The key ingredients are clarity of vision, humor, willingness to try new things and considerable hard work on the part of all-children, teachers, staff and parents.

Most important, we view language as an agent of learning. We fill our classrooms with talk about people, events, ideas and plans. Children talk to learn, negotiate, collaborate and express their needs and dreams.

Open-ended materials encourage exploration and self-expression. 

Functional activities, such as hand washing, sweeping, buttoning and polishing, enable children to become independent and responsible. The Practical Life materials enable them to learn how to care for themselves and their environment. The Sensorial materials, a rich array of grading and sorting activities, develop children’s perceptual and sensory abilities and refine their observation skills. Open-ended materials, such as blocks, sand, dramatic play, Lego and art media, encourage exploration and self-expression.

Literacy and numeracy, two well-developed curriculum areas, are natural components of classroom life. In addition, the perspectives embedded in science, social studies, music, visual and plastic arts, and movement stream through the curriculum. Throughout the school year, the materials are revised and expanded in response to the children’s changing needs and interests. In every way the children’s intentions are the moving force. Our teachers don’t direct or directly teach; their relationship is one of collaboration.