Philosophy
At Little Friends we believe that offering a play
based curriculum that emphasizes social and emotional development
is essential to creating a foundation for children’s life
long learning.
Licensing & Capacity
Little Friends is a small, privately owned center
that provides childcare and pre-school experiences for children
from eighteen months to five years of age. We are licensed by the
Rhode Island Department of Education and by the Department of Children,
Youth and Families for 52 children per day – 22 toddlers and
30 pre-schoolers.
Hours of Operation
We are open Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 5:30pm. These hours
are offered throughout the year, including the summer. You can make
your own schedule for drop off and pick up within these hours (however,
we do require that all children arrive by 9:00am to begin the day
together).
Schedules
We offer schedules of two, three and five days per week. Although
some families choose to send their children for only a half day,
our rates are the same regardless of the length of a child’s
day. Children arrive between 7:30am and 9:00am, and most children
stay with us until at least 3:00pm. Children can stay at Little
Friends up until 5:30pm.
Our Building
Our building was built in 1993 for the purpose of housing our childcare
center. Much thought was put into creating a welcoming space for
children, which includes low windows and benches and cozy nooks.
Emphasis was put on creating simple, natural classrooms. Our building
is a beautiful post and beam structure with abundant natural light.
Our walls are painted a soothing color which helps to affect a more
tranquil mood. There are four classrooms at Little Friends. We have
two toddler classrooms and two multi-aged pre-kindergartens.
Outdoor Play
Outdoors our children enjoy large, grassy play areas, with the natural
beauty of trees among our sandboxes, climbing structures and wading
pool (for summer use). We have a garden area in which the children
plant, care for and harvest a myriad of vegetables and flowers each
year. In a separately fenced area, we house our hens who kindly
provide us daily with eggs for baking. The children delight in watching
our free range hens meander past the playground.
School Closings
Enrollment at Little Friends is year round (12 months). If you choose
to withdraw for an extended period of time (such as for the summer)
you may be put on a waiting list for re-enrollment. Spaces cannot
be held without payment. Little Friends is closed for all national
holidays and for a short break during the December holiday season,
the exact dates of which change every year and will be posted ahead
of time. Little Friends does not follow the public school calendar
in regard to vacations. Tuition is required in full each week/month
regardless of closings. The only exception to this is our two week
vacation prior to Labor Day each year, for which no payment is required.
Our School Community
Our Little Friends community offers many opportunities for joyous
gatherings! We have an annual Autumnal Festival, a lantern walk
and tree lighting ceremony, a May Day celebration, handwork groups,
guest lecturers, informative parent/teacher meetings and more. We
love for our families to enjoy the feeling of community that comes
only from time spent together and a shared sense of purpose.
Media Exposure
Little Friends is a media free environment. There is no television
viewing or computer use by the children while at Little Friends.
We also choose not to have any toys or books with the images of
television or movie characters. We choose to use our natural voices
for singing and storytelling rather than relying on tape recorded
music or books.
Our Faculty
We have a very dedicated faculty, many of whom have been with us
several years. Teachers are encouraged to “loop” with
their class to each age group, so that teacher/child and parent/teacher
relationships can evolve and deepen over the course of two, three
or even four years. All of our faculty members are required to complete
a minimum of twenty hours of professional development each year.
We have weekly faculty meetings to encourage open communication,
the sharing of ideas and to provide training opportunities. Our
lead teachers all have Associates or Bachelors degrees in early
childhood education or a closely related field. Barbara Nardone,
our Head Teacher (responsible for teacher training, mentoring and
overseeing our curriculum), has her teaching certification in Early
Childhood Education and is also a trained Waldorf teacher with nineteen
years of teaching experience. Barbara has given teaching and parenting
workshops at All That Matters in Wakefield, at Meadowbrook Waldorf
School in Richmond, RI, and at Sunbridge College, a Waldorf teacher
training school in Spring Valley, NY.
Parent Communication
Parents receive a daily report which includes a written synopsis
of what the children did during the morning as a group. It also
includes information for each parent as to their child’s eating,
sleeping, and toileting/diapering experiences that day. Our teachers
schedule two parent/teacher conferences per year, with opportunities
for additional parent/teacher meetings as needed. Monthly letters
are written by each classroom teacher to share what will be happening
with their group throughout each month. Parents also receive a year
end narrative about their child’s experience at Little Friends,
recounting milestones they reached throughout the year. Home visits
will be happily done by our teachers at a parent’s invitation.
Food
Breakfast is offered to children who arrive prior to 8:00am. Little
Friends provides two daily snacks and all of the children’s
beverages while at school. Parents are asked to bring a lunch for
their child. Often the children will make their own afternoon snack
of fresh baked whole wheat bread, muffins, apple sauce, vegetable
soup or other all natural, healthy creations. We avoid sugar and
white flour in our recipes. We provide the children with primarily
organic foods, including our baking supplies, breads, crackers,
apple sauce and fruit.
Application/Process of Acceptance
We recommend that parents come for a tour of the school prior to
placing their child on the waiting list. We accept applications
throughout the year. We will contact you as soon as an opening occurs
(if there is not an opening at the time the application is submitted).
If you would like to enroll your child at that time, you will be
asked for a deposit equal to one week’s tuition. Your deposit
will be applied to your child’s last week of attendance at
Little Friends. (If you decide not to enroll your child after the
deposit has been paid, the deposit will not be refunded.). Once
we have received your deposit, your child’s placement in our
program is confirmed. You will receive all of the necessary forms
and our Parent Handbook. After you have read our handbook, an enrollment
appointment with the Director must be scheduled for (preferably)
both parents. This meeting is for adults only and lasts approximately
45 minutes. Before your child begins attending Little Friends, you
must bring him/her for at least one visit to meet the teachers and
spend some time in the classroom. Parents must stay for this entire
visit.
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