DIG Childhood Center grew out of the Venice Parents Daycare & Preschool. Since 2011, we have been building our community and programs in the spirit of the original cooperative. Our child-directed program focuses on each individual’s social and emotional well-being. We provide this support via our wonderful Outdoor Classroom, our free-flowing space, and our low teacher-to-student ratio.

At DIG, we believe in spending time outside, rain or shine, and connecting with natural materials – plants and trees, dirt and water, stones and wood. Our child-directed program focuses on each individual’s social and emotional well-being. We provide this support via our wonderful Outdoor Classroom, our free-flowing space, and our low teacher-to-student ratio.At DIG we also believe that feeling and being safe is a basic human right and we wholeheartedly support Black Lives Matter.

At DIG we offer a safe, nurturing, sensory-rich environment where parents share in their child’s first school experience outside of the home. 

Teachers, parents, and children can work, play, learn, and grow together as a family and as a supportive community.

As a community we agree to combat racism, homophobia, classism, ageism, bodyism, sexism, and religious and non-religious discrimination. Nor do we discriminate on the basis of national origin, ethnic origin, ableness, special needs, or gender identity. We also believe that feeling and being safe is a basic human right and we wholeheartedly support Black Lives Matter.

We believe that a creative, developmentally-appropriate, child-directed learning environment—supported by family—can create a positive attitude towards future learning. We promote individual interests and offer a varied environment for exploration and discovery, we support the growing physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs of the whole child.

The Preschool program is geared toward children from 2 years to 6 years old. Our program is child-directed and play-based with an emphasis on emergent curriculum that grows from each child's individual curiosities. We believe that connecting with children allows us to learn what they are communicating through their behavior. Our role is to support their feelings and to help them gain tools to appropriately express themselves. Children free flow through our indoor and outdoor environments. Our 1 to 4 teacher to child ratio allows us to truly support each child’s emotional, physical and cognitive needs.