Our day begins in an early care classroom, where caregivers facilitate quiet activities for children, such as drawing, coloring, reading, puzzle solving and other quiet play activities. Class begins at 8:30, and teachers will collect their children in early care directly and greet arriving children in their classroom.

Shortly after 8:30, the day begins with a morning circle.

Each circle involves a good morning song, a story, and learning activity (each month, the children work with a different theme topic).

• A two year old circle would also include learning colors, shapes, counting and the alphabet as well as more singing.
• A three year old circle would also include concept work (high and low, in front and behind, etc.), shape work (making shapes with popsicle sticks or folding cloths), letter and number recognition and sometimes a game (i.e.: bingo or a toss game).
• A pre-k circle would also include talking about the weather and calendar as well as some learning games (ie: using counting bears to solve mathematical problems or rhyming, alphabet and sound bingo.)

After circle time, the children will have an enrichment time. This time could include painting, baking, using play dough, cutting and gluing, performing a play, experimenting with science or having a physical activity. In the pre-k classes, children will do workbooks a few days a week during this time.

At this point in the morning, the children will go outside to the play yard for a half an hour where they are allowed to run and play with their friends on the play ground equipment. Upon returning from the play yard, the children have snack time, where they enjoy crackers, cheese and fruit together at the snack table.

When snack is concluded, the children move on to an explore time, where they self select something in the classroom to engage with, be it toys, books, puzzles, or playing at various games with their friends.

Just before noontime, the teacher gathers the children around in a circle and tells a story to them. We call this time “Story by Heart,” as the teacher, instead of reading from a picture book to the class, becomes the storyteller and spins a tale for the children before them.

Once Story by Heart is concluded, some of the children are picked up and taken home, while others stay for lunch. Children bring their own lunches to school, and as with snacks, are eaten in a community setting with their teacher and other students.

After lunch, there is nap time for those children that do so. All children have their own nap items at school that are bagged individually each day. We turn the lights down low and play soft music, and children typically nap for a couple of hours. If children wake up before that time, they play quietly.

If children do not nap, they will have quiet time when they are finished eating. When they finish, they find a book or puzzle and go to a quiet place in the room. This is a time when they are asked to play on their own as opposed to in a group. When the children who nap go down, the other children have outside time, or enrichment activity and an inside explore time with a variety of enrichment activities, ie: music, drama, art and possible field trips in good weather.

Once nap time and/or explore time is over, the children come back together for an afternoon snack, which they bring themselves, again shared in a community setting around the table. After this afternoon snack, the children have a combination of play time inside and outside, depending on the weather and the season. This play time continues until such time as they are picked up by their families at school.