A classroom or daycare room with a white table surrounded by wooden chairs. Shelves with books, toys, and educational materials line the walls. There is a small book display in the foreground, a playhouse in the background, and various decorations and furniture.
Close-up of a green, multi-lobed leaf with prominent veins, surrounded by blurred greenery.

Join Us

  • ✺ Hours ✺

    Half Day: 8:30 am - noon

    Full Day: 8:30 am - 3:00 pm

    Extended Day: 8:30 am - 5:30 pm

    Monday - Friday with 2, 3, 4, and 5 day per week options, half or full day

    August - June with summer wrap-around programs also available

  • ✺ Ages ✺

    Our multi-age classroom is designed for children ages 3 - 6 years old who are fully self-toileting and ready to be part of a busy, active classroom. Some children as young as 2 years 9 months may be ready for the program, as determined on a trial basis.

  • ✺ Class Size ✺

    Between 12 - 14 children are enrolled each day, led by two experienced educators.

Our Curriculum

Unlike traditional, pre-packaged curricula, ours is emergent – meaning it thoughtfully evolves based on your child's blossoming interests, natural curiosity, and unique abilities. While each year brings new discoveries, the core threads of creativity, exploration, and hands-on learning are constant. Here's a glimpse into the personalized, engaging learning experiences that shape our days:

    • Curiosity leads the way as children embark on extended, in-depth investigations that spark their imaginations and critical thinking. Whether we're exploring the life cycle of a butterfly observed in our garden or designing a miniature city inspired by local architecture, these projects foster collaboration, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of concepts through hands-on creation.

  • Sensory and science explorations in natural outdoor environments invite children into playful, adventurous discovery with loose parts, water, mud, and natural materials. It's where they build, experiment, hypothesize, and learn physics and engineering through engagement with the elements.

  • In Process Art, the journey of creation is honored above the final product. Children are encouraged to experiment with a rich and varied array of materials, expression itself a method of learning as viewed by the Reggio Emilia approach of the “100 Languages of Childhood.” Children are empowered to explore ideas, express emotions, and develop critical thinking through creativity.

  • Children become adventurous explorers as they climb, observe, build, and connect deeply with the natural world in all seasons at nearby Price Park, in our educational garden, and our outdoor classroom. These immersions foster resilience, problem-solving skills, and a profound respect for the environment, truly embodying our "Forest School" spirit.

  • Language and Literacy at The Mayapple School is a dynamic, joyful experience!

    • Through "The Play Together Game" – a thoughtful, literacy-based dramatic play method – children immerse themselves in stories, building characters that bring narrative tales alive. Children further develop these skills with the inclusion of Storytelling/Storyacting in our curriculum (ST/SA). Stories are further shared every day through read alouds and oral story telling.

    • Foundational Phonics and Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming, blending and segmenting words, letter sound and letter form association, and letter formation and building are essential keys that unlock further methods of communication. We have a wide variety of hands-on materials and lessons that build these foundations using a variety of multi-sensory modalities. Our curriculum centers on reading and writing for meaning.

    • Songs, poetry, and fingerplays further spark children’s innate love of language. American Sign Language signs are introduced through song and poetry for a multi-sensory approach.

  • Children explore numbers, patterns, shapes, and measurement through hands-on activities like counting seeds, categorizing natural objects, or building geometric structures. Balanced mathematics combines guided discovery with real-world applications, practice to develop automaticity, and use of manipulatives that build strong foundational math skills in a tangible, meaningful way.

  • Central to the whole child philosophy, we cultivate essential social and emotional skills. Through collaborative projects, playful conflict resolution, and gentle guidance, children practice empathy, communication, self-regulation, and how to navigate friendships daily. Creating a safe, inclusive community where every child feels a sense of belonging is a shared task for students and teachers.

Group of young children sitting on the fall leaves in a forest, wearing bright orange safety vests and colorful jackets, with backpacks, engaging in outdoor activities on a sunny autumn day.
Two young children painting on a large sheet of paper outdoors on a table, with a background of trees and playground equipment.

Inside a Day at The Mayapple School

  • A whiteboard with a drawing of a circle of stick figures and the text "Mayapple Message" at the top. The message asks if someone can add a friend to the circle, with various stick figures drawn around the circle.

    Mayapple Message & Drop Off

  • A boy jumping into a box filled with stuffed animals while other children watch in a playroom.

    Invitation & Open Choice

  • An adult woman plays a long horn with children lying on the floor in a classroom setting. The children are in a relaxed, sleeping position on a colorful rug. There are shelves with books and educational materials in the background, and a window with a view of trees outside.

    Circle Time

  • Group of children sitting in a circle outdoors on dry grass, with backpacks and lunchboxes nearby, during a sunny day.

    Snack

  • Children wearing colorful jackets and reflective vests walk up a snow-covered hill in a wooded area during daytime.

    Outdoor Explorations

  • Kids sitting on the grass in a circle, writing or drawing, with a whiteboard on a red stand nearby, under trees on a sunny day.

    Story & Lunch

  • Six children sitting on a blanket playing with colorful magnetic building tiles outdoors on a sunny day, with a wooden fence and green trees in the background.

    Quiet Work

  • A boy is lying on a bed or mattress on the floor, reading a children's book titled 'Bear Wants More'. There are other books and stuffed animals nearby, including a red plush dragon. The setting appears to be a cozy play or reading area with a colorful rug and storage bins.

    Rest Time

  • Six children playing outdoors in a wooded area, engaging in messy play with sand and mud, with a sandpit, gardening tools, and a wooden fence in the background.

    Recess, Story, & Dismissal