID days
-
Mousewood Mornings is closed for Winter Break and Summer Break.
-
Part-time Childcare Runs year-round
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All programs are closed for statutory holidays.
-
Complete list of closures are in the Childcare Contract.
Full-time Full-day Childcare
Days
- Monday to Friday
Hours
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Available 7:30 - 5:30
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Over 5 Hours per day
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Includes Mousewood Mornings: 8:45 - 1:00
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Extended hours 7:00 - 6:00
Daily Information
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The same as Part-time Full Days above.
FEES
Full-time Childcare Monthly Parent Fee:
(5 days per week)
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4-5 Hours /day Total: $505 monthly
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5-7 Hours /day Total: $1105 monthly
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7-9 Hours /day Total: $1305 monthly
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9-11 Hours /day Total: $1455 monthly
Subsidy: Mousewood accepts:
-
CCFRI (Child Care Fee Reduction Initiative)
-
Applies all children at Mousewood
-
Government pays $545 max. per preschooler.
-
-
Fee displayed is already adjusted
-
-
ACCB (Affordable Child Care Benefit, income-tested up to $111,000)
-
Other subsidies (e.g., Métis)
About Fees
-
Fees are paid in advance at the beginning of each month regardless of attendance.
-
Fees need to be paid by parents until funding comes through.
-
A security deposit of half a month's parent fee is due at reistration and will be applied to the final month's fee, as per the Childcare Contract.
* A Word About
"Forest & Nature School"
(FNS) Class Titles
*In Canada, all programs based on the forest and nature school principles described by the Child and Nature Aliance of Canada are collectively called "Forest and Nature Schools" (FNS.)
Though these programs are called Forest and Nature Schools, they are not technically schools by the legal definition. They are more like schools of fish!
Forest and Nature Schools began in Sweden and Denmark decades ago. Around the world they are called by different names, such as Forest Schools, Forest Kindergartens, Nature Kindergartens, Nature Preschools, Outdoor Nursery, Waldkindergarten (Germany), Naturbørnehaver (Denmark), I Ur Och Skur (Swedish- "Rain or Shine".)
At Mousewood, to simplify our licenses, these part-time program forest and nature school classes all fall under the same Multi-Age Child Care licence and must abide by the restrictions of this licence type. One of these restrictions is naming the part-time classes that occur within this Multi Age Child Care's hours of operation. The part-time classes for preschoolers are technically not allowed to be called preschool, as the licence type is not "preschool." And the part-time school-age classes are technically not recreational extracurriculars. Moreover,we refer to the Homeschooler "classes" as cohorts, rather than classes.
Part-time Cohort: Homeschoolers
Outdoor Forest & Nature Program
Current Waitlist for Jan 2020 and Future Dates
"Homeschooler"
What we mean
The term "homeschoolers" in the context being used here refers to any child not being educated in a brick and mortar school.You do not have to be registered as any particular type of "homeschooler", "unschooler", or anything else. This program is simply for school age children who do not go to a brick and mortar school. Parents have the option of dropping-off their children or to sign-up as a volunteer.
Wednesdays
9:00 - 12:00
1:00 - 4:00
There are 2 homeschooler cohorts.
Families may only choose one cohort per child.
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3-hours
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Wednesdayas
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Morning: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Afternoon: 1:00PM - 4:00PM
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Please choose your preferred time and also list your **second preference** when responding in email.
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These classes take place outside. If the weather is too dangerous, the class will be cancelled.
Class Size
and
Composition
The Program
Clarify
Describe
Daily Rhythm
Times
Approximate
Parent Involvement
and
Orientation
Fee
and
Subsidies
Calendar
and
Closures
Next Step
Form
Below
Class Size & Composition
-
Maximum *5 children* per class.
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Our classes are geared toward *K–2* only
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Due to licensing regulations, children who are not enrolled in the class cannot stay for classes.
-
Homeschooler Care classes will be primarily chosen based on complementary ages and personalities so that the children can have friends and really feel belonging.
About the Homeschooler Care Cohorts:
These sessions may technically be licensed childcare but they have a unique twist and nature-based setting. Although similar to after-school care (ASC), ASC is run by "responsible adults" with minimum training (20 hours) and is certainly nothing like forest and nature school.
Mousewood's Homeschooler programs are conducted in the way of a high quality program and can be considered an extracurricular activity.
They are *not school classes* and do NOT follow the BC curriculum.
Led by an experienced ECE, the program is semi-structured:
-
Most sessions will take place outside except when it is unsafe to do so.
-
Every class follows the same predictable rhythm, with time flexibility for the children’s needs that day.
-
There is a mix of free play, group projects, and individual exploration.
-
Children may bring in topics they’re studying at home related to ecosystems or other nature themes, or join projects inspired by what’s happening at Mousewood.
-
Balance between *teacher-suggested* and *emergent child-led* *inquiry-based project approach.*
-
Teacher-suggested topics include beginners bushcraft skills, our local wildlife tracks and scat, riparian ecosystems and pond dipping.
Daily Rhythm: Times are Approximate
9:00/ 1:00 Arrival; Children put on their gear and get ready for outside (depending on sunlight); Settle in; Free play in front yard; Activities have been set out.
9:15/ 1:15 First Group Meeting; Chat about what's new; Consider Plan, Do, Review. Go back to free play.
9:45/ 1:45 Snack outside (brought from home)
10:00/ 2:00 Enjoying our forest classroom, going for walks, engaging in group or personal projects. Many opportunities for connections to place, land, self and others.
11:45/ 3:45 Closing Group Meeting. Talk about the day. Consider plan, do, review.
12:00/ 4:00 Home Time
Parent Involvement
Parents are welcome to participate on a self-determined duty day schedule (similar to parent-participation preschools).
Those staying for duty days will receive an orientation before sessions begin, covering:
-
Criminal record checks
-
Parent duties and expectations
-
Mousewood child guidance philosophy
-
Fire, emergency, and disaster policies & drills
Fees
-
$120/month (4 classes)
-
The fee displayed is the total before any deductions.
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As licensed childcare, fees qualify for ACCB and CCFRI.
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We can probably take other funding such as autism funding as well. However, we will need to be walked through the process.
-
Fees need to be paid by parents until funding comes through.
-
Fees are paid in advance at the beginning of each month regardless of attendance.
-
A $200 security deposit is required at registration and will be applied to the last month's fees if proper notice is given, as per the Care Contract.
Calendar and Closures
-
Runs year-round
-
Does NOT follow School District 57 closures or NID days
-
We invite parents to join a Homeschooler Committee to help decide on the program’s overall calendar — semester-based care (e.g., September–December) or continuous care (September - June), with optional summer day-camp weeks.
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Closed for statutory holidays.
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Complete list of closures are in the Care Contract.
Next Step
For January 2026 or future dates, please fill out the waitlist form below.
Childcare Waitlist Form
We are currently enrolling children for these programs. For current enrolments, please book a Meet and Greet Tour on our booking page.
Please complete our Waitlist Form if you are interested in our programs for a future date. This is the only way we can keep track of people. We will get back to you when we have a space coming up. Thank you!