Early Childhood Education in Santa Monica: Untitled No. 1
January 27, 2023 10:39 AM
by Ivy Chang
The first years of life are the best time to ensure a strong future for all Santa Monica children. Early education advances equity and is essential for thriving families and communities. Whether children begin care as infants, toddlers, or preschoolers, Santa Monica is home to a wide range of early learning programs, with varying curriculums, hours, and costs.
Enriching and safe care should be available to all children, regardless of their family’s income, needs, race or ethnicity, or the languages they speak. Connections for Children, our local Child Care Resource and Referral agency, can help you find a program that meets your needs and determine if you qualify for funding to help pay for it (connectionsforchildren.org or (310) 452-3325).
Our communities are stronger when every child is healthy, safe, and engaged in early learning. Read on to learn about the passionate and diverse professionals doing this important work in Santa Monica. This is Part 9 of a series.
Program Name: Untitled No. 1
Program Founder: Laila Taslimi
Ages of children served: 3 – 6 years old
Operating Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, year-round
Brief History: After teaching elementary school in Santa Monica for 17 years and at the UCLA Lab School for one year, Laila Taslimi was inspired to open her own non-profit, affordable, and full-day program focused on serving families from all backgrounds in 90404.
Why did you choose to make Untitled No.1 a nature-focused and green preschool?
Untitled distinguishes itself by our level of sustainable operation. We are not only nature-focused, we are also the greenest preschool I know, and, as a small center, we aspire to be an example for implementing environmentally conscious principles across all areas such as clean water and air, fitness (our children are tree-climbers!), and nutrition (we prepare and serve all our snacks and lunches onsite using highest quality and mostly organic ingredients sourced locally, and we compost!) Nature has a lot of power and influence over all living things, but especially over humans. Young children are fresh, and very attuned to their environments. Exposing them to the outdoors is so beneficial because it has a calming, awe-inspiring effect, the power to fascinate, and to nurture their curiosity. Nature-based for us means spending as much time as possible outdoors, on rocks, wood, trees, planting, harvesting, and using natural materials.
Share more about Untitled No. 1’s commitment to serving Santa Monica families from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
Our non-profit sponsors the scholarship program based on a family’s income. One third of our families pay nothing, a third receive a partial scholarship, and a third pay full tuition. This model comes from the basic tenet of our school, which is that a diverse range of children learn best together, not in separate programs based on their parents’ income. Children benefit from being “in community” with others to develop their attention to themselves and those with whom they share the planet. And families too need the camaraderie in a supportive school community. What I believe is unique at Untitled is our commitment to diversity—that balance across income levels.
Can you explain the inspiration behind the name of your school, Untitled No. 1?
If you were to go to a museum where a photograph, painting, or sculpture is Untitled, you look at and comprehend it as you imagine. Our school’s name is borrowed from the art world where an artist chooses not to put a title on what they create. Untitled No. 1 is defined by who is here, the time they are here, and what they see in it. That connotes the openness that we believe in. We are what you make of us, whether teachers, families, or children at our school, or the wider community and world. We are who we all are, and that evolves. We are passionate teachers devoted to celebrating the joy we each bring with us, and we promote the equality of all people, which necessitates abolishing what impedes it.
Please contact Untitled No. 1 directly at untitledno1.org or (310) 264-1664 for more information.
Past blog posts:
How Early Childhood is an Investment in the Future
3 Reasons Why Early Childhood Matters in Santa Monica
Homepage for ECE Blog Post Series
Authored By
Ivy Chang
Senior Administrative Analyst