Is this a daycare center?

NO! Little Llamas, Inc. is a half day Nursery School Program and Pre-K. We do not offer daycare services or full-time care.

How will your program prepare my child for school if they are always playing?

Play is the work of childhood! We prepare the classroom with meaningful play experiences that will help develop your child's fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory skills, and social-emotional skills. Through these play experiences and activities, your child will learn all the skills needed to prepare for kindergarten. Some of these skills include writing their name, recognizing letters and numbers, appropriate social interactions, and self-help skills just to name a few.

Will learning Spanish confuse my child? What if my child does not speak English or Spanish? What if my child had a speech delay?

We are a bilingual school, meaning both English and Spanish are taught. The children will learn all words in English first and then in Spanish. Learning a second language will not hinder your child's development. In fact, it will enhance it! Much research proves that learning a second language has significant socio-cognitive advantages. Keep in mind that your child will come to us already speaking/or having heard their primary language, for 18 months or more. ​

If your child speaks a language other than English or Spanish, they will still benefit greatly from our program. Again, we are a bilingual school, so everything is taught in English first! You will see that your child will pick up English quickly. However, it has been my experience that my students who do not speak English or Spanish at home actually pick up both new languages easily.

​If your child has a speech delay, being in a bilingual program will not cause them to become more delayed. If you think about it, your child may have not spoken a word for their first 18 months of life. But the information is in their mind. Many parents report that their child went from not speaking to speaking full sentences. During their time at Little Llamas, your child may not speak Spanish at all. Some may not speak it until the end of the year or their second year in the program. But again, the knowledge will be stored in their mind and when they are ready to use it they will!

Does my child need to be potty trained?

Children begin our program at many different points in their potty training journey. Our staff is very skilled at supporting this process. Please leave 2 full sets of clothing at the school along with pull-ups/diapers and wipes. We also accommodate children in cloth diapers.

Do I need to provide school supplies or snacks for my child?

Yes. A small school supply list will be provided once your child is enrolled. The list will consist of consumable products such as glue, sanitizer, tissues, etc.

​Each month parents will send in one box of snacks or fresh fruit/veggies. There will be a signup sheet where parents can choose what item they would like to send in. The list will include only safe items, all children can eat. Once we know what allergies, if any, our students have, the snack list will be posted. The easiest way to remember to send a snack is to bring it in on the first of the month with your tuition. Goldfish, graham crackers, pretzels, and nilla wafers are always a class favorite. Fresh fruit, veggies, and yogurt are best scattered throughout the month.

​We always try to make our snack list Allergy Friendly. However, some families feel more comfortable providing their own snacks each day for their children. This is perfectly fine. We want everyone to feel safe and comfortable while at school.

​For birthday's you can send in a special snack for the entire class, but we need to be mindful of allergies. Again, once the class is formed we will have more information on student allergies. I have had parents in the past who would send in a special snack for their child with an allergy on special occasions like birthdays and celebrations.

Will my child get dirty?

The simple answer to this is Yes! The children will have open access to the painting easels each day. And, although we have smocks, children tend to find them disruptive to their creative process and do not wear them. Play clothes are highly encouraged. Please do not send children to school in their best outfits. All our paint is supposed to be washable, yet some colors tend to stain. We will also go out on the playground each day, weather permitting.

Are you open year-round? What other programs do you offer?

Our preschool is a half-day program that runs for 10 months from September to mid-June. We offer a 4-6 week summer camp for our preschoolers as well as, parents' night out, art classes, music classes, Spanish classes for elementary-aged children, and virtual classes!

What preschool curriculum do you use? Do you offer programs for older children?

We use a variety of resources and teaching methods in our program. Because each child is unique, we feel that one size does not fit all. We are a play-based program, but we use techniques and strategies from Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, and other developmentally appropriate programs.

​Your child will participate in an array of fine motor activities that will prepare them for handwriting. The handwriting program we have successfully used for over 20 years is Learning without Tears. Students will first learn to write their capitals and then progress to lowercase. Progression is based on each individual child's ability.

​The children will participate in a variety of open-ended art projects, as well as teacher-directed art projects that will focus on specific skills. Some of the skills include cutting, gluing, tearing, drawing, coloring, etc.

​Both art and handwriting are done individually during free play. We feel this works best, as each child has their own unique set of skills they come to us with. This also allows us to individualize these activities and appropriately challenge each child according to their skills. By mid-year, the children usually find a friend they wish to work with during this time. This is fine and we will still be able to meet each child's needs.

​During circle time we will introduce the alphabet and the letter sounds, along with numbers, shapes, colors, Spanish words/songs, poems, finger plays, stories, calendar, weather, games, and musical activities.

Our Spanish curriculum is a combination of various techniques we have learned over the years. Our main focus will be colors, numbers, shapes, the alphabet, songs, feelings, animals, foods, holidays, family, clothing, body parts, calendar, and weather.