Early Childhood Education

SIX-HOUR-DAY

• The Six-Hour program begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 3:00 PM 

FULL-DAY

• Our Full-Day option allows for arrivals and departures at any time between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM

EXTENDED-DAY

• Our Extended-Day option allows for arrivals between 7:30 AM and 5:30 PM

SCHEDULED DAYS

• We offer two, three, and five-day-per-week schedules.

We have 7 classrooms total. 3 Toddler classrooms and 4 Preschool/Pre-K classrooms. 

• We have toddler classrooms and preschool/pre-k classrooms. Each age group has mixed aged classrooms.
• Toddlers range from 16 months until about 3 years old 
• Preschool/Pre-K rooms are from age 3 until children go to Kindergarten 
• If your child turns 3 on or before October 1 they are eligible to be in our preschool/pre-k rooms for the summer and/or school year sessions.  

Preparing your child to enter kindergarten with the skills they need to be active, capable, and confident learners is at the heart of our work.  School readiness includes skills like self-regulation, independent, creative thinking and the open and curious attitude needed for learning. It is these qualities that will equip children to listen to teachers, follow instructions, explore, work together with peers, and express themselves at school, home, and in their communities.    

Within our classrooms, children benefit from learning alongside peers of different ages. This setting offers unique opportunities to grow socially, emotionally, and cognitively through:  

• Opportunities to lead and learn: Children take turns being mentors and learners, building confidence and collaboration.  
• Stronger social-emotional skills: Interacting across age and ability fosters empathy, patience, and adaptability.  
• Deeper, more meaningful learning: Children reinforce their own understanding by observing and supporting others.  
• Appreciation of differences: Daily experiences with diverse peers nurture respect and inclusion.  
• Stable, lasting relationships: Longer time with consistent teachers and classmates supports emotional security and belonging.  

Click here for a document outlining our rates. 

We maintain low child-to-staff ratios to ensure each child receives personalized attention and care. This approach supports their social, emotional, cognitive, and language development, while fostering strong, trusting relationships that build confidence and social skills. 

• Toddlers: Our toddler-to-teacher ratios are approximately 1:5, and our toddler classrooms will not exceed 14 children with three teachers. 
• Preschool/Pre-K: Our ratios are approximately 1:8, with rooms having no more than 17 children with three teachers.  

Our teachers bring diverse backgrounds and experiences, with tenures ranging from 1 to 25 years. St. David’s is committed to teacher retention and support through intentional strategies such as staff development days, bi-weekly reflective supervision, inclusion support, and dedicated planning time with their teams. 

We provide children with a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. Parents pack a lunch for their child. We also serve milk and water with each meal.

 We understand that every child develops at their own pace, and potty training is no exception. Our teachers meet your family where you are in this journey, offering support, encouragement, and flexibility along the way. We’re here to partner with you—without pressure—so your child can feel confident and cared for as they grow.

We use a practice called looping, where children stay with the same teaching team for multiple years. Toddlers remain with one team until preschool, then continue with the same preschool teachers for two years before transitioning to a new classroom in their final year. This approach builds strong relationships, supports emotional security, and helps children grow alongside familiar peers. If a change is needed, we work closely with families to ensure a smooth, supportive transition. 

At St. David’s, we use the HighScope curriculum—an inclusive, research-based framework that supports children’s academic and social-emotional development through active, hands-on learning. Our approach is also deeply influenced by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which values emergent curriculum and relationship-based learning. This means our teachers build each day’s experiences around the children’s own ideas, questions, and passions—encouraging curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. 

Children learn best through meaningful relationships and real-world exploration. Our learning environments, both indoors and outdoors, provide opportunities for children of all abilities to learn side by side.  With individualized supports and low student-to-teacher ratios, we ensure every child is seen, heard, and supported. 

Our learning environments go beyond the classroom. From our Outdoor Classroom and playgrounds to the DNR-certified School Forest, children engage with nature daily—rain or shine. These enriching spaces, paired with support from on-site therapists and mental health professionals, create a uniquely nurturing setting for growth and development.

• Inclusion is one of St. David’s core values. Inclusion means children of all abilities learn alongside each other in our classrooms. As leaders in inclusion, we know children make greater developmental gains when they learn together in the same environment. Children with special needs make greater progress when included with their typically developing peers, and typically developing children make greater progress, as they have increased opportunities for leadership, empathy, and compassion. An inclusive classroom helps children gain an appreciation of diversity and encourages them to become more confident and comfortable with peers of all abilities.  
• Our classrooms maintain a careful balance between the specific gifts and the unique needs of each child to provide the specialized care and attention that makes our program unique, with each room staffed by three teachers who support all children.  Children who have diagnoses, receive pediatric therapies, and/or who have an IFSP or IEP through the school district have a care plan that includes collaboration between the teaching staff and other relevant providers. 

The inclusive nature of our classrooms means our teachers effectively differentiate their instruction for all abilities and learning styles through our curriculum, the set-up of the classroom environment, the materials offered, and the daily routines. Our classrooms are filled with resources and tools that all children have access to and that support our children’s individual needs throughout the day. In addition, daily routines are consistent and created with developmentally appropriate practices in mind. For example, transitions and wait times are limited, and children are given options for how they want to participate during group times to increase learning and engagement.