Families and program staff create a vibrant, interconnected community that holds the development of a child’s wholeness as its focus. Conveniently located at Boston's Copley Square crossroads, it is easily accessible to families who live as near as the surrounding neighborhoods and as far as the suburbs of Greater Boston. Eight committed and professionally educated teachers under the direction of Carolyn Davis, Preschool Director, guide the program through a school year calendar.

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SCHEDULING, GROUPINGS, ENVIRONMENTS

• Scheduling: 3, 4, or 5 days, 9am to 3pm, September to early June. Combination of 9am-1pm and 9am-3pm scheduling option available for children ages 2-3.
• Groupings: Blue Room (ages 2-3), Green Room (ages 3-4), and Red Room (ages 4-5). The average child/teacher ratio is 6:1 or 7:1 for the 3-4 and 4-5 year old classes; the 2-3 year old class has a 3:1 ratio.
• Environments: inside, using three classrooms; outside, using the neighboring environs.

PHILOSOPHY AND PRACTICE

The Preschool strives to enhance childhood, envisioning a world that enriches the lives of children. It focuses on critical elements, what happens and how, to support a child becoming an enthused, confident learner with a wholesome sense of self. Old South commits to advancing learning and development with sound, respectful practices that support well-rounded growth in all developmental domains.

• The school uses active inquiry, theorizing, and reflection to build passion about learning and expand competency.
• It engages children and encourages them to make their own discoveries and test ideas that lead to meaningful outcomes.
• Curriculum development and implementation apply emergent curriculum principles, building on children’s interests and teacher injections to generate content and steer the direction of experiences. In a positive atmosphere that supports all members of the group, strategies strengthen dispositions for learning and advancement in social-emotional, physical, and cognitive areas.
• The community partners to inform and make space for all voices in this pluralistic setting.

ROUTINE AND EXPERIENCES

Old South honors play! The daily routine encourages free choice-making, child-initiated, child-directed involvement while working individually or in small and large groups, with teachers acting as partners, guides and advisors.

Routine includes: engaging encounters inside or outside; snack, neighborhood excursions or playground activity, group times, lunch, rest, and at the end of the school day, slow-paced activities. With the Preschool’s location in Copley Square, children easily travel about the city, making visits to nearby Boston Public Library;  playgrounds and parks near and far; taking neighborhood trips, participating in programs at local facilities.

The children’s outside engagement lets them claim the city as part of their environment and declare themselves as mindful, caring citizens who can contribute to society within the scope of their development.