Question 1

When will Explorer Children’s School be open?

Accepted Answer

We are opening April 2026!! Contact us now to be put on a waitlist for April (2 & 3 yr olds), and September (4-6 yr olds).

Question 2

How can I put my child on a waitlist?

Accepted Answer

Please visit our Contact page. Along with regular questions/comments, you can indicate your request to be on a waitlist along with your child's name and age.

Question 3

Why are the early childhood years so important?

Accepted Answer

The Importance of Experiences for their Exploring Brains…
    
 Current brain research has confirmed that in early childhood years, positive and varied experiences are crucial to laying the groundwork for later capabilities. In the early years, young children’s brain cells form connections (synapses) very rapidly.  These connections are in part formed by interactions, experiences – these positive experiences profoundly stimulate the young brain.  By the time they are three years old, they will have twice as many neural connections as adults!  
    
 After this, connections that aren’t used are eliminated, called “pruning.”  This is a necessary process, just like in a garden whereby you prune away things not needed, so that enough sunlight and food lets the essential things grow and flourish.  Children’s brain connections that have been used repeatedly in the early years become stronger and tend to remain; those that have not been used much are pruned away, to allow for that child’s ‘needed’ connections to thrive and strengthen. 
    
Offering these varied and rich experiences in early childhood environments help lay the foundation for the scope of their abilities in these exact areas later on.  Expose them now to these experiences and concepts, and their brains will make framework connections that they can rely upon later!

Question 4

Why is “doing science” in preschool so important?

Accepted Answer

There is an incredible opportunity for a child to think differently using science, while learning indirectly the skills to socialize and communicate, helping to create emotional stability and personal well-being.
 
Doing science is a social skill.

In addition, children engage in all kinds of cognitive skills while doing science: 
Language/literacy skills 
•Retells and dictates stories
•Writing as a way to communicate
•Represents stories through pictures and play
•Understands & follows multi step directions
•Understands & uses language to communicate with peers and adults
•Links new learning and vocabulary to explorations
Math skills
•Recognizes, describes, compares shapes
•Understanding of directionality, order, positions
•Match, sort, regroup, compare
•Using standard & non-standard measurements
•Participates with graphs
Approaches to Learning skills
•Chooses to participate in tasks & activities
•Increased flexibility, imagination & inventiveness
•Grows in eagerness to learn and discuss a range of topics
•Ability to set goals and persist to complete tasks & projects
•Increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, project
•Grows to recognize and solve problems through active exploration, interactions, & discussions

Question 5

Will my child learn how to read?

Accepted Answer

These are the many literacy goals (or learning standards) throughout early childhood. Your child's environment will be rich and diverse with integrated literacy learning opportunities. Teachers prepare each child for their next school level, according to the appropriate standards. Many children will be much more than just prepared, and carry with them a deep love of literacy.

• Love literacy-related activities
 • Print goes left to right, top to bottom
 • Books are magical and full of stories
 • Letters have sounds
 • Letters make up words
 • Words describe things
 • Words have meaning when put together
 • Language communicates thoughts and feelings
 • Language is used to tell stories
 • Recognize some letters
 • Grammar
 • Phonological Awareness
 • Write some letters, especially their name
 • Knowledge of characters and string of events

Question 6

Will my child learn how to write?

Accepted Answer

Writing is a visible connection between a child's thought, and their ability to write it down. Symbolic play is a scaffolding to writing, giving voice to complex thinking turning into stories.

There are several writing goals (or learning standards) throughout early childhood such as correct tripod grasp, scribbles that turn into more recognizable items, and most importantly, well-developed small motor skills. Process is honored and nurtured, their stories may be written down for them until they can write their own, and small motor and letter practice opportunities abundant.

Your child's environment will be rich and diverse with integrated writing learning opportunities. Teachers prepare each child for their next school level, according to the appropriate standards. Many children will be much more than just prepared.

Question 7

Will my child learn how to do math?

Accepted Answer

These are the many math goals (or learning standards) throughout early childhood. Your child's environment will be rich and diverse with integrated math learning opportunities. Teachers prepare each child for their next school level with developmentally appropriate materials, according to the appropriate standards. Many children will be much more than just prepared, and carry with them a deep love of all things numbers.

• Recite numbers to 10
 • Begin to recognize numbers and their names
 • Subitize to 3 or 4 (recognize w/out counting)
 • One to one correspondence up to 5 & 10
 • Cardinality - last number said is quantity
 • Understanding more or less
 • Understanding effect of removing or adding
 • Simple addition/subtraction to 5 & 10
 • Group of things can be taken apart to smaller
 • Sorting/Classifying objects by 1 or more things
 • Recognize and repeat simple patterns
 • Compare and order objects
 • Identify and use simple shapes
 • Understand positions in space

Question 8

Will my child do worksheets?

Accepted Answer

Only if they want to! Children will be offered and taught cognitive skills according to their developmental level. An emphasis is put more on hands-on, "3-dimensional" materials and projects with intentional learning goals rooted in play and communicated/displayed in journals or learning stories.

Question 9

What kind of art will my child be doing?

Accepted Answer

Arts will be offered daily in a variety of formats for optimal accessibility and engagement. For example but not limited to:

• Variety of music, songs, instruments, beats (physics - sound waves; math - beats; large and small motor, sensory)
 • Free choice play in coloring, drawing, painting/color mixing
 • Appreciation/study of certain famous artists, then art projects emulating their colors/techniques (this is more guided practice but still different end results)
 • Loose parts art, sculpture, projects
 • Free choice play and projects in different kinds of clay, sculpture
 • Variety of other art medium projects like paper making, art with nature, movie making, beading, mobiles, playing with scale, utilizing light/shadows...unending list!

Question 10

How much time is spent outdoors vs. indoors?

Accepted Answer

We split time between in and out, but do spend as much time outdoors as possible within our daily schedules.

Question 11

How or will AI be utilized at ECS?

Accepted Answer

Artificial intelligence is a new and emerging technology. At this time only teachers utilize it to help with things like curriculum planning. However, educators are currently learning and sharing about best ways to use this new technology, so stay tuned.

Question 12

Where can I find more information on play-based education and child development?

Accepted Answer

American Academy of Pediatrics: “The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent-Child Bonds” (https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/119/1/182/70699/The-Importance-of-Play-in-Promoting-Healthy-Child?autologincheck=redirected?nfToken=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000)

Society for Research in Child Development: “Can guidance during play enhance children’s learning and development in educational contexts? A systematic review and meta-analysis” (https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.13730)

Journal of Infant, Child, and Adolescent Psychotherapy: “Cognitive Behavioral Science behind the Value of Play: Leveraging Everyday Experiences to Promote Play, Learning, and Positive Interactions” (https://kathyhirshpasek.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2020/10/Journal-of-Infant-Child...-June-2020.pdf)

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