Mission

We value the presence of differences within our school community. Honoring each child's words and actions, and embracing who they are becoming, is an important component of placing value on our differences. 

• Our classroom teachers explicitly select books, dolls, music and other materials to expose our learners to the beautiful world of diversity that they may or may not experience in their everyday life;
• Our Studio teachers incorporate authentic and meaningful opportunities for children to learn about people, communities and cultures that may not necessarily be familiar to them;
• We share a bi-weekly newsletter with our full community which provides a thoughtful picture of the multiple ways in which our learners are experiencing differences amongst each other as well as amidst their learning.

We strive to provide the conditions and support that our children and their families need to reach their fullest potential. Respect for all community members is vital to the well-being of our school community and allows us to center the experience of our young learners each day.

• We embed relevant and culturally sensitive training into our hiring and onboarding process;
• All of our learners have access to highly trained, professional educators;
• Our lessons follow the individual children we serve;
• Our teachers utilize a thoughtfully crafted matrix and set of developmental indicators to ensure that our children’s social, emotional, academic and physical needs are being met. Additionally, each child receives a comprehensive portfolio at the conclusion of every school year that documents their magnificent growth as individual learners; 
• Each classroom has equitable access to the gross-motor room, materials, books and the resources they need to best serve their learners;
• We provide online and printed materials so that our full community has access to the varied ways in which we disseminate school communication;
• Our Admissions process is unique in that we do not interview children;
• We offer need-based tuition assistance so as to ensure that our special school is accessible regardless of a family’s financial circumstances

We are committed to creating caring, compassionate, and loving spaces within our school community where each member of our community will be seen, heard and valued for just who they are. 

• Social-emotional learning is deeply embedded into our practice;
• Our families, caregivers and faculty/staff are invited to share celebrations, songs, and cultural traditions with our classroom and school-wide community;
• Our young learners are invited to communicate in their home language throughout the school day and our teachers often choose to engage in adult learning to help them speak the languages of their learners;
• We value parent/guardian participation in multiple ways so that all parents can participate to the degree that suits their individual circumstances;
• We value the opportunity to meet our young learners where they are rather than expecting all children to be “ready” for learning at the same time and in the same way as their peers;
• We value learning about each family and member of our faculty and staff so that we may ensure that everyone in our community is authentically represented in their learning and working environments.