About Us
Little Barnyard’s mission is to give children experiences that support their whole hearts, bodies and minds while nurturing a deep love for the natural world.
Philosophy
Little Barnyard’s teaching philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach. In this approach, the curriculum is emergent and based on the children’s interests. The teacher will observe, listen, and ask open-ended questions to find what sparks the children’s interests. The environment and next activity will then be prepared based on the children’s inquiries and needs. The children are viewed as constructivists in their own learning and are given opportunities to discover and learn new things on their own.
The teacher will monitor each child’s language, social emotional, cognitive, and physical development by using an objective assessment checklist. This assessment will guide the teacher in supporting the child to become ready for kindergarten. The teacher will communicate the child’s progress through conversations at drop-off and pick-up time, phone calls, email, and at conferences.
Families will be given the opportunity to meet with the teacher for a conference in December/January and April/May for the school-year session. The teacher and parents will discuss developmental progress, what strides their child has made, opportunities for growth, and any questions. During this time, the teacher and parents will create a plan to better support their child’s learning and development.
Enrollment
The Little Barnyard welcomes children who are potty trained up to school age. We have up to 14 children per class, with at least two teachers in each class.
Enrollment for upcoming summer and fall school-year sessions begins during the last week of January for those families who are currently attending. For those who have attended in the past, enrollment begins during the first week of February. Any remaining spots are filled by the “wait pool.” Please contact April Hepokoski at april@thelittlebarnyardpreschool.com to be placed on the wait pool list.
Our wait pool can get long; please inquire about openings with the other nature preschools in the area (below) in case you aren’t able to secure a spot with us.
Secret Forest Playschool
Windridge School House
Wandering Roots Nature School
Spirit of the Lake Kinderfarm
Hartley Nature Preschool
Kindred Paths Nature School
Please visit our Enrollment page for schedules, pricing and more information.
Our Day
We play outside in all weather, though we stay indoors during thunder/lightning and use caution if temperatures are below zero. The schedule below gives a good idea of our day, though it may vary day to day depending on the rhythm of the children.
Sample Schedule:
8:45-9:00 am: drop-off; child joins teacher in nature playscape outside behind house
8:45-10:15 am: nature playscape free play, cooking/snack, art
10:15-10:30: group time
10:30-11:15 am: farm time
11:15-12:15 pm: hike (nature play in woods)
12:15-12:30 pm: bathroom, wash hands
12:30-1:00 pm: eat lunch in playscape, free play when finished until pick-up
1:00-1:15 pm: pick-up