The Daycare runs from Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 12:30 NN for half-day children, and till 4:30 PM for full-day children. Parents can opt for a 3-, 4-, or 5-day half-day, or a 3- or 4-day full-day. There are no afternoon classes on Fridays.

Our first term is from June to October then the second term is November to March of the following year.

There are no Daycare classes at St Michael Playhouse on the following days:
• Philippine-government-declared holidays;
• typhoon signal no 1 declared by the weather bureau for Metro Manila;
• the City Government of Makati suspends classes due to weather conditions or for other emergencies;
• during the 5-day health break of the Nurturers, scheduled in August;
• in between terms, from late October to early November;
• holiday break from mid-December to early January of the following year;
• the full month of May

The child must have already turned 2 years old by the time the 4-week trial starts. The maximum age we accept is just under 5 years old at the start of the 4-week trial. A child may stay with us till she turns 5 years old.

We encourage new children to be enrolled in June, September, November and January, right after our scheduled breaks. But given our space limitations, and our requirement to maintain the proper Nurturer-to-child ratio (1 Nurturer to 5 children), we may keep a child on wait list as priority is given to previously-enrolled children.

Tuition is on a per term basis. Please send an email with your name and name and birth date of your child to st.michael.playhouse@gmail.com for more details. Tuition details are not given over the phone or by text.

This is not encouraged. The Daycare, though called that, does not operate as a drop-in center. The aim of the Daycare program at SMP is to help develop and nourish the life forces of a child in a timely, age-appropriate manner by maintaining a daily, consistent rhythm. The Nurturers invest a considerable amount of quality time in getting to know each child, understanding the family circumstances, and finding ways to consciously connect with a child. Should the parents wish to continue enrollment after a 4-week trial, they are strongly encouraged to complete the remainder of the term for their child the reap the full benefit of the program.

Back in the day, a child would try out classes for 3 to 5 days. But the Nurturers soon realized that this is barely enough time for a young child to adjust to being separated from his parents, and may spend his entire morning at the Daycare crying or longing for his mama, and not engaging at all in play. The 4-week trial:

• gives a chance for the child to slowly integrate into the Daycare;
• provides the Nurturers an unhurried opportunity to get to know the child;
• allows the parents to fairly determine if the Steiner/Waldorf approach is the kind of early childhood care they would like for their child.

The Nurturers meet with new parents before enrollment, and just before the 4-week trial is completed, meet with the parents again. Feedback is exchanged on the child’s adjustment, and the parents then decide whether or not to keep their child at SMP for the remainder of the term.

One trusted adult may stay in the room for a maximum of one calendar week. The adult, whether the parent or caregiver, is oriented on demeanor and behavior inside the room. They are also encouraged to come in with the consciousness of slowly “endorsing” their child to the Nurturer for a smooth transition from home care to Daycare.

A morning snack and lunch are provided for all children, plus an afternoon snack for the full-day children. We strive to serve unprocessed foods, use rice milk, whole wheat flour, brown rice, muscovado sugar, and Braggs liquid aminos. Snacks are fruit or cakes and bread baked by the children themselves. Most lunches have leafy vegetables, and fish occasionally flavors the broth. No dairy, eggs, nuts, red or white meat are used as ingredients. Parents are asked not to send any food or “baon” for their children.

The Steiner/Waldorf approach acknowledges that 0 to 7 years is the most important phase in the human being’s life. The only curriculum needed at this age is the daily life of the child, as the child learns by imitating the adults around her, and by processing her real-time experiences through play.

The task of the kindergarten teacher is to adapt the practical activities of daily life so that they are suitable for the child’s imitation through play. . . . The activities of children in kindergarten must be derived directly from life itself rather than being “thought out” by the intellectualized culture of adults. In the kindergarten, the most important thing is to give children the opportunity to directly imitate life itself.
—Rudolf Steiner, The Child’s Changing Consciousness

The daily life of the child is the only curriculum needed at this age. What is essential for the development of the young child are the presence of adults who perform meaningful activities; an environment that fosters healthy, imaginative play, surrounded by an atmosphere of love and warmth in an environment that nourishes the senses. Reading, writing, ‘rithmetic are then best suited for older children.

Real, meaningful work with a purpose, adjusted to the needs of the child, is in accordance with the child’s natural and inborn need for movement, and is an enormously significant educational activity. The teacher focuses on the meaningful activities that nurture life in the in the classroom “home,” such as cooking and baking, gardening, doing laundry and cleaning, creating and caring for the materials in the immediate environment, and taking care of the bodily needs of the children.
—Susan Howard, The Waldorf Kindergarten

Stories, songs, rhymes and folk tales are constantly heard by the child in a Waldorf kindergarten. These become the basis for the learning of speech, writing and reading later on.

All children (of the right age) are welcome at SMP. Religion is not taught. Part of the annual rhythm of the Waldorf schools all over the world is the celebration of Michaelmas and Advent, among other events. However it is the principles and ideals behind these festivals that are emphasized, rather than a reference to any faith.

Waldorf early childhood centers all over the world primarily use the country’s native language. This is to promote love of language that carries the impulse of the culture. The Nurturers at SMP speak and sing to the children generally in Filipino. The child responds more to the tone in which words are spoken or sung, rather than the words themselves. However as the demographic of SMP children has increasingly become more diversified, the Nurturers also speak and sing in English, and you’ll hear many Japanese words introduced too!

Certainly new parents wishing to explore SMP as an option are welcome to tour the premises and talk to the staff. Visits are strictly by appointment, usually Monday to Friday at 4:00 PM. Visitors are not allowed to peek into the rooms while sessions are on so as not to disrupt the children’s routine, but may see the rooms once the children are preparing to go home. Email st.michael.playhouse@gmail.com your name, and name and birth date of your child and ask to set an appointment.

The Parent-Child Program runs once a week, 9:00 am to 11:30 am. The program is organized into blocks of 5 to 8 weeks, depending on the time of year. Refer to our Calendar page for the upcoming block. Only 10 pairs of Parent-Child are accepted per block. Slots usually fill up very quickly, so it’s best to inquire ahead of time and have your name on the wait list, if there is one. Priority is given to participants in the current block for enrollment in the next one.

For the upcoming block, children 0 to 3 years old are accepted.

Preferably it is one and the same parent who attends with the child throughout the program, as rhythm and consistency are the bedrock of the Parent-Child program. The program promotes conscious bonding with your child, and is in essence a parenting class. The parent also takes on a craft or project for the block. Certainly in emergencies and unavoidable circumstances another trusted adult may attend with your child, as that is a better option than your child being absent, but the parent is strongly encouraged to attend majority of the sessions to gain the full benefit of the program. On occasion the second parent may join the class in lieu of the first parent, but the Nurturers must be informed in advance.

The Parent-Child program is not designed for drop-ins. It’s a developmental program throughout the block. Also, the Parent-Child block is limited to 10 pairs, and other pairs may have been turned away to accommodate your slot. Once a slot is confirmed and paid for, then the fee is not refundable. The Nurturers purchase supplies and materials at the beginning of the block according to the number of confirmed enrollments. If you already know in advance that you and your child will be absent for more than two sessions, it may be best to re-schedule your participation to another block. Constant absences disrupt not only your rhythm, but the rhythm of the other pairs too.

As long as your child is within the age range, you may attend as many blocks as you wish.

Due to space considerations, a block is limited to 10 pairs. A trial class can only be accommodated if less than 10 pairs have enrolled.