What is Sunshine Academy?
Sunshine Academy is perfect for parents who are generally unhappy with their choices for childcare. Too often parents are forced to choose between a large center where there is too little supervision and a lot of chaos OR an inhome environment that can offer little mental stimulation and seldom offers opportunity for positive personal development. Sunshine Academy is licensed, but it is NOT a daycare. It is an academy that offers very unique programs to children with strong emphasis on positive thinking, self esteem, and arts awareness.
What Will My Child do at Sunshine Academy? Every child, regardless of age, has classes in French, Sign Language, Social Etiquette, Classical Music, Literature, Spanish, Art History, Science, Piano, Music Theory, Ballet, Manners, and also has the opportunity to ride the Sunshine Academy pony, "Snickers". Younger children explore traditional themes such as printing, phonics, math, sensory development, rhythms, social studies and science. With all of this activity, we still provide children with plenty of free time/creative play to help them develop their social skills. The Sunshine Academy curriculum is very dedicated to introducing children to other cultures. This is done in a very fun manner through the means of tasting foreign foods, listening to native stories, and learning foreign languages.
Sunshine Academy also offers story time, drama, nature hikes, sports, and creative play. Homework assistance and tutoring is also provided.
OK...So what do you do with the younger kids?
These may sound like serious classes, but at Sunshine Academy our teachers are very talented at making learning fun. Even the preschool Shakespeare class is made into a game. In this way, we are able to open the classes to every age child. We create an academically enriching environment, but if you ask the kids, they'll respond (in one of the three languages they are learning) that, "We just have fun all day!"
During lessons, children are divided into groups based on age AND individual ability. All activities are carefully examined for age appropriateness so that no child is made to feel overly frustrated. We do believe in presenting children with challenges at Sunshine Academy, but constantly experiencing frustration is damaging to ones self esteem and may create a mind set against learning that will be set for life. With that in mind, our teachers are always gauging the difficulty of lessons and making the appropriate individual adjustments so that each child is challenged, yet is capable of success with a reasonable dedicated effort.
What are Your Class Sizes?

Sunshine Academy's average student:teacher ratio is 5:1. We believe that over crowding is one of the largest contributors to defiant conduct in children today. Over crowding creates a chaotic atmosphere and many facets of a child's character are left unnoticed and unattended. At least 100 times a day, a situation arises at Sunshine Academy where a child has a choice between right and wrong. Without guidance, a child can form the habit of making bad choices that will alter his or her behavior patterns. A teacher with 20 children can't possibly offer the guidance and behavioral assistance that is commonplace at Sunshine Academy. With our small ratios, we are able to single out each child and have a one on one discussion explaining the choices available as well as the consequences of those choices. We believe that part of our program's success is due to our ability to guide children in their choices, and this is a result of our small class sizes. Which Area Does Sunshine Academy Serve?
Sunshine Academy offers transportation to most North Thurston Public Schools. We are located 1 mile from Woodland Elementary in Olympia, WA.
Listing of Available Programs
Sunshine Academy Preschool: Ages 3-5
Kindergarten Enrichment: Ages 5-6
Before/After School Club: First-Sixth grade
After School Equestrian Team:First-Sixth grade

Email: sunshineacademy2@aol.com