All of our classrooms are designed with learning centers, which give children the opportunity to play by themselves or in groups. The classroom itself is a prepared environment designed to provide children with only positive experiences. The furniture is scaled to their size, and thoughtfully placed in the room to achieve a natural flow of movement. Everything in the room is arranged in predictable fashion, so that children are able to take charge of their own learning, and to discover on their own. With its sensible structure, the classroom itself replaces the teacher as the center of focus. The teacher becomes a facilitator in helping the children utilize their space to learn independently. Our teachers skillfully plan engaging learning activities that build upon what your child can do, encouraging exploration along the way.

Traditional subjects such as math, language skills and social studies are integrated into the learning centers and introduced in the context of play. The learning centers within a classroom offers social learning—playing together to develop healthy development and underlies children’s ability for later academic learning. Our teachers are especially attuned to the emotional quality of classroom interactions and help children identify emotions (their own and others’) and learn problem-solving strategies. For example, in the dramatic play area, a supermarket gives children chances to count money, sort and classify objects (math); make signs to label shelves or advertise special sales (language); and experience foods from other cultures (social studies).

These centers constantly change according to the theme for the month. New activities and projects are introduced to meet emerging interests and individual learning goals. Most importantly, learning centers offers opportunities for intellectual and social development, which is the key to a successful transition to our pre-kindergarten program.