About Us

We strongly believe in the value of play and encouraging children to learn to be part of a community. Being part of the classroom community involves meeting with large groups at various times throughout the day, such as story time. Special classroom activities, including routines and rituals help children feel included and create a bond between them and their teachers.

Children learn best through self-directed play. Therefore, a significant portion of our day will involve child-directed play both outdoors and inside the classroom. When children spend most of their day outdoors, they wonder better, move more efficiently, and learn to be better stewards of God's kingdom. Extended play, facilitated by caring, compassionate, and curious teachers, develops children's cognitive, social and emotional skills by allowing them to engage with and respond to their environment, try new things, and problem-solve. Extended play also fosters creativity and imagination and supports children’s well-being and physical development. 

Quality early childhood education can be messy and noisy in the best way. If you walk into one of our classrooms any morning, you will see children actively guiding their play with toys and open-ended materials. Teachers sit with and near children, observing, asking questions, and supporting their play by setting the stage and creating a safe and inviting environment ready for exploration and fun. 
 
Play-based learning is an educational approach where children learn through active, imaginative engagement with people, objects, and the environment. This pedagogy is centered on the idea that play is a natural and essential part of child development, fostering holistic growth in physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and creative areas. 
 
Children are physically and mentally involved in their activities, rather than passively receiving information. Learning is often driven by the child's own curiosity and interests, allowing them to organize, construct, manipulate, and investigate their surroundings. Through play, children create scenarios and interact with their environment to understand how things work and make sense of their experiences. It promotes a wide range of skills, including problem-solving, negotiation, symbolic representation, and early literacy and numeracy skills, often integrated seamlessly into play activities. 
 
While child-led, a teacher's role is crucial in scaffolding the play. This means educators observe, guide, and extend the learning experience by providing prompts, new materials, or asking thought-provoking questions, ensuring educational goals are met.  It encourages working with others and using imagination to create something new, whether it's a shared game, a building with blocks, or a pretend scenario. 

We believe in the value of children learning to be part of a community. This means that being part of the classroom community involves meeting in large groups at various points during the day, such as during story time. Special classroom activities and rituals help children feel included and foster a bond between children and teachers.

We believe children learn best through self-directed play. Therefore, a significant portion of our day will involve child-directed play both outdoors and inside the classroom. When children spend much of their day outdoors, they wonder better, move more efficiently, and learn to be better stewards of God's kingdom. Extended play, facilitated by caring, compassionate, and curious teachers, develops children's cognitive and social skills.

We believe that quality early childhood education can be a little messy and a little noisy. If you walk into one of our classrooms any morning, you will see children actively guiding their play with toys and open-ended materials. Teachers sit with and near children, observing, asking questions, and supporting their play by setting the stage and creating a safe and inviting environment ready for exploration and fun. 

What is Play-Based Learning?
In a play-based program, children select activities that align with their current interests. The term "play-based" is often used interchangeably with "child-centered," which can describe most available preschool programs. The play-based classroom is divided into sections, including dramatic play, sensory table, library, building blocks, various toys, and other designated areas. Teachers encourage children to play, facilitating the development of social skills along the way. "Even though it seems like they are just playing, they are learning valuable skills, including important social skills and cooperation with others, learning about signs (as most items are labeled), and early math," says Jenifer Wana, author of "How to Choose the Best Preschool for Your Child." 

"Chaos doesn't necessarily reign in a play-based preschool, but there will be play, and there will not be silence. Discussion between teachers and students is ongoing. Teachers will encourage kids to play and facilitate ongoing learning opportunities while teaching concepts through songs and games. You can likely expect a few structured learning times, but teacher-supervised free play is the name of the game."