Early Childhood

---

Ages: 3 - 6 years

Grades: Pre-K, Kindergarten

Our mixed-age Early Childhood program  includes children 3 - 6 years of age.

These younger children will benefit from developmentally appropriate play and engagement with their environment. Play and imitation of meaningful daily activities, such as helping prepare snack, participating in providing loving care for the environment, and involvement in artistic activities, e.g., painting, finger knitting, beeswax modeling,  help prepare the heart, mind, and body for the more formal academics of grade school. Please note: this earliest childhood school experience does not include lunch or aftercare options.

We believe there are many benefits to arranging our classes into mixed-age groups. Relationships between the teacher, the child and the parents deepen as they work together over time.  Children develop a sense of accomplishment and capability as they are allowed to expand and deepen their skills in the classroom while modeling this for the younger children. Younger children help keep imagination and wonder alive in the classroom. The expanded age range allows children varied social options and provides opportunities for rites of passage as each child grows older. Children develop cooperation and social flexibility within the diverse range of skill-sets in a mixed-age classroom. 

Our day unfolds in a warm, predictable rhythm that provides children with the security and confidence they need to grow and learn. We take great care to create healthy outdoor experience.  Our children learn to live in harmony with the natural environment, free to explore and discover the mysteries and beauty of our home planet.  Our early childhood program facilitates and supports healthy movement, conscious social interactions, and a strong connection to the natural world. A strong teacher/parent partnership helps the children feel at ease during the transition from home to school.  

At the heart of our early childhood program is our understanding that self-initiated play is critical to healthy development. As soon as children learn something new, they start to play with their new capacities, practicing and testing their skills until they tackle increasingly difficult tasks. Therefore, ample time for creative outdoor play is part of each morning. Our early childhood classes are outdoors, no matter the weather, for at least 1.5 hours a day of unstructured play.  Sheltered play is provided in our outdoor pavilion for specific artistic experiences and when necessary due to excessive rain or heat.

Circle time is a seasonal movement journey that incorporates fine and gross motor skills with song and verse. The circle includes rich pictorial language, rhythmic movement and imagination. It strengthens memory forces and spatial awareness, as well as healthy brain development. 

Children engage in a broad range of skill building, allowing them to expand their attention and focus while improving their dexterity. Painting, coloring, beeswax modeling, sewing and finger knitting are a few examples of artistic activities engaged in our program. Practical activities include caring for the classroom and tending our outdoor space. These activities are carried out with as much independence by the children as possible. Working with their hands provides a foundation for focused attention, critical thinking and problem solving. 

When children listen to stories, they develop an ability to listen, remember and sequence the elements of a story. Stories are told from memory and special attention is paid to the words chosen and pronunciation, to engage the children’s imaginations fully. With rich vocabulary and the development of listening comprehension, story time helps to create a strong foundation for emerging literacy skills. 

Our curriculum builds capacities within each child for language, problem solving, creativity, and concentration. Through exposure to stories, songs, movement exercises, art and handwork, students develop the cognitive and motor skills they need to transition into the academics of first grade. The rich imagination, social skills and excitement to learn that they develop in our mixed-age kindergarten serves our students throughout their life.