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Our Classrooms
and Curriculum

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Small classes for growing minds

Whether your child is enrolled at our Main Site, located in downtown Minneapolis and housed in First Covenant Church, or at our downtown shelter site, our classrooms are nurturing and stimulating, featuring environments that enrich social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth.

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Your child is our priority

We recognize each child’s individuality and assist all children in developing a positive self-concept while recognizing others’ individuality. Your child will learn to build trusting relationships through positive interactions with their peers, our teachers, and our staff.

  • Classrooms and curriculum focus on social and emotional needs and development, giving your child the confidence to understand and express their feelings and emotions. Read our Development and Learning Objectives.
  • We utilize Creative Curriculum to create classrooms that are equally focused on the social-emotional and academic needs of your child.
  • Our preschool classrooms use the Empowering Generational Greatness toolkit, which helps children develop executive function and self-regulation skills through literacy, science, and mindfulness-based activities.
  • Weather permitting, children go outside daily to explore the neighborhood through walks or playtime on our playground.

If you’d like a detailed daily schedule for any of our classrooms, please contact the site you are interested in.

Our infant classrooms

Each day, your infant will be given time to explore their environment. Our infant classroom teacher also plans activities to help each infant achieve individualized goals. Each infant follows an individualized feeding and napping schedule based on their specific needs. Staff will work with you to establish the best schedule for your infant!

  • Ages 6 weeks to 16 months

  • 3:1 child-to-teacher ratio

Infant classrooms

Meals and feeding schedules

Every infant has an individualized feeding schedule based on their needs and your requests.

We provide formula, baby food, and once your child is eating table food, we will provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

Napping schedules

Your infant’s napping schedule is individualized to their needs and your requests.

Diaper changes

Diapers are changed every two hours or as needed.

Our toddler classrooms

  • Ages 16 months to 33 months

  • 3:1 child-to-teacher ratio in our Shelter classroom

  • 5:1 child-to-teacher ratio in our Main Site classroom

We’ve designed our toddler classroom to support your toddler’s rapid physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Our classroom fosters exploration, play, and interaction, providing a safe and nurturing environment that encourages the development of independence, curiosity, and social skills.

Toddler classrooms

Meals

We serve breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack.

Napping schedules

Due to their growing needs, we also plan a generous naptime after lunch each day.

Diaper changes

Diapering and potty training happen every two hours (or as needed).

Our preschool classrooms

Our Early Learning Center has two preschool classrooms (one preschool prep classroom and one Pre-K preschool classroom), while our Downtown Program has one preschool classroom for ages 3 to 5 years.

Our preschool classrooms emphasize hands-on, interactive learning for your child, promoting discovery and inquiry. The daily schedule balances group activities with individual exploration, allowing for focused investigation periods and predictable routines. There is a balance of teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities throughout the day.

  • Ages 3 to 5 years

  • 5:1 child-to-teacher ratio

Preschool classrooms

Meals

We serve breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack.

Napping schedules

Due to their growing needs, we also plan a generous naptime after lunch each day.

Potty training

Children who can use the bathroom independently are supported and encouraged to use the bathroom regularly. Children who are still learning are supported to visit the bathroom at least every 2 hours.

Enroll your child today

Interested in enrolling your child in our program? You can learn more about our rates, find information on child care assistance and scholarships, and access our enrollment application all in one place.

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