Preschool

  • We believe the best learning takes place in a collaborative and interactive environment. Teachers work to help children develop their conceptual knowledge, which contributes to the development of social and physical skills. Each day’s curriculum is designed to expand the child’s mental, physical, and emotional growth.
  • The preschool program for three- to five-year-olds focuses on a positive self-image and expression through language, music, art, and exploration activities. The schedule includes a balance of active and passive play with both large and small group activities.
  • We use our project approach to integrate language, science, art and math into their daily curriculum. Morning and afternoon meetings are a huge part of their day. These make the children collaborators who are also responsible for their learning. Journal writing is also a frequent activity in the preschool classes.
  • As children mature, they learn that with freedom comes responsibility. Children learn to become responsible for their own learning. They are given choices and are expected to behave responsibly toward others and their environment. Both formal and informal respectful relationships, with teachers as well as other students, promote an atmosphere of care, healthy communication, and trust.
  • Although we are not a strictly academic program, school readiness skills are integrated throughout the preschool daily schedule. The children who graduate from our program are well prepared for kindergarten, academically as well as socially and emotionally.
  • Pre-Kindergarten Readiness* We are passionate in our belief that authentic, hands-on learning is the most appropriate curriculum for young children. They naturally pick up the early academic skills they need throughout the day when they are given engaging learning opportunities tailored to their interests and needs. At the same time, though, this approach is quite different from what they will experience in kindergarten, and we want them to carry their confidence and excitement for learning forward into their K-12 years and beyond, not to feel blindsided by wildly different expectations when they get there.

    * To this end, we have a “Pre-K” program for about 30 minutes every morning. Our oldest children (those who will go to kindergarten next fall) have a small-group experience in which they practice kindergarten readiness skills — taking their classroom academic skills to the next level while adding new ones (such as learning the difference between a coloring page and an actual worksheet) so they will be solidly ready for kindergarten in the fall. Our goal is to find a balance between enough exposure that kindergarten is a natural progression and not a shock, but not so much academic emphasis that it makes kindergarten a repeat or detracts from their play-based learning opportunities this year. We have had this program in place for several years now and it has been quite successful.