Philosophy & Approach
Our school is rooted in the belief that all children are innately creative, inquisitive, and capable. We are a play-based school that sees the value in child-centered learning, process-based art, and extended time spent outdoors in all types of weather. Our practices have been developed with various respected educational philosophies in mind.
It is the role of our teachers to prepare the classroom environment with intention, allowing children to move freely and learn both independently and collaboratively through thoughtfully curated materials and experiences.
Our program follows a daily rhythm rather than a set schedule to allow for flexibility and in-depth learning opportunities. Our young students engage in an uninterrupted work cycle each morning, as inspired by the Montessori method. Teachers provide a daily invitation: an activity, project, or prompt aimed at fostering a specific skill as defined by the CT Early Learning and Development Standards. It is with this balanced approach that we promote child-led learning while ensuring our students are exposed to a wide variety of opportunities to develop and foster new skills.
Curriculum
Wildflower Preschool’s curriculum moves with the seasons, allowing children to explore the natural world around them and engage in hands-on learning. Our program targets all developmental domains as defined by the CT Early Learning and Development Standards including creative arts, scientific inquiry, mathematics, literacy, social studies, fine/gross motor development, cognition, and social/emotional learning.
One of our greatest passions is early literacy. All of our students participate in the national 1000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative, which aims to ensure children have read 1000 books prior to entering their K-12 school experience. Our classrooms are literacy-rich environments with familiar texts, illustrations, storytelling baskets, phonetic learning resources, and endless opportunities for children to develop early literacy skills through play. Throughout the school year, children engage in comprehensive studies of authors and illustrators. Their work is showcased during our annual literacy night.
Students at Wildflower Preschool also participate in weekly specials, including cooking class, yoga, and dance.