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
Apple Orchard is committed to taking active steps toward creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community through work with consultants specializing in Anti-Bias Anti-Racist work in school communities and specifically within early education. 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 Education classroom.
- Speakers and consultants who we recently worked with are Britt Hawthorne (Anti-Bias Anti-Racist educator), Philip McAdoo (Diversity and Inclusion consultant), Jennifer Bryan of Team Finch Consultants on gender identity, and John D’Auria of Teachers21 on managing challenging conversations.
- All School Reading: AO faculty this summer are reading The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore, Don’t Look Away, Embracing Anti-Bias Classrooms by Iheoma Irkuka et al, edited by Ann Pelo. During the academic year, teachers incorporate ideas and discussion topics from these books.
- Regular consultation of websites and resources such as embracerace.org, Teaching Tolerance | Diversity, Equity and Justice, britthawthorne.com, National Association of Independent Schools.
- Bunker Hill Community College Teacher Training We have partnered with Bunker Hill to attract students working on their undergraduate degrees in education and psychology to join our teaching team for a 12 week practicum. The opportunity to be hired as a member of our teaching team upon graduation is possible.
- Brookline Early Education Program Partnership We provide full scholarship for our afternoon Sandwich Club Program for up to 4 Brookline Preschoolers who are identified as benefiting from our outdoor curriculum.
- Faculty Affinity Groups 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 an Anti-Racist curriculum.
- Enhancement of classroom materials We include multicultural dolls, toys, and books. Every classroom has a designated Family Board with a display of photographs of student and teacher families which is 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.
