Our classroom environments are designed to provoke open-ended experiences and encourage communication of ideas. Common areas have been incorporated into the design of the building. These shared spaces include a multi-purpose room for gross motor activity and a spacious lobby that also serves as a library and family gathering space.
The center has access to the Phillips Exeter Academy campus to include the gymnasium, track and fields, science center, library, art gallery and creative arts performances. Our ideal location allows students to explore downtown Exeter and Swasey Parkway on walking trips, supporting our mission of promoting connectivity and community.
Infants & Toddlers
Our infant and toddler classrooms are located on the north side of the building. This section of the facility mimics that of the home providing small social settings within an emotionally supportive atmosphere. Our classrooms open up to one another inviting children to play and learn with a variety of different people and personalities. We recognize the importance of supporting and nourishing the sensory perceptions of all children and provide a multi-sensorial environment where children can investigate and discover using their whole body.
Collaborative caregiving
The teachers work in collaboration with one another sharing their expertise in early childhood education and supporting one another. Infants and young toddlers will be assigned a guardian who will serve as your family’s primary contact person, oversee and record your child’s development and relay any pertinent information. All teachers play a role in your child’s day to day activities.
Routine vs. schedule
Routines are important for our youngest learners as predictability and consistency help them feel a sense of security as they begin to better organize themselves. We feel that routines, unlike schedules, are flexible enough to allow for children and caregivers to capitalize on teachable moments that may occur throughout the day.
Preschool
Our Preschool program is located on the south side of the building and opens up to the Prekindergarten Program. Our multi-sensorial environment is designed to provoke open-ended experiences, encourage communication of ideas and facilitate in individual and group exploration. Our classroom space is welcoming, personal and multifaceted. It is designed to evoke interest and provide space for extended investigations.
By combining knowledge and goodness, the preschool curriculum allows for the children to acquire intellectual skills that ensure a love of learning and a lifelong commitment to helping others.
The whole child
In Preschool, learning takes place throughout the day and consists of a well-rounded curriculum, educating through the arts and sciences that supports the whole child. Children will learn social graces and common courtesy, practice early literacy and every day math skills and delve into the worlds of science, social studies and fine arts.
Kindergarten Prep
The Kindergarten Prep Classroom (also known as Pre-Kindergarten) is located on the south side of the building and has been expertly designed to accommodate children in an academic setting which models the Harkness teaching of the Academy. Harkness teaching allows children to think, discuss, question and analyze. By combining knowledge and goodness, we acquire intellectual skills that ensure a love of learning and a lifelong commitment to helping others.
Harkness
The Harkness way of learning is implemented through our emergent curriculum. This project-based approach is deeply rooted in the arts and sciences, and allows topics of focus to emerge from the ideas and interests of the children rather than the teacher. The teacher’s role is that of a researcher, facilitator, and partner in learning.
Opportunities to learn
The Kindergarten Prep program promotes opportunities to learn, use and enjoy necessary math, language arts, science skills. While exploring these skills children will also be working on social and emotional skills by continuing to learn about sense of self and family, awareness of their role within the community, respect and appreciation of differences, and their impact on society.
The Arts
Children will have the chance to expand their artistic intelligence in visual arts, music, and drama. The arts are woven into all areas of our curriculum as well as studied independently. We encourage self-expression by placing great emphasis on the creative process rather than the product.