Meadowlarks
Age Requirements & Student-to-Teacher Ratios
To attend the Meadowlarks, children must be at least 3 years old by December 31st of the school year they will be attending.
The Meadowlarks have a maximum capacity of 18 children each day, and the minimum acceptable staff-to-child ratio, which will be maintained at all times, is 1 to 10.
Classroom Hours & Schedule Options
The Meadowlarks is a 9-month program that runs September-May. The classroom is open daily from 8:45am-1:00pm, with two scheduling options:
- Monday - Friday
- Monday / Wednesday / Friday
An extended day option from 1:00pm-3:00pm is also available daily.
For more information, please see the program calendar, tuition and fees document, and extended day FAQs.
Daily Schedule
A typical day in the Meadowlarks includes…
- indoor free-play and learning centers
- guided music and movement
- teacher-guided art, cooking, or science activity
- animal encounters
- morning meeting
- trail walk, exploration, and outdoor free-play
- morning snack and lunch
Overarching Goals of the Meadowlarks
In the Meadowlarks class, we strive to meet the needs of each student through a nature- and play-based program. We work collaboratively with families to support children’s development through age-appropriate experiences that occur both inside and outside of the classroom. Here in the Meadowlarks, we promote high levels of independence. Children will learn self-help skills by completing self-care tasks and classroom routines independently. We also support social-emotional growth by teaching and modeling conflict resolution and cooperative play skills. In the Meadowlarks, we help the children develop a sense of self-confidence, pride, and autonomy by encouraging them to tell us what they are working on, verbalize their wants and needs, and practice self-advocacy skills.
Some big picture goals of the Meadowlarks include:
- independently completing classroom activities and self-care tasks
- communicating wants, needs, and opinions
- confidently exploring and safely taking risks with less hands-on teacher support
- practicing skills of emotional regulation and problem solving
- creating strong, cooperative bonds with peers
- following classroom limits, expectations, and routines
