The Little School is a result of years of research, experience, discussion, and education. When the school opened in 2005, the initial mission was to incorporate the Reggio approach into our school, prioritizing purposeful and beautiful learning environments, and child-led curriculum focused on inspiration and discovery.  From there, as we learned and grew, we were propelled into a deeper appreciation of the impact of nature on children, the significance of purposeful observation and documentation of children, the power of a positive approach to discipline, and the strong responsibility we have to go beyond simply feeding our children, but to nourish their bodies.

• We are committed to providing an educational program that is challenging, creative, nurturing and child-centered.
• We are dedicated to offering an inviting and stimulating environment and developmentally appropriate program such that each child’s social, emotional, and cognitive growth is encouraged and valued.
• We respect children’s multiple ways of demonstrating their intelligence.
• Children are encouraged to develop their individual strengths and each child’s unique contribution to their community is appreciated.
• Strengths are celebrated and valued while opportunities are created to provide exposure to, and enhancement of, other talents and skills.
• Children are given the opportunity to express themselves through music, painting, drama, song, movement, and play.
• Learning should be a joyful experience!

Our philosophy is based on our belief that children are competent individuals who can construct their own meaning of their experiences. The teacher’s role is not to provide all the correct answers. Rather, the teacher provides the occasion for discovery and learning. Our approach is hands-on and multi-sensory. We recognize that children have a natural curiosity and a predisposition to enjoy the unexpected. Children engage in active exploration and investigation to make sense of their world. We strive to fuel children’s investigative impulses and encourage discovery, promote questioning and challenging of ideas, and formulate connections of experience.

The Little School is proud to integrate components of the Reggio Emilia Approach into our school. This approach values openness and learning, so it is ever-changing and filled with discovery of new ideas, discussion and engagement, reading and research, and shared goals of growth for both teachers and children.

Our curriculum is made up what we call "Our Five Big Ideas." These “Five Big Ideas” carry with them many of the same concepts – among them community, growth, choice, beauty, understanding, and intent. These ideas combine to create a broad framework for who we are as a school. The result is an educational program that is challenging, creative, nurturing child-centered, and pretty magical. Read more about our curriculum!