Who We Are

Dundarave Preschool by the Sea has been operating at the Dundarave Fieldhouse site on a non-profit basis since it opened in 1949, at which time it was known as Hollyburn Playschool. Seventy-Five plus years later, the building has retained its historical charm and quaint atmosphere.

Originally it had been a Parent Participation Preschool (PPP) when in 1994 it was decided to employ fully qualified Early Childhood Education teachers. The caliber and creativeness of the teachers is what makes Dundarave Preschool a great place to be. 

 The teachers, parents and preschoolers have contributed much to the school and community. Over the years, significant funds have been put toward the maintenance and improvement of the Dundarave Fieldhouse building and surrounding site in an endeavour to keep its charming character. Children have fun helping in the picking and planting of various flowers surrounding the school. In 1999, the Preschool created its own fundraising campaign "Outreach for the Beach" in an effort to help fund the upgrade of the outdoor playground, a shared community space. The playground has been enjoyed by the children of the preschool and community for over 24 years now.

Our Inspiration

Through our play-based program, preschool-aged children are given the opportunity to develop their social, emotional, physical and intellectual selves in a safe and caring child-centered environment. We encourage self-esteem and independence and a love of the outdoors. The children are in an environment where tolerance, respect and consideration are given to all.

  • We are a non-profit society, overseen by Vancouver Coastal Health and regulated by the Government of British Columbia. A voluntary parent board of directors manages the school itself. The actual programming of the classes is overseen and carried out by the team of teachers along with the input from the children and families enrolled in the program. The building is owned by the Municipality of West Vancouver and leased to Dundarave Preschool by the Sea.

  • Children should be toilet trained, however those who are not fully independent are welcome in our program….

  • Our daily programming includes outdoor play, 'messy play', and paints. We encourage families to send their children to school in clothes that can get messy and appropriate for that day's weather (muddy buddies, boots, hats, and mittens for rainy or cold days; shorts, hats and sunscreen for warmer days).

  • Separation anxiety is very common in preschool-aged children. The teachers are trained to deal with these issues and have many experiences to draw knowledge from in this area of child development! The teachers and the parents will decide together when it is 'time to go' for the parent. If a child cries when the parent leaves, the teacher will comfort the child and reflect their feeling back to them. The teachers will reassure the child that their parent/caregiver will return and will point out the schedule of the day to the child, showing them when their caregiver will return. Quite often, the crying is short lived and the child quickly becomes involved in play and is content for the rest of the session. In the rare instance that the child cries for an extended period of time, the teacher will contact the parent/caregiver and have them return to their child. The extended period of time will be decided upon between the teacher and parent/caregiver prior to the parent/caregiver leaving the child.

  • No. Controlling the ratio of girls to boys in a class is against the Human Rights Code and is not practiced in our school

  • Participation is all up to you. Some parents find that their work commitments don't allow them the opportunity of participating in different aspects of the preschool. Other parents can, whether it's hanging out during 'outdoor play' time or becoming involved as a board member.

    There's one aspect of running Dundarave Preschool that is important to have parents participate in - and that's fundraising activities. As a non-profit, every year the preschool relies on extra funds raised to off-set operating costs. The school usually holds 2 fundraising initiatives through the year, i.e. a silent auction and garage sale. This fundraising wouldn't be a success without parent involvement. We make it easy to participate by basing various jobs on the time commitment that parents able to offer.