Preschool Program

Brightwheel is an all-in-one app we use for nearly everything! We do all documentation, communication, lesson planning, daily attendance, and billing/payment. Once we confirm registration, you will receive an invitation to Brighwheel!

Our only field trips are our visits to the farm next door! We do schedule vendors to come to us for additional learning and entertainment!

We visit the Sharon Family Farm every other week during the school year. We have "A" weeks (craft weeks) and "B" weeks (barn weeks). When we arrive at the farm, we assist children in changing into their boots and overalls. We have them sit in a circle on the benches while the teacher hosts a lesson. The goal is to encourage curiosity and have the children ask questions. This is usually how our discussion takes off. Following a short lesson, we allow the children to interact with the animals. We bring animals from the barn into the classroom stalls. Groups are split into two (one group per stall with a teacher). Children sit and patiently wait for their turn to interact with the animals. This is a very supervised time. Lastly, we allow the children to participate in barn tasks, which may include walking to the chicken coop to collect eggs, cleaning and packaging eggs, washing water buckets, cleaning stalls, putting down new shavings, sweeping the floor, or filling the animal's food or water. *We do not visit the farm on Fridays

No, we do not due to an intense amount of allergies, we feel it's best that you provide snacks and meals for your child. We have safety measures in place to ensure your child's well-being. We will never be a completely nut-free facility due to the animal portion of the program. We cannot guarantee that the animal's feed is free of allergens. When we have a child with a food allergy, we do not allow them to handle any animal food. We feel inclusion is important, therefore, during meal/snack times, we sit children with allergies at an allergy safe table. We observe the other children's lunches and have some children sit at the allergen-free table whose food is safe so that no child is ever sitting alone. If your child attends for a full day, you pack two snacks and a lunch. If your child only attends for a half day, they only need one snack.

We celebrate all holidays! We plan party days, special activities, and snacks (if allergies allow) for these events.

We have a very strict behavior policy. Please thoroughly read through the handbook before registration. Our teachers are responsible for ten children at a time, and it's important that all children receive the same amount of attention and supervision. If we find that a child needs more supervision or care than we can provide them, we will recommend an evaluation as necessary and assist with appropriate program placement. Safety is crucial at the farm. The farm portion of this program requires the children to follow instructions and have patience as teachers have to manage farm animals and properly supervise their ten children. Following teacher directions and being able to remain in the group setting is an expectation for children entering this program.

Under the licensing of a child care center for the state of CT, we offer a structured preschool program. Please see the above daily schedule. When determining your child's needs, think about what you want them to do over the course of their day and how engaged you want them to be while away from home; it's important to consider the level of pre-academic structure being provided. Our program offers a 50/50 mix of free play and teacher-directed activities. 

With the farm being a unique experience here, children have the opportunity to learn about farming and agriculture through a ten-minute lesson, followed by direct interactions with our farm animals.  These interactions guide children's development in more ways than we can imagine! On our "craft weeks", children formally learn through circle time, engage in arts and crafts, and participate in an afternoon kindergarten-prep activity - all of this helps to prepare them for the very demands of Kindergarten. 

Our lesson plans are aligned with the CT ELDS (developmental standards provided by the State of CT). We do a mid-year academic assessment for children eligible for Kindergarten the following school year. While our teacher-directed activities are short, they allow children to jumpstart their academic knowledge before they head off to a very structured, full-day week in Kindergarten. We believe that children learn best through play. However, we find that the demands of Kindergarten have changed drastically over the years, and we find it beneficial to introduce children ages 3-5 to certain concepts before they leave us!