A child at a mirror examining a small toy turtle among wooden learning materials

Mission and Vision

We welcome and celebrate each child's authentic, ever-evolving journey. We believe in the rights of every child to express their wonder and curiosity. With respect and care, we strive to build community with families, children, and educators, collectively supporting children to be advocates in their own communities.

Philosophy

We use a social constructivist approach to child development and are deeply inspired by play-based learning and the philosophy of Reggio Emilia. This means holding a strong image of the child as a capable, active citizen who learns through engaging with others and the environment. Teachers observe, listen, and participate in ongoing conversations with children to inform next steps. In partnership with parents, teachers formulate an evolving curriculum built around children's interests and explorations.

Our Principles

A Community of Trust

Together, children, families, and teachers build deep relationships. We meet children exactly where they are, honoring their natural development through curiosity and shared experiences.

The Whole Child

We believe that emotion, language, culture, and the body are intertwined and must be nurtured together. Children use all their senses to understand themselves and the world. We support this as the gateway to learning and development.

Parents as Partners

We support parents as active participants in their children's education and promote their engagement in collaborative inquiry as members of the school community. We believe that sharing ideas about children's learning is best when it is reciprocal, with parents, teachers, and children all providing input. We provide bilingual communication in English and Spanish.

The Learning Environment

We intentionally design the school spaces as calm, engaging, sunlit environments to awaken a child's natural desire to explore and build knowledge with their peers. Every open shelf and flexible corner sends a powerful message to our children: you are capable, you are respected, and your ideas matter.

Teacher as Researcher

We use cameras and notebooks to capture daily moments, documenting children's words and actions. Teachers use these artifacts in their sensemaking sessions to gauge where children are in their development and plan next steps. We share these moments and reflections with parents in daily bulletins and bi-annual parent presentations to keep the magic of learning at the center of our community.