Our program
Structured academics. Child-led play. On purpose.
Little Ivy is designed to nurture the whole child — academically, socially, emotionally, and physically — in a day that holds both halves of learning on purpose.
Our philosophy
Learning happens everywhere.
We believe children learn best through meaningful experiences, exploration, and play. The early childhood years are a time of incredible growth, and our program is designed to nurture the whole child.
Our approach is Reggio-inspired, with Montessori woven through. From Montessori we take the conviction that the child leads; from Reggio, that play is how learning happens. We are not a licensed Montessori school, and that is a choice — we keep what serves children and leave the rules that do not, favouring neutral, wooden, imagination-first materials over rigid ceremony.
Learning happens during conversations, while building with blocks, exploring nature, and solving problems with friends. Our teachers guide children through these moments, building the whole child — curiosity and confidence, but also resilience, coping, sharing, and taking a turn.
Our curriculum is aligned with the local district, so the letters, sounds, and number work your child meets here are the ones waiting for them in kindergarten.
What we develop
The skills that build a strong foundation.
By nurturing both the mind and the heart, we help children build the strong foundation they need for lifelong learning.
Where we go further
Fine motor skills, and an early writing program.
Children are arriving at kindergarten less able to hold a pencil, work a pair of scissors, or pinch and grip than they once were. Those small muscles are what writing is built on, and they are built by doing — not by worksheets.
So we teach them deliberately. Fine-motor work runs through the whole day, and an early writing program carries our oldest children across the gap between pre-K and kindergarten, so that a first day of school asks nothing of them they have not already practised.
Our classrooms
Two groups, grouped by age, small by design.
Little Ivy is a mixed-age center serving children ages 2.9 to 5, with 28 seats across two classrooms — The Oaks and The Ivys. Children are placed based on age, developmental readiness, and available space.
The Ivys
Ages 2.9–3
Our youngest learners, in a smaller group with a lower ratio, where the foundations are laid: recognising letters and numbers, holding a crayon, taking a turn, and trusting that a grown-up will come back. Ivy keeps growing, and they are little.
The Oaks
Ages 4–5
Our older children, in the year before kindergarten. Days hold more structure — early writing, letters and sounds, numbers, and the independence that makes a first day of kindergarten feel ordinary. Oaks are old, and they are ready.
In our first year the two groups learn side by side in one classroom, moving into rooms of their own as we grow into our 28 seats.
A typical day
Both halves of the day, on purpose.
Our days hold structured time for early literacy and numeracy alongside generous, unhurried space for children to follow their own curiosity. Each part is chosen to help the others land deeper.
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Arrival and early exploration
Doors open at 7:30, or at 7:00 with a morning extension. Children settle in, greet their friends, and find something that interests them. The day formally begins at 9:00, so we ask that everyone arrive by then.
9:00 AM
Morning meeting
The whole group comes together — a song, the calendar, the weather, and the small daily business of a community that knows one another.
Mid-morning
Small groups and open centers
Teachers pull small groups for focused academic work while everyone else explores the open centers: dramatic play, the science table, manipulatives, books. Every child gets time in a small group, and every child gets time to lead their own learning.
10:45 – 11:30 AM
Outdoor learning center
The first of the day's two outdoor periods. Not a break from learning — an extension of the classroom.
11:30 AM
Wash up and lunch
Hands washed, table set, and a proper sit-down meal together.
Early afternoon
Story and rest
A story, then quiet and rest. Half-day children head home at 1:00, and many others are collected after rest.
Afternoon
Outside again, then free play
A second outdoor period, then unhurried play until pickup. The program closes at 4:30, with an afternoon extension available.
Outside, twice a day
An outdoor learning center.
Children go outside twice every day, for at least thirty minutes each time — roughly an hour of real, gross-motor, fresh-air play.
Our outdoor space is not somewhere to watch children go down a slide. It is a second classroom: a mud kitchen, chalk, and room to explore. The same curiosity we cultivate at the science table belongs out here, where it can get messy.
See it in person
Come watch a day unfold.
A tour is the best way to feel the balance of academics and play. Walk the rooms, meet the space, and picture your littlest learner here.