Where Play and Learning Come Together

The Art of Play is a licensed and accredited early childhood education program. We know the learning environment is just as important to the development of children as the interaction with their teachers, so our classroom is designed by keeping in mind the ages of the children enrolled, strategic planning, child observations, and attention to detail. Our outdoor classroom is nestled into our children's garden where the children can interact with nature daily.

School readiness skills are met by following PA Department of Education guidelines from age 2 through kindergarten, utilizing best practice, adhering to developmentally appropriate learning, and ensuing high quality standards through a one of a kind curriculum create especially for our program that is blended with the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

Our one of a kind curriculum is unlike those found in other programs. We strive to create one-on-one individualized learning opposed to whole class/teacher lead planning. Social-emotional development is at the core of our program because decades of research tells us that positive social-emotional development is the fundamental building block to school success.

 Class sizes compared to other programs? Unlike other programs we believe in providing an environment that focuses on each individualized child rather than having one teacher provide theme based, teacher direct lessons to a large group of 10-12 (or more) children. We keep a low 6:1 or less child teacher ratio only allowing a maximum of 6 children to enroll at a time. Children who enroll will have the same teacher and group of friends throughout their entire early education.  Research shows that having this continuity in a small setting is important in a child's development and can have significant benefits over large group programs.   

Do you work on potty training? Yes, we believe that all children learn at their own rate and this includes potty training. We do not believe in excluding a child who is not ready to potty train yet.  

Why is your program in a home and not a commercial building? There are numerous reasons that we have decided not to move the preschool from a home into a commercial building.   First, there has been a growing amount of research suggesting an increase in stress among children during the early years being linked to the time spend in commercial settings. Having a preschool in a home setting creates a much more relaxed atmosphere for the children. It feels like a home away from home to them.   Second, one of the main aspects in leading early childhood programs around the world is creating a welcoming, nurturing, and home like atmosphere for the children. Commercial programs strive to meet this, so what better way to run a preschool program but in a home.   Third, the outdoor space we have at this location is amazing. We have so much nature here for the children to play in and explore. The children have a large area to run and play while being completely contained with a fence for safety. Finding this type of outdoor space in a commercial setting does not come easily.  

 The core values that we teach by are derived from the latest research on best practice.  The teaching practice from the world's leading countries in education are what have inspired the values we hold. We believe that: 

 1. Childhood is valuable and needs to be respected; children deserve time to be children. 

2. Play is the most important element in the early childhood curriculum. 3. The curriculum should be child driven and child lead.

4. The curriculum should be individualized to meet each child's unique needs and desires. 

 5. The curriculum should include a focus on nature and the arts. 

6. The curriculum, teachers, and environment should always be improving to meet the growing needs of the children. 

7. The environment is the third teacher. 

8. Parents are always the first teacher. 

9. Teacher parent relationships are just as important as teacher child relationships.  

10. The environment must always be fun, loving, nurturing, and create a sense of security through continuity.