FAQs

Why Our Camps Are License-Exempt

Under California Title 22 (Child Care Licensing Regulations), programs that provide instructional activities in a classroom-like setting during regular school vacation periods are exempt from child-care licensing. This exemption applies as long as our camp sessions, when added together, do not exceed 30 days per year for school-age children.

Because California now recognizes Transitional Kindergarten (TK) as part of the K–12 system, children 4 years and older are considered “school-age” for this exemption. This allows us to legally offer our art and sensory camps to children ages 4–7 during school breaks without requiring a child-care center license.

We remain fully compliant with the safety standards, ratios, and practices expected of programs serving this age group.

Why Our Nature Preschool Cannot Be Licensed (Yet)

While we would love to license our Nature Preschool, current California licensing regulations under Title 22 do not permit fully outdoor-only preschool programs to become licensed. Community Care Licensing requires preschools to have specific indoor classroom space that meets square-footage, bathroom, and environmental requirements. Because our program is intentionally entirely outdoors, we do not fit into the existing licensing structure.

However:

  • We operate with the same safety standards, supervision guidelines, ratios, and procedures required of licensed programs.

  • We regularly review Title 22 requirements to ensure we are aligned with what would be required indoors.

  • We are committed to becoming licensed as soon as California allows outdoor-only programs to be licensed in the future. We strongly support ongoing efforts in the state to update regulations to include outdoor and nature-based early education programs.

Our Commitment to Safety and Quality

Even when a program is “license-exempt,” we hold ourselves to the highest standards in:

  • Staff training and background checks

  • Child safety and supervision

  • Emergency procedures

  • Environmental safety

  • Developmentally appropriate curriculum

  • Clear parent communication

Our goal is to provide an enriching, safe, and intentional learning environment—whether in our indoor studio programs or out in nature.