Our Programs

The Village School offers two, three, and five day morning programs, a pre-K program that includes two full days, and extended day programs on two days.

  • Morning Programs: 8:20 – 11:30, Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Tuesday & Thursday
  • Pre-K Program: 8:20 – 11:30, Monday – Friday with optional 11:30 – 2:30 Tuesday & Thursday
  • Extended Day: 11:30 – 2:30, Monday & Wednesday
  • Lunch Bunch: 11:30-12:30, Monday – Thursday

Curriculum Snapshots

These stories from our classrooms capture two vital components of the Village School: our emergent curriculum and our home – school partnership.

“Build our own aquarium!”

What’s so fun about the Village School is the creativity and curiosity that children bring each day. In addition to the curriculum that we plan and develop, teachers provide materials and their expertise in listening and facilitating the children’s ideas. An aquarium recently evolved from a lunchtime conversation among children and the teacher. From an enthused child’s weekend visit to the New England Aquarium came the idea to “Build our own aquarium!” The teacher gathered children to listen to their ideas, determined what materials were needed and it all began – white mural paper and blue crayons for the water, then masking tape to hang the water under the loft. Next came the sea creatures that were designed, cut, colored, and talked about. This project continued for several days as books were consulted, conversations ensued, and parents, children, and teachers were actively involved – the Village Aquarium was open! This kind of responsive, engaging, and purposeful play is a hallmark of the Village School.

Mystery Readers

In this program, parents sign up with their child’s teacher to come read a book of their choice, sometimes their child’s favorite, to the class. On the day of a mystery reader, the children wait eagerly in the meeting area of the classroom wondering who the reader will be. Then, the mystery is solved! The parent enters the classroom and joins the circle to read to the group. After a special story time, parents often donate the book to our school’s lending library. Mystery Readers make reading and sharing stories even more fun!

Treasure Hunt

In one classroom this spring, the children developed an interest in creating their own treasure maps. This led to curriculum based on different kinds of maps – families brought in maps from zoos, museums, parks, and their neighborhoods. The children created their own class-wide map of our playground and finished the unit with their very own scavenger hunt on the grounds of the school, complete with a “treasure” of popsicles at the end!

“In fifth grade, my son’s writing assignment was to describe his favorite teacher. He chose to write about his Village School teacher who taught him to mix the color brown to paint a tree trunk at the easel. His preschool memories are still so important to him.”

–Alumni parent