Early Childhood Education at Grace
Preschool and Prekindergarten
Honoring Childhood, Empowering Children
Our early childhood program is dedicated to providing a warm, nurturing environment where children’s ideas and abilities are developed through engaging, authentic learning experiences. An environment rich in play, discovery, research, and collaboration promotes high-level thinking skills, problem-solving capabilities, enhanced language development, and empathy. With an average class size of 13 students, our highly trained teachers are attuned to each child’s growth and development.
Reggio-inspired Learning in a Joyful Environment
Our pedagogical approach toward our youngest students is inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Our child-centered program is guided by a few core principles:
![OMMEBHelmet two children, one helping the other put on a bike helmet](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/OMMEBHelmet-975x750-circle-4eecf1594b358fd70cdae9cca6857b8b-b3o7sgaj8p62.png)
![WFJBAtelier young boy and teacher exploring clay](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/WFJBAtelier-circle-5cf28c9c3408e911e3c391d2866963e2-1k6po0h78xmf.png)
![PKColorMixing group of children mixing green liquids](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/PKColorMixing-487x362-circle-5d72646ba29643d8678f240f20901341-wo3yn9dg0mu5.png)
![OMMJTZ young boy and girl playing in dirt](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/OMMJTZ-scaled-circle-61fb5145316666d0359508c013b056d4-y8u3zwspb1ie.jpg)
![SCAtelier young girl playing with clay](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/SCAtelier-975x750-circle-2d9d014acb374043d43c8541051186b0-fjn50yx7poaw.png)
![EKAMMysteryReader child and adult reading together](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/bb-plugin/cache/EKAMMysteryReader-circle-93ae38bd230646c9e7e730da8556d393-590tdca1fbqm.png)
With these principles as our guideposts, our Preschool and Prekindergarten programs cultivate important social and emotional skills alongside creative and critical thinking. Pre-literacy and numeracy skills are interwoven into authentic, carefully scaffolded learning experiences. Our intentional, emergent curriculum builds self-confidence and a true love of learning.
![PGReading group of girls and teacher reading](https://geds.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PGReading.png)