I cannot imagine our lives without St. Mark’s. It is so much more than a preschool. It is immersion in a community of trust and support, with a bottomless well of love and respect for all children.
— Joanie Blackwell

Our Mission

We believe that children learn best through play and meaningful relationships with peers and loving adults. As we follow the child’s lead, we continually adapt our environment, allowing children to experience and develop a deep love of learning. The tools for healthy, respectful social interactions are modeled, taught and applied. We foster a sense of wonder with opportunities for discovery, experimentation, risk taking and the experience of all emotions. We value and accept each child’s developmental stage and unique style. We collaborate with families to provide a safe and welcoming village that bridges a child’s experience at home and school. When a child or family is in need of additional support, we empower them to meet their needs, provide in house educational resources if available, and share helpful resources within our greater community. We understand that the health of a family supports the health of the child.

St. Mark’s is a place where:

  • Children begin to develop a lifelong love of learning

  • Children PLAY

  • Children are empowered

  • Children learn through experience and discovery

  • Children’s early literacy is valued and encouraged

  • Children learn to trust and are trusted

  • Children’s natural creativity and curiosity are fostered

  • Children and adults become a peaceful community of learning, sharing their joy and wonder

The teachers at St. Marks are truly exceptional. They are thoughtful, patient, and genuinely care about each child’s development. They create a nurturing atmosphere where kids feel safe to express themselves and explore their interests. I’ve seen my child blossom under their guidance and support while gaining confidence and curiosity about the world.
— Catie Scott-Sites

A Typical Day

Each of our classroom experiences is unique, but certain characteristics can be found throughout our program. Key unifying beliefs seen across all classrooms are that the curriculum is child-led, play is valued as the work of childhood, and children are spoken to with care and respect. Indoor and outdoor classrooms are thoughtfully curated to be learning environments where children and their families feel free to be themselves, make choices, try new ideas and delight in their discoveries and abilities- nurturing their body, mind, and heart. 

  • In every class, children have time each day to freely choose what they’d like to engage with from play to topics of inquiry. Our environments provide opportunities for children to explore dramatic play inspiration, tactile experiences, process art activities, literacy materials, puzzles and toys, and loose parts that invite open ended creativity.

  • Teachers consider the ages, interests, background experiences and activity levels of the children in their care as they prepare spaces and plan for each day. They make certain that there is something meaningful for everyone, and follow each child’s interests during the day, gathering more supplies as needed to meet this goal.

  • Throughout the day, teachers practice presence with children, getting to know them and speaking to them with respect and an assumption of positive intent. They use natural teachable moments to present children with problem-solving opportunities, asking open-ended questions to encourage reflections or engagement. Books and songs are infused throughout the day.

  • When developmentally appropriate, children gather together for group activities. Group members may share stories, songs, ideas, and experiences. They learn to listen, wait, and honor the opinions of others.  All children have an opportunity to eat together in community.

  • Classes prioritize time spent outdoors and engage in gross motor activities daily, such as rock climbing in our “Big Room.” Our outdoor classroom spaces provide opportunities to climb, run, bike, and take risks with teachers nearby. We are very lucky to have four beautifully designed play yards that invite discovery and wonder through the flora and fauna that also call these spaces home.

  • At the beginning and end of each morning, when children transition between home and school, teachers and caregivers connect about the child’s current interests and growth and share the happenings from both school and home. We value this time of connection and also welcome more in depth conversations any time to support families.

Our Community

At St. Mark’s we believe in the power of a strong, supportive and diverse community. Our teachers work to consciously treat all children with equal respect and consideration, positively interacting with them in ways that build agency, and valuing differences between individuals. Our classrooms and children’s literature is curated to contain visual images that counter stereotypes. Adults in our community strive to model acceptance, tolerance, kindness and set an anti-discrimination intention.

Family involvement is an essential part of establishing our ever-changing village. Parents participate regularly in classrooms, getting to know the routine, and their child’s teachers and peers. Families are invited to share food, games, talents or traditions they hold dear with the other children in the classroom.

Throughout the year, we provide many opportunities for families to connect with one another outside of the classroom: play yard playdates, coffee and chats, pizza parties, our Young at Art event and Soup Cook Off, and our end of the year Ice Cream Social.

As staff engage and partner with families and caregivers, we value our role in sharing insight, and are grateful for all the ways we will learn from you!

Our History

In 1969, a small group of parents from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church joined together to begin our part-time nursery school program. Starting with one classroom of three-year-olds, a play-based curriculum was designed to foster the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of young children. The following year, the program expanded to include four year olds. From our inception, required parent participation has elevated our program and created a valuable opportunity for families to experience our classrooms first hand. In celebration of our 10th anniversary, our program expanded to include community outreach events such as “Young at Art” that continues today. We received our initial accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in 1990. We have maintained our accreditation since then, and we take pride in receiving special commendations in the area of teacher-child relationships. In 2000, a building renovation allowed new programming opportunities for both infants and toddlers. Nine years later, we added our long-awaited and cherished kindergarten program. 

We celebrated our 50th year anniversary in 2019 not knowing that the following year would bring the Covid 19 pandemic, requiring immeasurable resolve and adaptability. Finding our way through the few years that followed was both a challenge and an opportunity to grow stronger. Our community’s creativity, passion and resilience during this time served to reignite and reinforce our school’s mission.

As our school continues to grow, administration and teachers look forward to providing a rich experience for families including unique music and literacy experiences, creative opportunities for children to take risks and get messy during play, parent support and education workshops, and greater community events for families. Our staff has a renewed commitment to humility, flexibility and partnership as we learn alongside families. We are grounded in our school’s mission to provide an empowering, play based, child led experience for young children that is rooted in loving relationships, and to helping create community for young families. We cherish our history while embracing the children of our future with an understanding that some things never change—the need for companionship, love, safety and acceptance.

Accreditation

Since 1990, St. Mark's has maintained accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). As the nation's leading voice in early childhood education, NAEYC requires that their accreditation be reviewed and renewed every five years. This complex process involves self-study, evaluation, and site visits from NAEYC validators. We are excited to report that St. Mark's was commended in all 10 standard areas. We are thrilled that what we do for children and their families is recognized as excellent by the most prestigious national early childhood organization. For more information about NAEYC accreditation, we invite you to visit their website.

Caregiver Support and Education

Becoming a parent and the first years of a child’s life are significant periods of transition and growth, inviting self discovery, challenges, and beautiful surprises. At St. Mark’s Nursery School and Kindergarten we prioritize supporting everyone in our community, including parents and caregivers.

The Ceci Maron-Puntarelli Family Resource Library, located close to our school office, contains books on a range of topics from general development to specialized topics such as supporting sibling relationships and coping with pregnancy loss. Our teachers, education coordinator and director routinely share insight through newsletters and classroom updates that include helpful articles and resources such as books, websites and podcasts. Our community wide events are intentionally infused with meaningful strategies and modeling to support the parent/child relationship and the parenting journey. We carefully listen to parents’ feedback through surveys and conversations.

In house workshops for caregivers are offered throughout the year, facilitated by St. Mark’s teachers and directors. Parents have opportunities to meet in person or virtually to connect about specific topics such as potty training and positive discipline. These specific trainings provide helpful information for all stages of child development, as well as a space for parents to learn from each other at different phases of their parenting journeys. Informal gatherings such as morning coffee groups and after school playdates on our play yards are facilitated by parents themselves. We value and encourage families to take the lead in bringing community members and children together beyond our classrooms.

Our school’s parent committee is comprised of a family member representative from each of our classrooms. This group meets monthly with the director and office manager. Together, they collaborate to ensure parent perspectives are represented in decisions regarding the school budget including cost of tuition, and maintaining high quality staff and programming. They assist the director in fundraising efforts to support scholarships and program improvements. They lead efforts in teacher appreciation and community building events for St. Mark’s families.