​"Our approach is simple.
Love the child.
Children need love to grow.
When they feel safe and secure in their environment
they can explore and take risks which is how they learn."
Early Education Approach
​
The Schoolhouse approach toward early childhood education is child centered and streamed from many sources. Learning happens naturally throughout the day and is seamlessly woven into our emergent curriculum. We guide and support children throughout their process of separation, socialization, and individuation and we encourage their burgeoning autonomy.
​
We glean methodologies from time honored educators, psychologists, and medical doctors. We combine their expertise with our personal experience as parents and our years of classroom experience as teachers. We do not believe there is any one right way to teach a child or for a child to learn; instead we ask ourselves what is best for this particular child? We are eclectic in our choice of best strategies to help each child thrive. In addition we work closely with children’s families who are our partners in growing their child with love.
​Our Play Space
​
Our play space has the comforts of home. We have a large cozy couch and welcoming armchair where children can cuddle up with a favorite book or relax with a favorite toy. To the children’s delight we have special family members. There’s our cat Tubby (who sneaks out for surprise visits and to be pet), and Orangie our senior fish (who’s grown from a 3 gallon to a 20 gallon fish tank)!
In addition our play space has all the benefits of a traditional preschool setting with dedicated areas defining play spaces.
To encourage pretend-play we have dress-up, a kitchen and baby corner. To spark imagination our carpeted area has bins of blocks, Leggo’s, Magna-tiles, toy animals and toy people, trains, cars, and trucks. To challenge cognition a section for puzzles, gears, sorting bins, and stacking blocks. To foster hands-on sensory exploration there are sensory tables, art, cooking and play-dough pounding areas. All is geared to encourage play, creative expression, sensory exploration, problem solving, fine and gross motor development and social interaction. Lastly our play space is continuously kept organized to foster meaningful play throughout the day.
Our Schedule
We have a structured morning schedule: beginning with a “meet and greet”, open ended free-play, where children can play or participate in the activity of their choice (being read to is a favorite). Next is a structured group activity which is often hands-on and sensory such as cooking or art. Clean-Up follows and we encourage all of the children to participate as is developmentally appropriate. After clean-up is morning-meeting, an interactive social highlight of our day filled with singing, movement, davening, the ABC’s the Aleph-Bet and kids news and learning themes. After morning-meeting we gather for snack where fruit and a healthy carbohydrate are served. We then head outside to either the playground or another outdoor adventure. Then it’s back to the Schoolhouse for lunch and settling down for nap-time or rest, where soothing lullaby music and back rubbing lure the children to sleep. Afternoons are filled with free-play, snack, and more outdoor fun. Each day has the same familiar schedule and routine. Friday’s are particularly special with joyous Shabbos celebrations to close each week.