.jpg)
Early Childhood Education & Preschool
Our Programs
The early childhood education program at Two Birds is rooted in a play based approach to learning. The way in which we structure our classroom environments and teaching reinforces our belief that children are capable of, and should be a part of, making choices within learning frameworks and experiences. Our teachers are facilitators and observers within the classroom, affording the space to allow children to collaborate and lead, express themselves, and to influence experiences. Hand in hand with this approach is creating a balance of individual, small group, and large classroom work as well as a combination of child-led and teacher-led but child driven learning.
Integral to the Two Birds mission is building a foundation that supports the “whole” child during their early formative years. We focus on the child, the family, and the teachers within this framework as primary pillars of support in the development of the “whole” individual. For this reason, we think of the environment as the third teacher; it serves not only to support fine motor skills, but also to expand sensory experiences and to assist in the education of the whole child.
.jpg)
The Importance of Early Childhood Education
In the first five years of their life, your child’s brain develops more rapidly than at any other time. It is critical that they grow in an environment where they feel safe, welcomed and loved while also incorporating methods of learning about themselves and the world around them. Adaptive and comprehensive early childhood education programs allow children to build a depth of skills in a variety of key competencies as well as social and emotional skills that are the building blocks for later years. As a result, there is an invaluable impact of early childhood education on a child’s later engagement and relationship with learning, with peers, and with themselves.
The Two Birds Approach
At Two Birds, our teachers ensure that our students have access to printed materials in a number of different formats to improve literacy skills. In the classroom environment, we incorporate letters and words in a variety of ways; this could be incorporated into the group work of the day where they have opportunities to write messages to parents and friends in the journaling or messaging center or this could be increasing the students’ exposure of letters and words through labeling of furniture and objects. We also create small group experiences that dive a little deeper into literacy; children dictate stories to teachers to be written down, as well as time that incorporates singing, word play and rhyming games. Individually, children have a dedicated time each day to focus on literacy and choose a rich piece of literature and spend time practicing comprehension and other skills that prepare them to be a good reader.
Two Birds Curriculum
At Two Birds, our teaching and curriculum practices are guided by the Reggio-Emilia philosophy. We begin this emergent based approach to learning in our Infant classrooms and carry that philosophy through Pre-K. Our curriculum is centered around the idea that the child, educator, parent and environment are all essential pillars of a child’s education and play an important role in a child’s relationship with others and with themselves.
The emergent approach means teachers utilize children’s natural curiosity as the basis for their subject prompts; two classrooms of similar ages will focus on the same learning skills and developmental practices, but may do so through different topics of investigation. In an infant or toddler classroom, teachers may be informed by children’s physical reactions, such as a natural gravitation towards certain materials, books, experiences, as well as by early expressions of sounds and language. In older programs, as children become more verbal, teachers take note of children’s questions and conversations to help guide these prompts and future topics in the classroom. Ultimately, we believe children and teachers should have a voice in learning, and that this approach layers appropriate practices into a teaching philosophy that honors and values individuals’ voices.
Qualified Teachers
When building our teams, we prioritize working with teachers and staff who reinforce and cultivate a warm, welcoming and open-minded environment within our community. We look for educators with a range of backgrounds in early childhood education and experience but, more importantly, we value teachers that are aligned in our teaching philosophies, believe in play based learning, value our curricular approach, are collaborative and passionate about working in education. We firmly believe that our teaching teams are educators as well as care givers and that teachers of birth through 5 programs have a fundamental role in a child’s development. Our teachers follow positive reinforcement with respect to social and emotional skills and utilize coaching and modeling strategies, not punitive tools, when working with children on behavioral development.
Partnering with your family
Community is core to the Two Birds program and underscores the importance of the relationship between families and their child’s school. Two Birds organizes a variety of activities, engagement and events to connect with parents as part of the school community. Examples of this include schoolwide exhibitions to showcase children’s work, family days to celebrate as a school, open houses to invite parents to meet teams and tour classrooms, and various other events throughout the year. Two Birds also embraces technology to foster a transparent and inclusive environment within our community. We use an app called Brightwheel to share photos and videos from classroom experiences and so parents can communicate directly with teachers during the day. The combination of the schoolwide events and experiences with the day-to-day interactions strengthens our relationship with families and allows us to make children’s learning more visible to families.
Two Birds Early Childhood Education Programs
Two Birds creates programming and curriculum that are developmentally appropriate for each age group. Teachers utilize a play based approach to learning that layers new skills, concepts and learning into project work and activities that have been adapted for a specific age group using early childhood education learning standards.
Infant
The infant program is highly individualized and follows an infant-led approach, meaning that teachers are responding to the infant's cues and adapting routines as needed. Because infants may eat, nap and play on different schedules, teachers offer project work, sensory experiences and learning opportunities on a consistent basis throughout the day so all children can engage according to their needs. Infants are introduced to materials, concepts, physical development and language through Morning Meeting, studio time, and individual work with teachers.
Toddler
Children within the toddler program are rapidly developing motor skills, language and cognitive concepts. The toddler program introduces a flow of the day and centers within the classroom that supports this new phase. Unlike in the infant program, the toddler class maintains a single, consistent schedule, with opportunities for whole class work, small group work, and independent play and learning.
Preschool
The preschool program builds upon the toddler frameworks with a focus on developing children’s critical thinking, sense of independence, and problem solving. Teachers layer early learning concepts such as literacy, math, science and creative movement into a play based approach within the classroom. Preschoolers are introduced to a balance of teacher-led and child-led small group work and teachers utilize Morning Meeting, outdoor time and project work to foster leadership, collaboration and communication.
Pre-K
Pre-K children continue to develop the concepts and skills that were introduced in preschool and focus on synthesizing those concepts with their environments. Teachers layer various academic domains into project work and play by encouraging children to draw connections between their own experiences and what they’re learning in the classroom. In addition to introducing children to the skill sets, concepts, and materials that children will use in Kindergarten, this provides children with a toolkit and a way to think critically and problem solve in later years when faced with a new concept, new environment or new experiences.
"Thank you for making Tenleytown one of our favorite spots in the city. Each time we made the trek across town to Two Birds, we knew that Lincoln would be well taken care of in a safe, fun, and engaging environment. It was at Two Birds that Lincoln made his first friends, tried new foods, and learned to love to dance, read books, and be a helper. And Lincoln wasn’t the only one who grew here — we did too as first-time parents figuring it all out and learning to appreciate the joy of bringing other people into our kid’s life."
- Jeff and Chelsea P.
Programs for the whole family
Extracurricular programming extends learning beyond the classroom. Family classes provide an opportunity for children to explore new activities, ways of thinking and self-discovery in a familiar environment and amongst friends.
Programs for the whole family
Extracurricular programming extends learning beyond the classroom. Family classes provide an opportunity for children to explore new activities, ways of thinking and self-discovery in a familiar environment and amongst friends.
Join the Two Birds family!
Ready to enroll your little one at Two Birds and enjoy Reggio-Emilia inspired curriculum, family classes, and a professional workspace? Find your nearest Two Birds location!
