Where Children Learn Through Play
La Casita Verde Child Development Center
The La Casita Verde Child Development Center is located in Highland Park's historic Ziegler Estate, adjacent to the Southwest Museum Metro Station. La Casita is a landmark City-owned property designated as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 416 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The La Casita Verde Child Development Center provides care for our community families with enrollment priority given to families who qualify for low income assistance and financial aid.
La Casita Verde Renovation Closure
Mount Washington Preschool and Childcare Center (MWPCCC) regrets to inform you that due to much needed renovations LCV closed May 31, 2022. We look forward to reopening in the future!
MWPCCC has proudly operated La Casita Verde within the historic Ziegler Estate; a designated City Historic Cultural Monument and listed on the National Register of Historic Places; for over 20 years. Leasing this cherished building from the City has been an honor, and while we are deeply saddened by the center’s closure, we take comfort in knowing that the building will undergo much-needed renovations to preserve its legacy and serve as a future childcare site.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to District 1 Council member Gil Cedillo and his Director, Hugo Ortiz, for their instrumental role in securing CDBG grant funds to safeguard this historic structure. Their support has also been invaluable in our ongoing search for a new childcare location in Northeast Los Angeles. Although we have yet to find a suitable site, we remain committed to our mission and will continue to provide updates.
Additionally, we are forever grateful for the expert guidance of our late Executive Director, Andrea Rosales, whose leadership helped us navigate this transition. Andrea’s sudden passing on February 25, 2022, was a profound loss, but her legacy of dedication and vision continues to inspire us.
Relationships are the foundation for collaboration, building partnerships and developing community with others. Positive relationships between children and adults are essential for the development of a child’s sense of self, fostering their capacity for self-regulation, learning how to interact with others, and making friends.
Responsiveness to individuals is key to building trust and relationships.
Family and community partnerships create meaningful connections for adults and children and offer invitations for learning about ourselves, others, and the world.
Play is the context in which children learn and develop. As children engage in play with the support of attentive and observant early educators, they can extend their ideas and discoveries into formal education in developmentally appropriate ways.
Anti-Bias Education involves creating a community that supports all dimensions of human differences, including culture, race, language, ability, learning styles, ethnicity, family structure, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, and socioeconomic differences. Diversity occurs when children's lives are reflected and shared responsibly in the classroom.
Infant & Toddler Program
The infant and toddler program follows the primary caregiver model, creating a secure and caring environment for the child. The focus of the infant program is to observe and support the development of essential milestones and provide a safe and secure environment that encourages positive and healthy growth.
Infant Room
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Infant room is for children 6 weeks old to 18 months
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4 :1 Teacher/Child ratio
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Capacity of 7 children
Toddler Room
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Toddler room is for children 18 months to 36 months
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6 :1 Teacher/Child ratio
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Capacity of 12 children
Facility License #: 192006521
Preschool Program
Emergent Curriculum Based Learning
In our classrooms teachers and children work together as co-learners and co-constructors of curriculum – the teachers are learning about the children, their needs, and learning styles through observation and documentation, as the children are learning through play, interaction with others and engagement with materials. This process of children’s learning is called Emergent Curriculum. This community style of learning is built on the development theories, research, and work of Erik Erickson, Arnold Gesell, Maria Montessori, John Dewey, and Louis Malaguzzi. Emergent Curriculum allows the early educator to respond to children’s interests in a developmentally appropriate manner which best meets young children’s ever-changing needs and builds on children’s strengths and passions.
The purpose of the written curriculum plan is two-fold: it documents the learning as it progresses, and it ensures that the educator is intentional in planning the week’s activities. Those activities should, by definition, maximize children’s acquisition of desired knowledge and skills and offer opportunities for children to learn through play. Structured activities, whether tailored to an individual or to the group, are to be designed according to the particular children’s developmental needs and interests.
Emergent curriculum comes from (1) Children’s interests; (2) Teachers’ interests; (3) Developmental tasks; (4) Things in the physical environment; (5) People in the social environment; (6) Curriculum resource materials; (7) Serendipity – unexpected events; (8) Living together – conflict resolution, caregiving, and routines; and (8) Values held in school and in the community, family, and culture.
Preschool Room
Developmentally appropriate environment
STEAM focused activities
Supported potty training when the child is ready
Children 30 months to 5 years old
10:1 Teacher/ child ratio
Capacity of 28 children
Facility License #: 198012751
