Hearts Leap Lakeview

Nestled in the hills behind Lake Merritt, Lakeview Preschool has served families from the Trestle Glen, Piedmont, and Lakeshore neighborhoods (and farther afield!) since 1971, and officially became part of the Hearts Leap community in 2015. We are a hop, skip and a jump away from Crocker Highlands, Redwood Day and other Oakland public and private schools. This Hearts Leap site offers an intimate and supportive environment with only 24 children daily and 4 teachers, as well as an onsite director. Lakeview is a truly special mixed-age program where we build strong community bonds while honoring each child as a special and unique individual. We can’t wait to show you our school!

Tuition at Lakeview includes a school-provided lunch as well as 2 nutritional snacks! This means that everyday at Lakeview we share 3 meal/eating times together. At our meals, the children take part in setting the table, serving food, and cleaning up when they are done. These tasks are one way for the children to learn self help skills as well as see their importance as part of the group. Sharing meals together encourages Lakeview students to practice conversations, learn sharing, and try more diverse foods as they see their peers tasting and enjoying new dishes.

benefits of mixed age learning

The mixed-age group environment is a natural setting, reflective of the real world. It provides children an opportunity to Experience Different Roles in a Developmentally Appropriate setting. Although many schools choose to segregate children by ages, this does not reflect real life. At Lakeview, each child has the opportunity to play various roles such as the youngest, middle, or oldest of the group, and therefore have exposure to different learning experiences. We are able to offer Provider Continuity and an abundance of Individual Attention. Children are not moved to a new classroom and new teacher when they have a birthday or master a certain skill, instead they build upon existing relationships over the full course of their time at Lakeview. Teachers are able to focus on each child as an individual and recognize their unique developmental growth. Teachers of same-age groups may be more tempted to expect children to learn at the same pace. Social Learning is Enhanced when the range of development is broader. Each child has the opportunity to interact with a variety of developmental behaviors and continuously practice cooperative work and play skills (sharing, taking turns, expressing feelings, being helpful to others, etc.). This Builds Leadership Skills and Self-Esteem as the older children have the opportunity to lead, instruct, assume responsibility, and nurture others. They also strengthen their own skills and knowledge already acquired through the process of tutoring others. Additionally, Competitive Pressures are Minimized when children are at various learning levels and have age-specific needs at different times. In mixed-age groups, they are not usually compared to their same-age peers and therefore will not usually feel the need to compete. Children develop Family/Sibling-Like Relationships and actively Learn from Peers. These relationships can be fostered, and are sources of trust, affection, comfort, and closeness. Research has shown that age is not an important factor for friendship choices. The younger children are exposed to more complex play, advanced language, and educational activities by observing and imitating the older children. It’s even been shown that they often learn better from other children than from adults.