A Day in the Life
At Center Stage Preschool
Preschool is a Journey
The first day of preschool is a scary moment — and not just for preschoolers! Parents are watching their little bundle of joy making their first forays into the big wide world without them.
Education is a journey that will shape the rest of their lives — and it’s beginning right now.
At Center Stage, children have plenty of opportunities to discover the world around them, as well as ensuring a proper education:
- Children learn all the major themes that are taught in schools for children from ages 2 to 6 in fun and exciting ways.
- We ensure they are developing properly in every aspect, including socially, emotionally, physically, and psychologically.
- We follow their progress with assessments three times a year.
Daily Schedule at Center Stage
7:30 am - Dropoff Rituals
9:00 am - Circle Time
9:30 am - Teaching Block One
10:15 am - Snack
10:30 am - Teaching Block Two
11:00 am - Teaching Block Three
11:30 am - Recess
12:00 pm - Lunch
12:15 pm - Teaching Block Four
1:30 pm - Rest & Refresh
4:00 pm - Snack
4:15 pm - Recess
5:00 pm - Free Centers
6:30 pm - Center Closes
Dropoff Welcome Rituals
Our teachers are just as excited to meet your child as your child is to meet them! They’ve been preparing and planning for this day for a solid two weeks before school. No surprises here, just well-prepared teachers ready to have fun with the kiddos.
When your child first arrives at our preschool in Ashburn, VA, they will be warmly greeted by their smiling teacher and assistant. Your child will be made to feel important and welcome with a handshake and a cheery “Good morning!” and “How are you?” We believe it is crucial to set the tone for your child’s first day off right. This school is a warm, inviting place where they are being welcomed into a community.
After being greeted, your child will be offered their own personal little cubby. They will be allowed to take off their jackets and store their belongings here all by themselves. We want your child to feel like this is “their spot” and that we trust them to handle some tasks on their own. As you already know, littles love feeling like they are capable.
This is actually a very important tenet in Montessori training. While we will always be there to offer a helping hand when needed, self-sufficiency is the name of the game and we will always encourage kids to grow and become more independent.
All children are welcome at Center Stage, and our goal is that each child would feel like they are an important part of our community. We give children a voice in choices and inspire them to self-advocate and ask for help as needed. Each child at Center Stage learns to achieve on their own, but also be a team player when the occasion calls for it.
Snacktime & Responsibilities
Snack time is a favorite here at Center Stage! Children are given responsibility and are expected to clean and set up their own spot at the table. This makes them feel valuable and important.
Center Stage is their community and they love the opportunity to take ownership of it. Everyone gets a chance to go to the bathroom and wash their hands. Then they have a few minutes to chat with their friends or teachers while they enjoy their snack.
About the Core Teaching Blocks
We offer 4 core teaching blocks per day. We keep them short and break them up with playtime so kids don’t feel overwhelmed. In the morning, children tend to be at their best so we dive in with critical thinking skills. At Center Stage, children are allowed to learn and grow at their own pace. To do this, the teacher divides up the class into 3 working groups:
- The concept is first introduced
- The child has seen the concept and is progressing well
- The child has mastered the concept is ready to move on
Children develop at different rates and we don’t want to box them in with strict ideas of what all children should be able to do by a certain age. For example, children with older siblings will often progress faster because they’ve seen concepts before.
Core Teaching Blocks focus on a variety of topics and activities, including:
- Music
- Creative Movement
- Cultural Studies
- Indoor & Outdoor Play
- Storytime
- Much more!
Circle Time is "Magic"
Circle time is an opportunity for teachers to check in with students and learn about the current events in their students’ lives. They’ll ask lots of questions like:
- What color are your shoes?
- What’s the weather like?
- What did you do for the weekend?
- What’s your third favorite dinosaur?
This gives the kids a chance to interact and talk about what is important to them. It also gives the teachers a chance to understand how each child is doing. Does anyone seem crabby after a night of short sleep? Did everyone get breakfast? Mom and Dad are out of town, how do they feel about that?
Children aren’t always good at expressing the stress they feel in ways that others can understand. We strive to give them an opportunity to share and, hopefully, ease their burdens a little. Life can be scary when you’re a little kid!
The Outdoor Classroom
Play is just as important to a child’s development and learning as formal instruction. We also firmly believe that spending time outdoors is critical to children’s development. In fact, we view the playground as a classroom of its own — full of opportunities to learn and explore.
The outdoor is an important part of giving the children creativity and culture.
Family Style Lunch
After everyone has had their classes and enjoyed their turn on the playground it’s time for lunch.
At Center Stage, there’s no boring cafeteria food. A catering service delivers hot meals portioned and nutritionally based for each age group with plenty of whole fruits and vegetables. We put an emphasis on locally grown food that is in season.
We’re fueling growing minds so your child will only enjoy wholly nutritious food at Center Stage.
Classes get to sit and eat as a family. As with every other time at Center Stage, lunch is a time to talk with the kids, ask them questions, and give them opportunities to talk about their pets, vacations, and whatever else they want to chat about. If the conversation lags, a teacher jumps in with a leading question that gets them going again.
Rest and Refresh
The day has been busy and full! Now the children are given an opportunity to wind down. Those who still need it can nap and the others are given coloring books and puzzles to keep their minds occupied while their bodies rest. Again, children are given the responsibility to set up their own nap mat.
The children get so excited about being able to set up their mat and put on the fitted sheet. They love to help one another by holding the corners for their friends. We love to watch the sense of community blossom among them as they jump in to help one another.
They can also bring their things out of their cubbies to play with or help them relax during rest time.
After naps, it's time for dance parties, music, coloring, playing outside, and a variety of other fun activities for the kids. The teachers put out meaningful activities and the children are allowed to choose what they want to do.
Your child will get to relax and enjoy the time that is left until their parents or family members come to pick them up. Our goal is that each child will go home full of new information, excited about what they learned that day, and excited to come back and do it again tomorrow!
Schedule a Tour of Center Stage
Address
20955 Professional Plaza Suite 100
Ashburn, Virginia 20147
Open Hours
Monday – Friday
7:30 am – 6:30 pm