The Little School
The Little School was founded in 1991 as a pre-school program for 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds. Our curriculum fosters early childhood social, emotional and cognitive growth through developmentally appropriate practice. The Little School is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and licensed by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services.
The philosophy of The Little School is to establish an environment where self-confidence and self-expression are encouraged, as are responsibility, decision-making and respect for others. Our warm, sensory-rich environment offers familiar surroundings combined with steady exposure to the NYS Early Learning Standards, early childhood curriculum.
See below for more detail on our curriculum and enrichment programs.
KBLS follows a play-based curriculum blended with academic readiness skills. The Creative Curriculum builds children’s confidence, creativity, and critical thinking skills through hands-on, project-based investigations. Trusted for decades by early childhood educators, our curriculum:
- respects and nurtures individual skill progression for the whole child,
- harnesses the power of play through studies that engage learners as young as 2,
- seamlessly connects families to their children’s learning, and
- provides intentional support for every teacher every day.
Language Arts
Language Arts are fundamental to cognitive development and the successful expression of internal thoughts and feelings. Our language arts program recognizes that children learn when they are active and involved in multi-sensory experiences. Language is not taught in isolation, but is integrated across the curriculum and throughout the day.
Math Readiness
Math is a creative, active process through which we learn to gather and express facts and ideas about math concepts. Our students are introduced to one-to-one correspondence, patterns, sorting and sets, counting, number recognition, shapes, diverse math manipulatives, comparisons, measurement, and skills that serve as a foundation for the development of strong math skills.
Music, Art & Creative Movement
Music is basic to early childhood and one of our most natural expressions, so music activities are a daily event, spontaneous and interrelated to other events during the school day. Art helps children grow creatively, socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually, and our students are exposed to a variety of media and allowed to explore and create in ways that are open-ended. We also provide movement classes intended to enhance each student’s self-esteem, physical development and rhythmic creativity.
Gross Motor Play
It is natural for young children to be in motion and to derive a great deal of pleasure from doing so. As they move, they develop strength, coordination, body awareness, self-control and confidence.
Science & Nature
Science taps into both the natural curiosity children have about the world around them and the human need to place structure around it. We strive to stimulate and motivate children’s natural curiosity and help them learn to observe, question, explore, experiment, predict and solve problems.
Healthy Eating
Children are encouraged to develop healthy eating habits, and our cooking time offers yet another way to positively discuss and encourage healthful food choices. We talk about what we made, what went into it and why, taste/scent/appearance, etc.
Our Affiliations
Social Studies
The early social studies curriculum focuses on each child’s beginning comprehension of identity separate from family, developing autonomy, and establishing a positive sense of self.