Marija Horvat
Director and lead teacher
Marija started Lichen and teaches in the room. She writes the weekly documentation, sits with every family at the first tour and is at the door most mornings.
A Reggio-inspired preschool for ages 3 to 5
Light, loose parts and time to follow an idea
Lichen is a small preschool in Anacortes with a studio of natural materials. Children work on projects that run for weeks, and their teachers write down what they say and wonder.
The studio shelves
Light and loose parts, out on the shelves
Nothing in the studio is a kit. Children get materials they can move, combine and change, and the teachers change what is on offer as the children's questions change.
- Window table
Leaves and a magnifying glass
Leaves, seed heads and a magnifying glass sit where the morning sun lands. Children look closely and say what they see, and a teacher writes it down.
- Light table
Colored buttons and discs
Sorted into dishes by one child, spread across the lit panel by the next. The colors overlap, and so do the ideas about what to make with them.
- Floor tray
Smooth stones
Stones of every size to line up, stack and arrange. A spiral in the morning can become a path, a nest or a map of the yard by the afternoon.
- Shelf by the door
Wool, sticks and twine
For wrapping, tying and weaving. Children bring in sticks from the yard, and the shelf is restocked with whatever they find.
- Studio table
Clay and found things
Wet clay, shells and seed pods. Bowls, creatures and small cities are built, looked at and sometimes squashed to begin again.
- Sand tray
Shells and sand
A shallow tray of sand with shells to sort, bury and uncover. It is quiet work, and some children settle here before they join the group.
Programs
One room of mixed ages, three ways to spend the week
| Ages | Adults to children | Group size | Three mornings8:30 am to 12:00 pmMon, Wed, Fri | Five mornings8:30 am to 12:00 pm5 days | School day8:30 am to 2:30 pm5 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The room3-year-oldsMixed in age with the 4-year-olds and led by two teachers | 1 adult to 10 children | 20 | Offered | Offered | WaitlistLunch from home |
| The room4-year-oldsThe oldest children, who often lead a project | 1 adult to 10 children | 20 | Offered | Offered | OfferedLunch from home |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Holds a place in the room and covers the paperwork of enrolling.
- Studio materials
- Covers the year's clay, paper and paint and the loose parts we put on the shelves.
- Walks and visits
- Covers the occasional walk to the library, a gallery or the waterfront.
Every child moves at their own pace, and the two teachers follow each child's projects across the weeks.
Sample programs.
In the studio
Hands at work
Close views of an ordinary morning in the studio.
Sample photos.
Safety and license
Who licenses Lichen, and how we look after the room
License
Licensed by Washington DCYF
Child care center license · WA License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 10 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 20
1 adult to 10 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 20
Group size
Up to 20 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
20
Ages 3 years to 5 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
Arrival and pickup
An adult greets every child at the door and signs them in. At pickup a child goes only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID at the door until we know you.
Allergies and snacks
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. We ask families not to send nuts, and snack is prepared at a table with a teacher beside the children.
When a child is unwell
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes unwell here, we call you right away and a teacher stays close until you arrive.
Studio materials
A teacher looks over every material before it goes on a shelf. Small pieces come out only when a teacher is at the table, and the studio is tidied and checked at the end of each day.
The yard and headcounts
We count heads each time children move between the studio, the room and the yard, and we practice fire and earthquake drills with the children.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Your teachers
The two teachers you will meet at the door
Two teachers are in the room every day, and you will meet both at your tour.
Yasaman Amini
Studio teacher
Yasaman runs the studio. She sets out each week's materials, works with a few children at a time on their projects and keeps the loose parts shelves stocked.
What families say
4.9
26 reviews
5★23
4★3
3★0
2★0
1★0
“Our daughter comes home talking about the studio. The panels on the wall let us see what she has been thinking about all week.”
Annika L.“The tour was a real morning, not a performance. Both teachers stopped to talk to us, and neither of them hurried.”
Tomas B.“It is quiet in the room and busy in the studio. We liked how much time the children are given to finish what they start.”
Priya S.
Sample reviews.
Visit
Come to the studio on a Tuesday or Thursday morning
A tour takes about 45 minutes. You see the studio, the room and the yard on a real morning, and we answer whatever you ask.