Pacifica: A Garden in the Siskiyous

A Garden in the Siskiyous is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which has been serving the community of southern Oregon since 1999. A unique 420-acre natural reserve, it is a nature center, botanic garden, educational site, and community center. Pacifica is dedicated to education and to celebration of the environment, plants, local arts, and community: past, present, and future. We offer summer day camps and overnight camps; field trips for homeschoolers, private schools, public schools, charter schools etc.; overnight outdoor school programs; and classes/workshops. The PALS: Pacifica Adventure Learning School offers classes for home-based learning students.

Location: Williams

Cost: Varies depending on program

Timeframe: Year-round

Website: pacificagarden.org or [email protected]

Phone: 541-846-1100 extension: 2

Grow Youth

Our Grow Youth Program provides students with hands-on experience in riparian restoration, invasive species removal, tree planting, monitoring, trail maintenance/construction, introductory wildlife management, interpretive sign design, construction of picnic benches, bat boxes, bird houses, etc., design of informational brochures for the community, installation and maintenance of pollinator gardens, and numerous other service learning projects. The focus of this program is to give students experience in the field of natural resource management in the form of project-based learning. Grow Youth empowers students to have a direct impact on a local community resource.

Location: Applegate

Cost: This program is grant funded, so it is free to participating schools. We are even able to help cover the cost of transportation to/from the project sites. We utilize Cantrall Buckley Park and the Provolt Recreation Site for this program. Participation at the Provolt Rec Site is conducted in partnership with the BLM.

Timeframe: September-June. Participating schools typically plan in advance for the upcoming school year.

Name: Eva King

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 406-531-2494

Website: applegatepartnership.org

Children’s Open Painting Studio

Dorothy Gales Event Centre. $10 drop in fee. All ages materials.

Cost: $10 drop in fee

Timeframe: Month of May 2023 After School

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 541-499-0104

Contact: Kimberly Schneeman

Applegate Outdoor School

A four-day (no overnight) place-based, standards-aligned outdoor school experience for 5th & 6th grade students at Cantrall Buckley Park. The curriculum consists of aquatic and terrestrial lessons including navigation, water quality, riparian areas, tree identification, forestry, and fire ecology.

Location: Applegate

Cost: $300 per student – this includes all programming expenses and food

Timeframe: Runs weekly in April and May. Schools and/or classes register on our website. School districts apply for state Measure 99 funds to cover the cost of attendance for every student in 5th or 6th grade. More information on Measure 99 money can be found here: https://outdoorschool.oregonstate.edu/

Contact:

Name: Eva King

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 406-531-2494

Website: applegatepartnership.org

SMART Reading

A children’s literacy nonprofit that serves kids in Oregon’s highest need schools with two ingredients critical for literacy and learning success: one-on-one reading time and access to books. We mobilize volunteers to read with PreK-3rd graders, building confidence, literacy skills and a love of reading. We provide a meaningful way for Oregonians to make a direct impact in their communities.

Location: Currently Serving Applegate Elementary, Ruch Outdoor Community School, and Williams Elementary

Cost: Free

Timeframe: Throughout the school year, during school hours.

Contact: Taylor Melgoza

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 541-734-5628

Website: https://smartreading.org/

Ruch Outdoor Community School

Nestled in the Applegate Valley, Ruch Outdoor Community School (ROCS) is a K-8 public school in the Medford School District. The school accounts for 77% of the district’s geographical area. ROCS operates a more enriched educational model which leverages characteristics of our rural community and unique bio-region in southern Oregon through place-based education and project-based learning.

Location: Ruch

Cost: FREE!

Timeframe: Medford School District Calendar

Name: Ryan King

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 541-842-3481

Website: www.ruchschool.org

Earthwise Forest School

Earthwise Forest School is a small, fully outdoor, nature immersion program operating at Pacifica. We have a mixed-aged preschool/kindergarten class and a 1st/2nd grade class designed to support homeschool families. We offer an academic year program that loosely follows the traditional school schedule from September-May with an extended winter break. Our curriculum includes naturalist skills like animal tracking and wild food foraging, earth-based handcrafts, and seasonal songs and stories. The 1st/2nd grade class also offers academic support in math, reading, and handwriting. In the 2023/2024 school year we will meet Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays from 9:30 am-2:00 pm, with an optional extended day from 2:00-4:00 pm.

Type: Preschool/Kindergarten

Location: Pacifica, WIlliams

Cost: Tuition is $425/month for the Sprouts class (preschool/kindergarten) and $500/month for the Saplings (1st/2nd grade). We are Teach NW vendors.

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.earthwiseforestschool.org/

Mountain Montessori

A homeschool classroom offering education for kindergarten through third graders in a class of ten children or less. Montessori prioritizes mixed-age, hands-on learning materials, work time that supports the development of focus and concentration, self-discovery, and deep respect. Montessori empowers children through personalized instruction, making making choices, collaboration, and independence.

Location: Williams

Cost: Annual tuition

Timing: School year, 4 days a week

Name: Karen Weary

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 541-525-5642

Website: http://www.sites.google.com/view/mountain-montessori

Wild Oak Preschool

Wild Oak Preschool offers a secular, nature-inspired curriculum that weaves together elements from Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, Montessori, and wild schooling philosophies. Daily rhythms feature teacher-led educational and arts activities as well as child-led unstructured exploratory and nature play, including indoor and outdoor time, and quiet, restorative time. We operate Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-2:30pm year-round.

Type: Preschool

Location: Williams Highway, Williams

Timeframe: Year-round, summer, extended care options possible

Cost: $575/month for full-time care Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-2:30pm. We accept ERDC.

Contact Name: Heather Paladini

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 336-937-2882

Website: www.wildoakpreschool.com