We honor childhood.
We see individuality.
We value play.
TesTimoNies
Behind our Logo
Even though they are very small in size, butterflies are the world’s most wondrous animals. They are so beautiful, miraculous and carefree that you can’t help but stop and ponder when you see one. They not only spark our imagination, but also remind us to trust our journey and understand that change is necessary to grow. This is what education is all about!
We need to trust children's natural development and their innate capabilities and allow them to stop and wonder...
About Us
Founder and Director
Ana Isabel Ford
I embarked on my educational journey at the age of 17, immersing myself in different school environments during every summer break. Each experience deepened my passion for education, and I found myself falling in love with it more each day. Motivated by this profound connection, I decided to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education with a TESOL endorsement at Florida State University.
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Having gained invaluable experience working in various school settings over the years, I felt compelled to establish Wonder—a vision-driven endeavor aimed at fostering a community of empowered, creative, and playful children. My dream was to create a school where not only my own children but also yours could thrive, a place that encouraged wonder, curiosity, and independent thinking. I wanted to create an environment that honored the essence of childhood and recognized the vital role of play in a child's development.
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With this vision in mind, I embarked on the journey of founding Wonder, a school that wholeheartedly embraces these principles.
Staff
We believe our greatest strength lies in the talents and skills of our staff. Our teachers are highly educated and have a deep desire to contribute to a unique and valuable learning experience for each one of our students.
They understand that children are natural learners and that our goal as teachers is to serve as guides, mentors and facilitators of their learning and to inspire each one of them to discover the world through their own hands.
At Wonder, we not only support children’s education, but continuously educate ourselves too. We continuously seek to attend professional development that support our program, with the goal of providing children with best practices during their time at Wonder.
Our MISSIoN
Our PHILOSoPHY
We strive to provide a meaningful, playful and developmentally appropriate environment that fosters each child’s sense of wonder, creativity, independence and feeling of community and belonging. Our mission is to assist students in their individual journey towards becoming authentic and enthusiastic life-long learners.
At wonder, we see childhood as a unique and magical period in life. We know that every child is different and we respect their pace and way of development. We strongly believe that relationships based on love, trust and respect are the foundations for all learning and growth. We understand that our role as educators is to encourage children to get involved in their own learning, offering support and advice when needed, but allowing them to think and construct knowledge independently. We carefully listen to their ideas and offer them appropriate choices that reflect their interests. Finally, we create safe, nurturing and responsive environments that promote meaningful and successful learning to happen.
THE FOUR PILLARS OF EDUCATION
FOR THE 21st CeNTURY
At WONDer we use these pillars as the guide behind everything we do.
The core philosophy behind these pillars is to unfold important human qualities within each child and nurture their potential to develop as unique and complete individuals. As an educational setting, we aim to provide rich, varied and valuable educational experiences that address and recognise our student's quest for growth.
LEARNING TO KNOW
Children need to be given the opportunity to master various tools rather than just learning structured knowledge.
LEARNING TO DO
Children need to be able to understand and apply knowledge in order to innovate and create. Knowledge is not power, the implementation of that knowledge is.
LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER
Young children need to start developing values that make them better members of their community and the world.
LEARNING TO BE
Children need to accept themselves as they are, and understand and value their uniqueness. We need to nurture their capacity for self love and self direction.
WhaT We oFFeR
WONDer offers a play-based program that focuses on the whole child and skills needed for the 21st century.
We combine and integrate different learning/teaching philosophies like Waldorf, Reggio Emilia & Montessori and current best practices into our program to create a unique learning experience.
MICRO-SCHOOL INSPIRATION
Our center is inspired by micro-school models, which focus on building and nurturing a small, supportive and caring community of learners. By purposely enrolling a very small numbers of students, we are able to offer high personalization to each individual child and their family.
PLAY SPACES
Children's brain needs movement! That is why we use play areas instead of classrooms. Our children get to experience every play area throughout the week, allowing them to explore something new every time!
To meet the needs and interests of our children, our teachers thoughtfully scaffold children’s play environments and experiences.
LOW STUDENT-TEACHER RATIOS
We are committed to small groups that provide high-quality and meaningful interactions between children and teachers. Our teacher-student ratios are kept very small to ensure that each child is given essential and purposeful attention throughout all learning experiences. Additionally, we have teacher assistants supporting our teachers in the care of our students.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING
Children are regularly exposed to English throughout the day, engaging with the language in various everyday situations. While English is not the sole focus, it is woven naturally into their interactions, allowing them to practice and become familiar with it.
Research highlights that early exposure to a new language greatly enhances children's ability to absorb and develop it, providing a strong foundation for learning the language.
MIXED-AGE GROUPINGS
We believe that children make the best teachers. A multi-age grouping encourages children to learn from each other just like we all do in the real world. By purposefully grouping children of different ages we allow children to cultivate and practice essential life skills such as: kindness, empathy, respect, leadership among others.
FAMILY INVOLVEMENT
We believe that strong, trusting and positive relationships between teachers and families are essential in the development of every child.
To support this important partnership, we will have constant communication with parents and will be planning various types of simple yet exciting family events throughout the year.
What is
play based learning?
Play-based learning is a type of early childhood education that focuses on child-centered and open-ended play. Play-based-learning is not a method or philosophy in itself, it is an approach that is inspired from & and can mix different approaches and important philosophies. .
Why choose
play based learning?
It’s simple, we trust science, and science supports play! Past and current research demonstrates the power and importance of play, especially in the early years.
Children are intuitively driven, interested and motivated to play; therefore it incites learning in the most natural and enjoyable way for them. Play is children's first language. When children are engaged in play, chemicals are constantly released in the brain opening up pathways that stimulate their “thinking/learning brain”. When children play they are in a relaxed state and this is one of the most important aspects for learning to occur.
Through play children learn valuable and important life skills which set the stage for later academic learning and life.
We truly trust play and we see the magic in it everyday!
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At WONDeR, we use as a backbone the "Beyond Centers and Circle Time" By Pamela C. Phelps. This program serves as a guide for our teachers to plan, organize and scaffold play experiences for all our children. This play-based guide is backed up by current and past research on child development and supported by the theories of Vygotsky, Piaget, Freud, and Erikson.
BCCT examines the development of the child engaged in the three main types of play, which include sensorimotor, construction, and dramatic play.
Additionally, we support our program with studies from Peter Gray, Lisa Murphy, and other significant researchers in early education and psychology. This backing ensures a well-rounded and holistic experience for your child, fostering their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Importantly, our approach does not prioritize academics.
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We are proud to announce that we are among the first centers in Latin America and the very first in Panama to pursue the CURIOSITY APPROACH accreditation.
The CURIOSITY APPROACH is a holistic approach to early childhood education that prioritizes curiosity, awe, and wonder in learning. It emphasizes creating environments that inspire children to explore, discover, and engage with the world around them. At its core, the Curiosity Approach encourages the use of authentic and intelligent resources, such as natural loose parts and recycled materials, to spark creativity and imagination.
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By embracing the CURIOSITY APPROACH, we are dedicated to maintaining a child-led program and ensuring that our team and center are equipped with the latest research and opportunities that support this innovative approach to early childhood education.
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SENSORIMOTOR
play
DRAMATIC
play
CONSTRUCTION
play
CURIOSITY APPROACH
PLAY GUIDE
CoNCIoUS DiSPLINe
We use strategies from Conscious Discipline by Dr. Becky Bailey. If you are interested in learning more, please visit:
CONSTRUCTION
play
We set the stage for creativity & imagination to flourish through exploration and hands on making!
General
Information
ENROLLMENT
DAILY SCHEDULE
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8:00/8:30 am – 11:30/12:00pm
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Drop off starts at 8:00am until 8:30am
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Pick-up starts at 11:30am until 12:00pm
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Extended Schedule until 1:00pm (additional cost)
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Need bus service? Let us know for further details.
UNIFORM
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Children need to wear our branded t-shirt with short or long pants of choice.
LOCATION
Casa #11, Calle Eduardo Maduro Lindo, Coco del Mar, Panama
2024 SCHOOL CALENDAR
TUITION & FEES 2025
Our program accepts children starting at 18 months up to 4 years of age (or until big school)
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Enrollment is open year-round, as long as we have available spots.
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Formal registration for upcoming school year opens every August.
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*If you are interested in enrolling, we strongly suggest contacting us before registration opens as we have very limited spots.
Our program runs from February through December.
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*Some dates are subject to change
We have a beautiful & spacious house in a quiet street in Coco Del Mar with an amazing terrace and backyard. Our center is divided into various types of large play spaces that have been carefully designed and planned to support the implementation of our high quality play-based early childhood program.
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Our play areas include macro-dramatic play,micro-dramatic play,construction, art, indoor gym, outdoor terrace and backyard with sand area.
Our Wonderful FaCilities
Safety
At Wonder we have comprehensive measures in place to ensure your child’s safety.
We have a security system with cameras that allows us to monitor inside and outside the building.
This is NOT available for parents, as we need to protect other children’s identity.
Our facilities have current certifications with SINAPROC, BOMBEROS, MINSA as well as MIDES.
Our staff maintains current certifications in pediatric
CPR and First Aid.
Summer Camp
We will be offering a 2-3 week summer camp every January for current students and open public.
Check instagram for details.
ExtracurricularS
We offer different extracurricular activities.
Currently:
Baby Art Sensory Play (upon request)
Interested in bringing your after-school to wonder? Contact us!
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