Program Approach

At Starr Court PlaySchool, we believe children learn best when they explore and engage with the world around them. Our curriculum focuses on hands-on math, science, art, and literacy in a mostly outdoor environment. We study, play, and learn about things like the solar system, worms, clouds and rain, the human body, families and community, and nature-skills like map-making and orienteering.

Children are daily exposed to natural math (e.g. counting, developing number sense), the creative arts (supporting fine-motor development), and early reading and writing. We read books with silly characters, books that make us pause and think, and books that teach us about the world. We also learn how to develop social skills like playing cooperatively with friends, resolving conflict, navigating big emotions, and expressing ourselves with care. As we are a mixed-age program, children are constantly playing the role of learner and teacher with each other as they come to develop these skills in their own time.

Schedule

Our schedule is flexible and fluid, responding to children’s interests and needs for the day, but roughly follows this timeline:

8-9am Drop-off & Arrival (Indoors)

9-10am Optional Activity and/or Free Play (Typically outdoors)

10:15 am Snack Time & Story Time (Typically outdoors)

10:45-12:30pm Outdoor free time

12:30pm Lunch time (Kids bring lunch from home)

1:30-3:30pm Nap Time/Quiet Time (Indoors)

3:30-4:45pm Outdoor Free Play

4:45-5pm Pick Up

Mindfulness & Yoga

Focusing on science, inquiry, and the natural world is a perfect opportunity for age-appropriate mindfulness practice. We also use books and body practices (e.g. “animal yoga”) to playfully expose children to language and techniques that support their social-emotional well-being.