Early Learning
The Foundations for Lifelong Learning
With a long history of early childhood education, Westside offers an enriched environment. Our students are empowered to take an active role in their learning. Teachers observe the spontaneous interests of students and guide them to projects and learning that reflect their natural curiosity.
Classroom learning stations, and whole and small group times serve as an avenue for each child’s social and academic development. In addition to their daily classroom experience, students will participate in physical education, performing arts, visual arts, and world languages.
In preschool and pre-Kindergarten at Westside, Play is learning. They are not separate activities but intertwined. What looks like play to us is actually our youngest students learning to make sense of the world around them, building social and cognitive skills, and constructing knowledge that they will use as they move into kindergarten and all the way through 8th grade.
After Morning Meeting to start the day (and morning yoga for our pre-kindergarteners!), recess, and snack, worktime begins as children begin engaging with open-ended materials and interacting with their peers.
During work time, there are many options for play set up around the classroom. Each is designed to be fun and help students learn and practice different skills. Read more about some of our play areas here: