Preschool

Educational model:

• Small classes with a 6:1 student-teacher ratio, providing ample time for teachers to work with and understand children individually
• Teachers with extensive training based on emergent practices, ongoing research and a 60-year record of success
• Use of child development specialists as part of the educational team – providing more resources dedicated to each child
• Respect for each child as an individual with unique strengths and weaknesses, and a curriculum tailored to his or her specific needs
• Language and writing skills are built into all aspects of the curriculum, frequently using teacher- and children-made books
• Numbers and math are taught using concrete materials, allowing the children to discover math concepts as they explore the wide variety of manipulatives provided
• Social studies, science and art are taught using an emergent-curriculum approach
• Focus on helping children identify their feelings and put them into words
• Emphasis on teacher and peer relationships as a foundation to learning
• Encouragement for each child to explore and master a variety of skill sets, while making limits and boundaries explicit so children develop their own inner controls
• Practices that empower children to resolve differences with others in cooperative and constructive ways