Preschool

Welcome to Big World

Beginning at age three, children enter Big World, CHCP’s mixed-age preschool environment for three-, four-, and five-year-olds. Children belong to a smaller Gathering led by a dedicated teacher while also becoming part of a larger community of children and educators.

Younger children learn from older friends, while older children develop confidence as leaders and helpers. Children typically remain with the same Gathering teacher throughout their time in Big World, while shared playground time, Dot Time, and mixed-Gathering groups give them opportunities to build relationships with teachers and children throughout the program.

Our teaching team shares consistent values and expectations while bringing their own strengths, interests, and personalities to the classroom. Children come to know that they are surrounded by a community of adults who know them, care for them, and are there to help them learn and grow.

Our goal is to prepare children for kindergarten while honoring the way young children learn best, helping them become curious and confident learners, friends, communicators, and problem-solvers.

Program Details:

• Ages: Approximately 3-5 years old
• Ratio: 1:10 teacher-to-child ratio
• Structure: Mixed-age environment paired with small, dedicated Gathering groups
• Curriculum: Creative Curriculum
• Kindergarten Readiness: Social-emotional confidence, self-regulation, curiosity, problem-solving, and communication

A Day in Big World

Big World balances time with a child’s smaller Gathering group with opportunities to explore the larger preschool community.

Children begin their mornings with outdoor and free play before joining their Gathering for breakfast, conversation, projects, and teacher-guided activities. Mornings also include outdoor play and Dot Time, CHCP’s distinctive open-center period when children can explore activities throughout the Big World classrooms.

After lunch, children rest or nap. Older children who no longer nap participate in quiet time, outdoor play, and small-group activities. Afternoons include snack, indoor and outdoor play, and special experiences such as weekly music.

This rhythm gives children a combination of familiar relationships, child-directed exploration, group learning, movement, rest, and plenty of time to play.

Dot Time: Big World Open Centers

CHCP’s philosophy of learning through play comes to life during Dot Time, our open-center activity period. Children move among Big World classrooms, choosing activities based on their interests while teachers facilitate play, conversation, problem-solving, and discovery.

Each room offers a different area of exploration, with activities designed for a range of developmental levels:

• Science & Discovery
• Art
• Creative Dramatics
• Math & Manipulatives
• Literacy
• Blocks & Gross-Motor Play

Through this freedom of choice, children practice independence, decision-making, communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution while exploring subjects that interest them.

Teachers thoughtfully plan both open-ended and teacher-guided experiences and support children as they experiment, create, collaborate, and solve problems.