EARLY CHILDHOOD

In this class, the child begins in the fall with their parent similar to our Parent-Child Class. Throughout the fall semester, parents and children will share songs, circle time, indoor play/outdoor play, child/adult crafts, a healthy snack and a puppet play.

In the New Year (2021), the parent gradually phases out of the classroom, and the child continues on with their teachers in the same rhythm until the end of the school year. This class supports children and adults as a ‘bridge’ from Parent-Child class to be ready to attend school the following fall. Children must be 2 years old by January 1st, 2021. This class meets on Fridays 9:30-11:30 am.
Children must be 2 years old by January, 1st 2021

The Nursery provides a warm, nurturing bridge between home and school. Held within the embrace of our daily, weekly, and yearly rhythm, children learn how to gain independence and trust in the world beyond home. Children explore language through finger-plays, games, poetry, song, and stories. Ample opportunities for large movement allow children to integrate sensorimotor systems, and social development is fostered as children learn to navigate the dynamics of working and playing with others.

The Nursery welcomes children aged two and a half to four and a half. We offer a 5-day morning option (Monday-Friday), a 3-day morning option (Wednesday-Friday) or a 2-day morning option (Monday-Tuesday). Each morning runs 8:45 am-12:45 pm. The nursery classes will be reserved for our youngest students, and are open to children who are using the bathroom independently and will be between the ages of two and a half and four and a half as of September 1, 2020.

Kindergarten provides a magical world for the young child. Literacy is taught through the emergent literacy model; games, songs, stories, and verse teach syntax, structure, word order, and phonological awareness. Love of story is fostered through oral storytelling, puppetry and plays. Math skills are also brought in lively and meaningful ways, such as finger plays or counting napkins for the table. A sense of purpose and contribution to the community comes in many ways: children help prepare the daily snack, care for the classroom, and work in the garden. Social learning continues to be a focus of growth, and curiosity and scientific discovery is encouraged through interaction with the natural world. Fine-motor development is acquired through long-term handwork projects and crafts, while gross-motor skills are attained through circle, open-ended movement, and outdoor play. Special attention is paid to sensorimotor systems which, when fully consolidated in early childhood, provide a sound foundation for successful academic learning later in childhood.

Our mixed-age Kindergarten program welcomes children who are age three and a half by September 1st, to six-year-olds. We offer 5-day Kindergarten for the 2020-2021 school year.

Rest Nest, an extended day option for children once they turn 5 and will be offered from 12:45 pm-3:15 pm. Full-day kindergarten is a wonderful opportunity for the older child to prepare for his or her transition to the 1st grade with longer school days. The full-day kindergarten program includes rest time, snack, circle time and outdoor play.