Mission & Philosophy

Mission

Apple Orchard School focuses on the growth of the whole child through a play-based, creative, nature-focused curriculum. We promote this growth through a warm, engaging, and stimulating environment rooted in deep caring, and trusting relationships among teachers, children, and families.

Philosophy

We believe preschool children learn best through hands-on exploration and play, which is at the core of our curriculum. Play develops qualities such as empathy, flexibility, communication and capacity to collaborate which children need to lead happy, fulfilled lives.

Play is a primary learning path at Apple Orchard School, and our unique farm environment provides unlimited opportunities for skills learned through play to be applied to classroom foundational learning. At this age, we believe that sitting and having a child count blocks doesn’t compare to jumping from stump to stump while counting or noticing how many ducks are on a pond one day compared to the next. We want to capitalize on what engages children at this age so that they are excited and interested in learning.

We use the farm around us because there is a direct and positive correlation between contact with nature, imaginative play, and learning. In both our indoor and outdoor classrooms, we engage in storytelling, drama and frequent art projects, and participate in the exploration of building, estimating, measuring, planning, and problem solving. With nature at the core of our program we support our mission by using a blended approach from the evolving, well researched, early education best practices.

Inclusive Environment

AO is committed to taking active steps toward creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Some of the ways that we are working to create a sense of belonging in our community while actively addressing racism and prejudice include:

• Professional development focused on addressing racial injustice in the Early Ed classroom.
• Speakers and consultants who we recently worked with at the school are Philip McAdoo (Diversity and Inclusion consultant), Jennifer Bryan of Team Finch Consultants, and John D’Auria of Teachers21.
• All School Reads: All AO faculty recently read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, PhD. During the academic year, teachers will gather to discuss Dr. DiAngelo’s work and will examine the ways in which Whiteness shows up in the classroom and workplace.
• Regular consultation of websites and resources such as embracerace.org, Teaching Tolerance | Diversity, Equity and Justice, National Association of Independent Schools.
• Faculty affinity groups, which will create space for faculty to gather and support one another in the work of addressing racism, prejudice, and stereotypes, both personally as well as in the work of creating anti-racist curriculum. Plans to develop Parent Affinity Groups are underway.
• Enhancement of classroom materials, including multicultural dolls, toys, and books. Also, every classroom will have a designated Family Board upon which photographs of student and teacher families will be displayed, affirmed, and referenced throughout the year.

Notice of Non-Discrimination

Apple Orchard is committed to creating a diverse community of families, students, and faculty. We strive to ensure that everyone at Apple Orchard feels a sense of connection and belonging.

Apple Orchard School does not discriminate against children, teachers, or families on the basis of age, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, sexual identity, housing status, religion, cultural heritage, political beliefs, family status, or disability in the administration of its educational policies, employment practices, scholarship awards, or any other school sponsored program or activity.

To learn more about our program, philosophy, and curriculum, please download our Curriculum Guide below.