A Typical Day

Children play with each other and staff. We open rooms as staff and children arrive.

Present children are seated at 8:00. As children arrive, they are invited to eat. When each is finished, they are excused to free play with staff in the rooms we have open.

Group time with stories and songs. This is optional. Children who don’t enjoy sitting for stories or songs may opt out and continue to play. It is counterproductive to “force” an uninterested child to participate (and, of course, it doesn’t work). We have found that happy and engaged kids are a much better inducement. It is not uncommon for children to participate sometimes and opt out other times. We find that giving children as many genuine choices as possible during all parts of the day results in less push back on non-choice events like diaper changes and hand washing.

When we are playing inside, children move freely between our staffed activity rooms. All activities are child centered and open-ended. When we are playing outside, children move freely between all the areas. They may come and go from the playground to the Table Room in order to do table activities, have a change of pace, get a drink or use the bathroom. (Moving indoors and outdoors is NOT an option when we’re playing inside.) Each year we play outside for as long as we can, usually about 5 months. We come indoors to play for about 5 months then we follow the weather for about 2 months.

“First Lunch” is served at 11:30am to the children who take long naps (usually younger ones) and/or who leave at noon. By 12:15, children and staff are upstairs in the Block and Reading Rooms. These are now comfy nap rooms, with individual cots and the children’s personal items like blankets, pillows and snuggle items. (They are always a happy sight for tired children.) We sing the same songs and tell the same story every day. Children are usually asleep by
12:30pm and we begin waking them up 2:30pm. Sharon and staff are with the first lunch children.

“Second Lunch” is served at 12:20pm. By 1:00pm, children and staff are in the Housekeeping and Front Rooms with their comfy cot set-ups. There is a pleasant story routine each day. Children who nap have 1 to 1.5 hours to do so. Those who don’t may finish their rest after 30 minutes. Awake children play in the unused downstairs rooms or outside. Lunch groups are assigned by the Directors. We have 14 kids upstairs and 14 kids downstairs. Jill and staff are with the second lunch children.

Served to the second lunch children in the Table Room. When finished, these children either go outside or play in the downstairs rooms until the first lunch nappers come downstairs at 3:00pm.

Served to the first lunch children in the Table Room. The other children may play in the five remaining rooms (or outside). As children finish their snack, they join their friends at play.

Same as morning play. We post the rotating 4-week Activity Schedule on the Parent Board.

If we are outside, we clean up the yard at 5:15pm and go back inside at 5:30pm. We clean up and close rooms as staff and children leave.