Portland, ME
Breakwater School

"Research in the field of early childhood education indicates there are significant benefits from multi-year teacher-child relationships. Both continuity of care and teacher-parent-child relationships are strengthened when children remain in the care of the same teachers for multiple years. Mixed-age grouping in pre-school encourages a child’s cognitive problem-solving skills as well as the development of positive social behaviors. Children are afforded opportunities to practice and learn from cooperative play with peers who may be developmentally more or less advanced."
Excerpted from the preschool's website

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"8:00 to 8:20 Students arrive for the day. Parents help children put snacks and coats in cubbies, check for parent messages, and bring children to their classroom.
8:20 Morning Meeting begins in each child’s classroom. Each child participates in daily rituals designed to build community, provide opportunities for fun, and incorporate age-appropriate social learning.
8:45 Work Time begins. Children are free to choose from teacher-directed and open-ended activities in all of our pre-school classrooms on a rotating basis. This ensures that all children have opportunities both to be exposed to new activities and to do what they enjoy.
10:30 Clean Up
10:40 Stories and Songs. Children gather in their own classroom or as one large group to hear stories read and to sing together.
11:10 Outside Play (weather permitting) until dismissal.
12:00 Dismissal time for children who stay only half the day.
12:00 Lunch. Children staying for our afternoon extended program wash their hands and eat lunch in small groups.
12:30 Rest. Children rest or nap on mats with picture books and soft music or an audio book tape.
1:30 Activities and materials that enrich our morning curriculum are available for children to explore individually and in small groups.
2:15 Children play on our outdoor Pre-school playground (weather permitting).
3:00 Children are dismissed from our outdoor Pre-school playground (weather permitting) or are escorted to the Jessie Building for Breakwater’s AfterCare Program."
Excerpted from the preschool's website

source: