We are guided by the belief that every child is a unique individual and that learning is based on relationships. Children, teachers, and parents are partners in learning.The teachers care deeply about children and believe that the experiences and knowledge young children bring to school, combined with their natural curiosity, sense of wonder, and joyful exuberance, are the foundations for learning.Learning is supported in all curricular areas as children are encouraged to think creatively, solve problems, make decisions, and expand their critical thinking skills.

Teachers are dedicated to providing a quality education for young girls and nurturing their growth as risk takers, problem solvers, and communicators in an all-girls environment.Striving to understand each child’s present theories about the world, they know intuitively that knowledge cannot be transmitted – that it must be created.Thinking is driven by questions – and Program for Young Children teachers recognize that constructing knowledge requires not only questions, but also reflections, mistakes, doubts, hypotheses, interpretations and understanding.Girls are provided with opportunities to make meaningful connections and a context to express their own theories, curiosity and interpretations. Teachers understand how girls grow and learn, intentionally creating an environment in which young girls develop confidence in themselves and are challenged to reach their full potential.

It is the hope of every educator in PYC that each girl will grow and learn with confidence, secure in the knowledge that she is a very special person, and that she will look forward to the next phase of her education with excitement.

Our Structure:

There are three classes in the PYC and a PACT Program:

• 3/4 year old class with 18 children enrolled;
• 4/5 year old class with 24children enrolled;
  
• 5/6 Kindergarten class with 30 children divided into two collaborative classroom groupings of equal size.
  
• Parents and Children Together (PACT) is two weekly playgroups for older infants and toddlers and their parents or caregivers.

Our Day

The 5/6 Kindergarten class is a full day program, and approximately 50% of the children in the 3/4 and 4/5 classes take advantage of the full day option; the remaining students attend the half day program.

With over 225 combined years of experience and a passion for lifelong learning, the Program for Young Children faculty blends wisdom with the most progressive educational thinking, resulting in a foundation for learning that will last a lifetime.

Our outstanding faculty includes:

• Director
• Eight classroom teachers
  
• Studio teacher
  
• Music teacher
  
• Two PACT facilitators
  
• Technology Integration Specialist
  
• Guidance Counselor
  
• Administrative Assistant
  
• Two After Hours and Before Care Teachers
• Two Physical Education teachers,
  
• Speech / Language and Occupational Therapists
  
• Librarian
  
• School Nurse
  

Classrooms engage in long-term projects, investigations into ideas and topics that interest the students.These investigations involve research that is centered on finding answers to questions posed by the children and teachers working together. Experiences focus on investigation and inquiry, characterized by observation, wonder, developing hypotheses, and critical thinking.

Projects begin with teachers observing and questioning children about a topic of interest.Based on children’s responses, teachers introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore the topic.While some of these teacher provocations are anticipated, projects often move in unanticipated directions as a result of questions and problems children identify.Curriculum planning and implementation are based on the reciprocal nature of teacher-directed and child-initiated activity.

Successful projects are those that generate a sufficient amount of interest and uncertainty to provoke children’s creative thinking and problem-solving in quest of further learning.

“Projects provide the backbone of the children’s and teachers’ learning experiences. They are based on the strong conviction that learning by doing is of great importance and that to discuss in group and to revisit ideas and experiences is the premier way of gaining better understanding and learning." Gandini, 1997