Children are natural learners. Every three-year-old that arrives on our campus brings abundant curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about the world. Our job is to keep this interest alive and to appropriately channel and challenge it. We understand learning to be much more than knowledge acquisition and skill mastery. It has to do with knowing oneself as an individual and in relation to others. It has to do with knowledge utilization and with the ability to think critically and creatively. Above all, learning should foster the desire to go on learning.

Our small classes allow teachers to know each student as an individual. Rather than relying on a predetermined curriculum, teachers develop the curriculum anew each year based on their understanding of child development and the real needs, abilities, and interests of a particular group of students. In this way, the curriculum is dynamic, flexible, and responsive. Students are active participants in the learning process during their time at school, engaged in activities that are relevant and meaningful. Each child's growth and development is closely monitored by the teacher, and this understanding also informs curriculum development.

Teachers draw on a wide range of resources to enhance learning for their students:

• Our full-time librarian and our comprehensive 20,000 volume library

• Special teachers in movement and Spanish

• The rich resources of our 12-acre natural environment

• A variety of on-site performance and artist-in-residence opportunities

• Dedicated community volunteers

• Field trips to augment class studies or extend the classroom beyond our campus

• The many cultures that comprise our local eastside and greater Seattle communities