a Junior Kindergarten Program located in the heart of
Santa Monica.
Roots & Wings is an independent, year-long program thoughtfully designed to prepare children 4.9-5.3 years old for a successful and confident transition to Kindergarten.
Now Accepting Applications for 2026-2027
We believe in learning through play & fostering a culture of kindness in an environment of outdoor education. With a multi-cultural & anti-bias curriculum, we have a 30+ year legacy as a leading early childhood center on the Westside of Los Angeles.
Children develop foundational skills through a multi-dimensional program rooted in nature-based philosophies, STEAM, and naturally focused hands-on experiential learning.
Roots & Wings began in 2022 at our Aldersgate campus in the Pacific Palisades. Today, we have begun a new chapter at our Clover Park Campus, allowing us to expand our Seven Arrows Way of Education as we invite even more families to join our community and benefit from our transformative program and centrally located campus, bordering Santa Monica’s beloved Clover Park. For more information on the variety of early educational programming offered via our Way of Education, please refer to the Q&A section below.
our educational mission.
Through our methodologies, Roots and Wings is able to adequately prepare four and five-year-olds for Kindergarten and continued developmental success thereafter.
Roots and Wings prepares children for the demands of Kindergarten through a strong emphasis on social emotional skills, problem solving, and peer collaboration, as well as naturally apply the scientific methods. These core tenets of positive cognitive growth contribute to a strong foundation of academic readiness that is essential to lifelong success as global citizens.
The above, coupled with our extremely well-trained teachers & staff, specializing in early childhood education, make this a magical place to educate your children.
The Roots and Wings JK has been an amazing program for my younger son. When we enrolled, it was a new program - the first year - the trial, basically. Inherent in anything new, I expected stumbles and fumbles along the way, and miraculously, there have been none. From the incredibly detailed curriculum, to their outdoor exploration, to the sports & art programming…every single lesson in this program is intentional, thoughtful, and perfectly executed.
The curriculum is a blend of the arts, community, outdoor education, environmental activism and an introduction to math, critical thinking, as well as language arts. They’ve woven in specialties like fine art and PE, which the kids eat up; their minds exploding with all this newfound information.
The teaching staff is the most thorough I’ve ever seen. They’re watching everything with the highest level of observation, even down to social nuances, or which shoes fit my son best. And with the setting being on the grounds of the elementary school, this affords the students a sense of big kindness and autonomy; like they are a part of something larger. Community.
This program has something for every student…the athlete, the artist, the builder, the nature child, and everything above and in between.
– Jessica Fogel ScottDiscover our Curriculum In Action
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Discover our Curriculum In Action •
Book a tour.
The First Step.
During the admissions season for 2026–2027, tours will be held on Thursdays from 9:00–10:00am by appointment, starting in October 2025 through early February. Book now and complete an important step of our admissions process!
We are currently accepting applications for limited spaces for the 2025-2026 school year.
We are also accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year. To start the process, sign up to book a tour, by clicking the button below.
Why Roots & Wings?
We are currently accepting applications for limited spaces for the 2025-2026 school year.
We are also accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year. To start the process, sign up to book a tour, by clicking the button below.
As an extension of our early childhood program started over 30 years ago in Temescal Canyon, Roots & Wings was the earliest iteration of what later became known as The Seven Arrow Way of Education. What started as a dynamic after-school & enrichment program, later grew into expanded ventures including: cultural programming called Global Festivals (launched with the participation of Jane Goodall), a Preschool & TK called Little Dolphins by the Sea, an Elementary called Seven Arrows Elementary, and an educational-based travel program called Global Outreach.
Due to demand, we launched this educational program, Roots & Wings; the original name with which we started.
Our Junior Kindergarten program shares our new, beautiful campus in Santa Monica with Seven Arrows Elementary’s Kindergarten through 6th Grade, as well as with our Service Learning hot lunch program, Edible Garden Kitchen (egk) an offering available to our entire community.
Q&A:
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A: Research shows developmental delays in young children who stayed home during the pandemic. Seven Arrows was the only school to stay open during lockdown, offering an educational camp on the beach while other schools were online-only. Seven Arrows was the first elementary school in the area to safely open on-campus. We are ready to extend our programs to younger children who desperately need the social-emotional and motor skill development to be ready for kindergarten.
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A: Please see a full sample schedule, as well as learn about our Way of Education on our Philosophy page.
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A: We believe that students learn best through experiential learning integrated with explicit instruction.
Reading is developmental and children learn when they are ready. If your child is ready to read, they will be taught to at their own level; we meet them where they are. Roots and Wings will offer a very differentiated education program in language arts and math to ensure each child is taught at their level. This will enhance their learning and ensure readiness for Kindergarten.
We offer a strong emphasis on the STEAM education, social thinking , mindfulness with a focus on social-emotional development through play. We emphasize character development and communication.
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A: Our founder, and JK Director, Margarita Pagliai has longstanding and deep relationships with the top private elementary schools of Los Angeles. The Roots and Wings outbound admissions team will become a partner with parents to support them in finding the very educational best match for their child. We will walk parents through the complex application process and help with decision making with a tailor-made strategy for each student.
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A: Roots and Wings offers a complete social emotional curriculum focused on resilience, kindness and hope. We will work closely with each child to help them develop self-awareness and expand their communication skills. Learning vocabulary and expression will prepare the students to effectively communicate their feelings in their own voice. We will emphasize cooperation, manners and teamwork.
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A: We are pleased to offer multiple campuses so that we can serve the most children & families with our Seven Arrows Way of Education. Our TK program at Little Dolphins is located in Santa Monica, whereas the Roots & Wings Center Junior Kindergarten is located at our Clover Park Campus and is for ages 4.9-5.3 years only.
While we are non-competitive sister-schools, we do not offer direct reciprocity. Each school has its own admissions office. Please apply to whichever TK or JK program best suits your family’s needs. If you need help determining this, please reach out to our admissions office. -
A: No, there is no automatic admission to Seven Arrows Elementary from Roots & Wings Center JK. Each school has its own admissions office; Roots & Wings Center JK students do not have an automatic or better chance of admittance at Seven Arrows Elementary than TK students at Little Dolphins by the Sea.
If you would like to apply to Seven Arrows Elementary following your time at either of our earliest educational programs (LD & R&W Center), you are invited to apply directly at the Seven Arrows Elementary Admissions Office.Thank you for your interest in our Way of Education!
Fast Stats.
Roots and Wings Junior Kindergarten
Age Group: 4.9 - 5.3 years
Group Size: 16 Children
Teachers: Two full-time Teachers & specialty teachers. Hours: 8:15am-3:00pm
Learn –> Play.
Play to Learn.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
— Jane Goodall
The Seven Arrows Way of Education
a family of schools
To learn more about us, book an admissions tour, discover our way of education, and find out what has made our family of schools leaders in our over 30+ years of experience.
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