Trust & Discovery
Our youngest children build secure relationships, explore through their senses, develop communication, and discover growing independence in responsive, nurturing environments.
Preschool at First Pres
Rooted in Wonder.
Rooted in Wonder.
Growing Through Curiosity.
Our preschool is a Reggio Emilia-inspired, play-based learning community where children are invited to wonder, explore, create, and make meaning of the world around them.
Ages One Through PreK
A Place to Wonder, Explore, and Belong
Children are not simply preparing for school. They are already capable learners. At First Pres, children help guide their own learning through curiosity, open-ended exploration, play, relationships, and self-expression.
Our teachers listen closely to children's questions and interests and use them to shape meaningful experiences and investigations. We believe learning happens everywhere — in the classroom, in the atelier, outdoors, through conversation, through movement, and through the questions children ask.
Known & Valued
Belonging Comes First
Before children can explore confidently, take risks, or share their ideas, they need to feel safe, known, and valued.
Our teachers take time to understand each child's personality, interests, strengths, and ways of communicating. Through consistent, caring relationships, children develop the security and confidence to engage fully with the people and world around them.
We see children as capable contributors to their classroom community, with ideas and perspectives that deserve to be heard.
Growing at First Pres
Every Stage Brings New Possibilities
From a toddler's first independent discoveries to a PreK child's increasingly complex questions and ideas, our environments and teachers respond to children as they grow.
Imagination & Inquiry
As children's worlds expand, play, language, creativity, friendship, movement, and investigation become increasingly rich and complex. Their questions and interests begin to shape deeper explorations.
Confidence & Connection
PreK children deepen their thinking, express increasingly complex ideas, collaborate with others, and develop the independence and confidence to take their next steps.
Meaningful Learning
Children Learn Through Experience
Play is serious learning. Children learn by touching, moving, building, creating, questioning, testing ideas, and trying again.
Through hands-on play-centered experiences, children develop critical thinking, problem-solving, emotional resilience, communication, and social skills.
Teachers observe carefully, listen for children's ideas, introduce materials and possibilities, and thoughtfully extend children's thinking. A simple question or discovery can become the beginning of a much larger investigation.
Our Approach
Learning Happens Everywhere
At First Pres, learning extends beyond traditional classroom boundaries. Children explore ideas through nature, play, art, language, relationships, and extended investigations connected to their interests.
Reggio-Inspired & Child-Led
Children guide their own learning journey through curiosity, open-ended exploration, and self-expression. Their questions, ideas, and interests help shape what happens next.
Nature & Outdoor Exploration
Daily immersive outdoor experiences help children build physical confidence, develop environmental stewardship, and form a lifelong connection to the natural world.
Play-Based Learning
Hands-on, play-centered experiences foster critical thinking, problem-solving, emotional resilience, communication, and social development.
Rich Artistic Expression
The arts are woven into everyday life. Children use painting, drawing, sculpture, construction, movement, music, and other materials to process ideas and express themselves.
Spanish Language Integration
Children encounter Spanish naturally through play, stories, music, and daily routines, building familiarity with another language in meaningful and joyful ways.
Project-Based Learning
Extended investigations grow from children's interests and questions. Projects encourage inquiry, teamwork, collaboration, and deeper exploration over time.
Growing Into Capable Learners
We Are Preparing Children for More Than Kindergarten.
We want children to leave preschool knowing that their questions matter, their ideas have value, and they are capable of figuring things out.
Through play, exploration, relationships, creativity, and inquiry, children develop the confidence and curiosity to approach new experiences as learners.
Experience First Pres
Come See Childhood Differently.
Visit our classrooms, explore our outdoor spaces, and discover a community where young children are known, valued, and inspired to learn.
Schedule a Visit