Program Levels
Infants
From birth to age five the brain develops faster than any other period in a child’s life. An infant’s experiences with the people around them and their environment deeply impact both their neuro and social-emotional development. Infancy is where the foundation for all learning is set and it is imperative that infants receive attentive care and engaging interactions from the adults around them to build the physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional skills necessary to continue on their life-long journey of learning and becoming.
At Hutch Kids, your infant’s first experience in a school setting is marked by strong, positive attachments with their teachers in a safe, warm, and engaging environment that nurtures the development of the whole child.
Infants freely explore their classroom space in a language rich environment, primed to reflect the diversity of the children, their families, and the faculty. Teachers expose infants to constant language and connection through books, singing, and one-on-one interactions. Nature walks, outdoor play, Music and Spanish enrichment classes, sensory play and motor activities are a part of each infant’s weekly experience at Hutch Kids.
At Hutch Kids, your infant’s first experience in a school setting is marked by strong, positive attachments with their teachers in a safe, warm, and engaging environment that nurtures the development of the whole child.
Infants freely explore their classroom space in a language rich environment, primed to reflect the diversity of the children, their families, and the faculty. Teachers expose infants to constant language and connection through books, singing, and one-on-one interactions. Nature walks, outdoor play, Music and Spanish enrichment classes, sensory play and motor activities are a part of each infant’s weekly experience at Hutch Kids.
Waddlers - "Young Todders"
Young toddlers are growing and acquiring new skills exponentially. Their new found physical freedom allows them to move around more, giving them new insights into themselves and the world around them. Young toddlers have a strong desire to explore new objects and materials sensorially, imitate the behaviors of others, strive for greater independence and express themselves and their desires through burgeoning language skills. Each day in a young toddler’s life is full of new discoveries and practicing emerging skills.
The transition from infancy to toddlerhood is full of excitement as children at Hutch Kids learn to exert their independence, gleaning new self-help skills and exploring their changing environment. Relationships with caregivers continue to be an integral part of the learning process as new social relationships form with their peers.
Children in our waddler classrooms engage in varied activities and exploration throughout the day. Circle time offers the opportunity to come together as a social group to sing songs, read books, and engage with felt stories. Throughout the day children are invited to engage in exploration of open-ended materials, sensory and artistic endeavors, outdoor play and nature walks, Spanish and Music enrichment classes, large body movement activities and free-play.
The transition from infancy to toddlerhood is full of excitement as children at Hutch Kids learn to exert their independence, gleaning new self-help skills and exploring their changing environment. Relationships with caregivers continue to be an integral part of the learning process as new social relationships form with their peers.
Children in our waddler classrooms engage in varied activities and exploration throughout the day. Circle time offers the opportunity to come together as a social group to sing songs, read books, and engage with felt stories. Throughout the day children are invited to engage in exploration of open-ended materials, sensory and artistic endeavors, outdoor play and nature walks, Spanish and Music enrichment classes, large body movement activities and free-play.
Toddlers
As children enter their second year of toddlerhood their desire for independence is strong! Big changes in cognitive function and social-emotional development, combined with the mastery of many physical skills creates the perfect environment for toddlers to explore their world and make sense of it. Exploding language development and the ability to express a wide range of emotions mark this time in development as both thrilling and challenging for both the child and their caregivers.
Toddlers, now firmly entrenched in their independence thrive in classrooms with teachers who help the children learn to engage with one another in play and build positive routines and expectations. Social-emotional skill building is a key focus in our toddler classrooms, as we help children learn to express their needs and emotions through their growing language and to navigate the complexities of social interactions.
Children in our toddler classrooms engage in varied activities and exploration throughout the day. Circle time offers the opportunity to come together as a social group to sing songs, read books, and engage with felt stories. Throughout the day children are invited to engage in exploration of open-ended materials, sensory and artistic endeavors, outdoor play and nature walks, Spanish and Music enrichment classes, large body movement activities and free-play.
Toddlers, now firmly entrenched in their independence thrive in classrooms with teachers who help the children learn to engage with one another in play and build positive routines and expectations. Social-emotional skill building is a key focus in our toddler classrooms, as we help children learn to express their needs and emotions through their growing language and to navigate the complexities of social interactions.
Children in our toddler classrooms engage in varied activities and exploration throughout the day. Circle time offers the opportunity to come together as a social group to sing songs, read books, and engage with felt stories. Throughout the day children are invited to engage in exploration of open-ended materials, sensory and artistic endeavors, outdoor play and nature walks, Spanish and Music enrichment classes, large body movement activities and free-play.
Young Preschool
Young preschoolers are at a transition point between toddlerhood and preschool, as they begin to seek out peer relationships but still value independence. They are becoming more communicative and starting to navigate social situations with support from adults. Children at this age may describe themselves as “big kids” as they begin to take care of more of their own needs, such as toileting or getting dressed.
In our young preschool classrooms, teachers:
In our young preschool classrooms, teachers:
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- Support children’s development of language, early math, cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills through play and hands-on exploration
- Guide children to notice and respond to their own and others’ emotions
- Facilitate social problem solving and support children as they navigate play
- Model communication and self-help skills
- Design the learning environment and routines to foster engagement and independence
- Cultivate relationships with each child and promote a sense of classroom community
- Prepare children for the transition to older preschool
Older Preschool
Older preschoolers are invested learners, curious about the world and eager to share their ideas. This is an exciting time for children as they begin to form stronger relationships with peers and learn more about their communities. Preschoolers’ language skills are constantly expanding. They retell familiar stories, share their own experiences, and are adding lots of new words to their vocabularies. Their bodies are also developing rapidly – preschoolers need lots of opportunities to move!
In our older preschool classrooms, teachers:
In our older preschool classrooms, teachers:
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- Support children’s development of language, math, cognitive, physical and social-emotional skills through play and hands-on exploration
- Guide children to pursue their own interests and co-construct knowledge
- Model communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills
- Design the learning environment and routines to foster inquiry and independence
- Cultivate relationships with each child and promote a sense of classroom community
- Assess children’s readiness for kindergarten
