Young children develop language every day through conversations, stories, songs, play, and relationships.

Our classrooms are rich with opportunities to listen, speak, ask questions, tell stories, recognize symbols and print, and begin developing an understanding of how written language works.

Teachers read aloud regularly and encourage children to talk about characters, events, ideas, and their own experiences.

Children encounter books and print throughout the classroom and begin developing the foundational skills that will support future reading and writing.

We don't rush children into reading. We build the language, confidence, curiosity, and love of books that help reading grow naturally.

Preschool mathematics begins with children's everyday experiences.

Children count objects, sort and classify materials, recognize patterns, compare sizes and quantities, explore shapes, investigate measurement, and discover relationships through hands-on activities.

Mathematical thinking might happen while:

Building with blocks
Setting the table
Sorting natural materials
Counting classmates
Comparing objects
Creating patterns
Mixing and measuring
Exploring shapes

Rather than simply memorizing numbers and symbols, children develop an understanding of mathematical ideas through meaningful experiences.

Math is everywhere—and preschoolers are natural mathematicians.

Preschool children are constantly asking questions about the world.

Why did that happen?

Where did it go?

What will happen if I try this?

Our science experiences encourage children to explore those questions through observation, experimentation, sensory experiences, nature, and hands-on investigation.

Children may observe insects, plant seeds, investigate water, explore shadows, compare materials, watch the weather, or discover changes in the natural environment.

Teachers encourage children to make predictions, notice details, describe what they see, and share their ideas.

Music and language provide children with additional ways to communicate, connect, and experience the world.

Preschool students have opportunities for music and Spanish each week, introducing them to rhythm, movement, sounds, vocabulary, and new ways of expressing themselves.

Songs, movement, repetition, conversation, and playful experiences make learning engaging and accessible for young children.

Young children need opportunities to create without always being told what their finished product should look like.

Art at The Acorn is a process of exploration and self-expression.

Children experiment with paint, clay, drawing materials, collage, natural materials, music, movement, and other creative mediums.

They learn that there can be many ways to make something, many ways to solve a problem, and many ways to express an idea.

Children are developing the skills they need to make friends, communicate their needs, manage emotions, listen to others, solve conflicts, share space, and participate in a group.

Teachers provide guidance while giving children opportunities to practice these skills in real situations.

We help children learn that their feelings matter, other people's feelings matter, and they have the ability to make thoughtful choices.

Children spend time outdoors exploring, observing, moving, building, imagining, and discovering.

The natural environment provides endless opportunities for learning. Children can collect and sort leaves, observe insects, watch plants grow, investigate weather, build with natural materials, or simply experience the changing seasons.

Outdoor experiences support physical development, scientific thinking, creativity, cooperation, and a growing appreciation for the world around them.