Discover the Early Learning Center
A child’s Mead experience is unlike any other. Mead encourages children to take risks, explore beyond what they believed was possible, fearlessly engage in the unknown and discover something new about the world and themselves.
Our Early Learning Centers are grounded in the idea that young children learn best when they engage with the world around them with the support of adults they know and trust.
Play is at the heart of our curriculum and each child has the invaluable opportunity to try out new ideas, take on different roles and practice new skills. We see children as individuals with their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences and we work tirelessly to honor what is within each of them.
We know how difficult it can be to separate from your child for the first time. That’s why we are dedicated to providing a warm, supportive environment; one that will serve as a home away from home for both child and family.
The social and emotional development of a young child lies at the heart of infancy. It affects all other domains and lays the foundation for healthy development. Our responsive and caring teachers work to create rich, trusting relationships with each and every child.
Our teachers understand early childhood growth and development and use this knowledge to plan and pace the day. They believe that every child has his and her own unique rhythm and honor individual interests, feeding and nap schedules.
The Infant Center caters for children from 6 weeks -12 months old. By ensuring a sense of belonging, the Infant Center sets the stage for a positive sense of self and a successful transition into the toddler years.
High quality child care offers more than just a safe place for children; it has a positive effect on your child’s early development and sets the foundation for positive relationships and a lifetime of learning.
Relationship based care
Our Toddler curriculum encourages exploration, engages the senses, supports autonomy and honors the individual. It is a curriculum of respectful, responsive and relationship-based care and education.
Each classroom is a well-planned learning environment with developmentally appropriate materials and child sized furnishings.
Flexible Toddler Centers
We have three distinct Toddler Centers for students who range in age from 12 to 36 months. As children transition from the Infant Center, individual nap and feeding schedules are replaced with predictable and consistent routines where the needs of individuals and the needs of the group are consistently evaluated for optimum balance.
Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten is an exciting time for students and teachers alike.
The preschool years are an expansive time, an ideal time for exploration. Growing skills allow students to explore and interact with their environment and each other in new and exciting ways.
In Pre-Kindergarten students demonstrate immense growth in their abilities to be more responsible and independent, to advocate for themselves, and to play cooperatively with their peers.
Developing Critical Skills
The growing development of skills in preschool children allows students to explore and interact with their environment and each other in new and exciting ways. A combination of child-initiated and teacher-selected activities set the stage for programs that challenge and engage.
Social Competency & Academic Learning
Pre-K students also show their eagerness in exploring the alphabet and numbers as well as their interest in further developing both their written and oral language skills. Our Pre-Kindergarten classrooms are designed to continue developing the link between social/emotional competency and early academic learning laid down in Preschool.
Teachers spend time getting to know each and every child. They create developmentally appropriate goals for the classroom as a whole, and tailor learning opportunities for individual students. This results in a rich curriculum and classroom environment.
Specialist Teachers & Programs
In addition to our exceptional teaching teams, students work in collaboration with five different program specialists in Music, Movement, Gym, Drama and Spanish. Specials offer our students the opportunity to practice a variety of important skills.
Children are exposed to new spaces, materials and the concept that different environments can hold different expectations. These experiences provide opportunities to practice transitions, and learn how to work with teachers outside of their classroom.