Early Saints (Three-Year Olds)

Early Saints (Three-Year-Olds)

To learn about habitats, the joyful three-year-olds of Early Saints create their own. “We need leaves for the giraffes to reach on the ceiling,” suggests one enthusiastic young artist-zoologist, and another day of discovery has begun.

Early Saints is an exciting introduction to what school can be. Led by two full-time early education experts and inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, it is student-centered, parent-partnered, and research-based. It is rooted in the idea that children learn best by participating actively and interactively, expressing themselves in different ways, making mistakes, and taking initiative and responsibility in their education—even three-year-olds. Especially three-year-olds!

In addition to its indoor classroom, this full-day program takes advantage of SSSAS’s amazing Lower School campus, including a natural outdoor classroom where children build, dig, and run, letting their imaginations run wilder. The program also utilizes the greater Washington area through excursions and visits from experts.

Beyond developing their fine- and gross-motor, premath, prereading, prewriting, and self-help skills, the “friends” of Early Saints explore music, movement, and science. Many activities are hands-on. All are minds-on. In this carefully designed curriculum, the academic and social-emotional, like work and play, blend and reinforce one another.

When these youngest Saints move on, they remain creative and curious, collaborative and independent, and invested in their learning for years to come.

Video: Early Saints Program

In Early Saints, children don't just prepare to become....

Communicators

Students are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings with each other through active listening, public speaking, and developing thoughtful comments and questions.
Math Lovers

Our students get excited about numbers, not in worksheets, but through mathematical play—building, drawing, counting, exploring, and singing.
Design Thinkers

In our experiential curriculum, children plan, design, tinker, create, and revise to express themselves in a variety of ways.
Scientists

Employing their own pint-size method, our Saint-scientists wonder, observe, question, investigate, uncover answers, and ask more questions.
Caring Citizens

Friends become positive, contributing members of varied communities—class, school, and beyond—by learning to take care of themselves, each other, and the environment.