At Friends, we provide the perfect balance: developmentally appropriate practices with active, hands-on, play-based learning, along with some purposeful but stress-free instruction on skills the children will need. For example, we use Handwriting Without Tears, http://www.hwtears.com/hwt which provides multi-sensory tools that allow children to actively participate with joy. In addition, each and every learning center in the Pre-K room is labeled with a list of specific skills the children are learning as they play. Early cognitive learning consists of three things: plenty of time, plenty of materials, and plenty of interactions with skilled adults. Our trained teachers have carefully designed these programs and filled them with just the right kinds of materials that guarantee maximum learning as the children are engaged in them. During expanded times of child-directed activities, teachers move from group to group, where they add educational value to what’s happening. It looks like play, but it is serious learning! We are confident that the Pre-K program at Friends is an excellent experience for the children as they prepare to enter Kindergarten.

Infant
Toddlers
Preschool
Pre-K
Before & After School
Enrichment Activities

The Employer-Provided Child Care Credit rewards businesses that step up to support working parents—covering up to 40% of qualified child care expenses.*