Preschool

The innocence, curiosity, and playful exploration of early childhood are key building blocks of healthy growth and future success.

Our preschool teachers create a learning environment that treasures childhood. The play-based program provides each learner countless opportunities for social, emotional, and intellectual growth.

As students move through our preschool, they build self-confidence, gain independence, and develop critical social skills through connections with teachers and other children.

The result is students who are ready for kindergarten because they see school as a joyful place, filled with adults who know them and care for them.

The value of early education cannot be overstated. Early cognitive and non-cognitive skills create a foundation for all later learning, in and out of the classroom.

Our developmentally informed, play-based program teaches students above all to know school as a joyful place where they are welcomed, celebrated, and supported as they explore, discover, and build early versions of their identity.

The Marin Primary & Middle School preschool is a developmental, play-based program where children thrive in our nurturing classrooms. Guided by supportive teams of teachers, they explore and discover, learning through play, building self-confidence, gaining independence, and developing critical social skills through their interactions with their teachers and other children. Our program supports the cognitive and social-emotional growth of young children, guided by the principles of Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Program Features

The preschool includes nine classrooms, each of which is led by two teachers.

Our spacious campus encompasses two enclosed playgrounds, one designed for our youngest preschoolers and one designed for students of all ages. In addition, preschool students benefit from two outdoor art areas, an expansive garden, fields, a music studio, a library, and MP&MS' proximity to trails, walking paths, and natural beauty.

Connections are key to the MP&MS experience for every student through the school, and preschool students enjoy purposeful engagement with buddies in the Primary and Middle School divisions.

Two Year Old Program

We guide your child in the process of becoming a member of a group that can comfortably navigate varied dynamics with their peers.

Two-year-olds are often focused primarily on their thoughts and desires; our curriculum leverages play and activities that harness the interests of our learners to help them develop empathy and a fuller awareness of their social environment.

We build routines and relationships, getting to know each other as we move forward into our year of learning and growing through play. This process involves small steps through the year, and many children spend significant time observing their new, stimulating environment before becoming full participants in play. They learn by engaging in a variety of creative endeavors, where the emphasis is on process and enjoying their experiences with classmates and teachers.

Recognizing the innate sense of wonder in all children, teachers seek to cultivate the curiosity and questioning that further inspires an intense engagement with the world around them. The teachers and children identify and talk about feelings as they grow together, and practice and model problem-solving on a daily basis. The children learn that even when they run into difficulties, they are able to bounce back, and this resilience serves them well as they interact with the group. After building trusting and secure relationships throughout the year, our students begin to take ownership of their school, freeing them up for new opportunities as they move forward.

Three Year Old Program

We support your child in a safe and secure learning environment, supporting them in their development and sense of identity.

There are ample opportunities for exploration and physical activities, both indoors and outdoors. The teachers lead regular nature walks to help the children get to know their community and learn about surrounding habitats. And they engage in agricultural practices on a small scale in the school garden, learning about the impact of cultivation and learning to be responsible stewards of the earth.

Our classrooms provide a nurturing educational and social environment where each child’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development is supported through child-centered play and developmentally appropriate activities.

Students are encouraged to explore and experience the world around them to instill a genuine and enduring love of learning and a sense of independence, and have opportunities throughout the day to engage in explorations both inside and outside in nature. Through play, literature, and discussion, children develop empathy, curiosity, creativity, and collaboration.

Four Year Old Program

Students in our PreK program collaborate within the classroom as well as the larger school community, helping them to learn to make connections as a key component to a successful lifelong journey.

Making connections means more than just making friends. It is about truly understanding and knowing your strengths and weaknesses; it is about acceptance, inclusion, and empathy; it is about having the ability to be your authentic self and the courage to share that with the world.

Childhood is a time for great discovery and exploration. As educators, PreK teachers know the importance of holding space for individual growth and development. We believe that innocence, curiosity, and the playful exploration of early childhood are the building blocks of healthy growth and future success.

PreK students are encouraged to slow down, take time to reflect, and understand that life is a process filled with little joys as well as obstacles to overcome. Each day, the teachers guide and support students as they navigate their world through social interactions, taking risks, and developing perseverance as challenges arise.

Learning

Amy Taylor

Preschool Director