Photo by Alan Ferrin
Purple Moon ELC is a school where children experience the wonders of nature, feel the comfort of close relationships, and have the ability to dive into the mysteries of childhood with exuberance, the way children would if they were unhindered. Where families feel close bonds of true community, and where teachers have the support and freedom to develop their teaching practice and enjoy the rewards of close bonds with their peers, children, and families. We believe children’s cognitive development is dependent on social interaction and language development. We believe their learning is maximized through play; active, creative, dramatic, social, and imaginative play. At Purple Moon, children will experience a stress-free, hands on exploration of their world while caring teachers guide the way, helping your child reach for the moon!
4 Things You Can Count on at Purple MooN:
Your CHild will be safe and secure
The children’s safety and security is of greatest importance at Purple Moon. All access doors have magnetic locks and use monitored keypad access codes; Each parent or guardian will be given a customized entry code. Our playgrounds are surrounded by 6-8 foot privacy fencing. All children must be checked in and out by an authorized parent or guardian directly to and from a teacher. Every child-occupied area, both inside and outside, is monitored by security camera at all times.
Your Child will create
Your child will create masterful works of art on a daily basis. Kids will have access to many art mediums each day, all day, with a studio area in each room. No strict directions or one per customer, but joyful, open- ended invitations to create with abundant and diverse materials. At Purple Moon, we focus on process, not product. By 'process,' we mean the freedom to experiment creatively, without a desired result. Your child will develop her creativity.
Your child will learn
All this messy, artistic, and nature play adds up to one thing in preschool. Learning! When kids are leading their own play in a thoughtfully prepared environment, they are mentally active, engaged, socially interactive, as they build meaningful connections to their current lives.
Your child will get messy
No dress clothes here! Your child will play in the dirt, mud, water, and sand. She will roll in the grass. Your child will not only paint but mix his or her own colors and handle the glue bottle herself. Your child will dig in to many messy sensory materials. He will finger paint and even toe paint. Your child will not come home clean but will have lots to tell you!
Nature
Has your child ever made mud pies? Children often spend up to ten hours a day in child care settings. We believe it is imperative to include nature as part of that setting. According to the Natural Learning Initiative, benefits of connecting children with nature include; increased creativity and problem solving, improved academic performance, heightened physical activity, improved nutrition and eyesight, increased self discipline, enriched social relationships, and reduced stress. We have two large playgrounds at Purple Moon to ensure this connection with nature.
Explore Our Natural learning environments:
Pre-Kindergarten Graduation 2020
View images from our Graduation celebration below. Images courtesy of FerrinPhoto.com.
Programs
At Purple Moon, we believe the greatest need for young children is a solid, positive, and loving relationship with his or her caregiver. For that reason, we hire only dedicated and experienced teachers. We make every attempt for continuity of care; teachers accompany children as they move up through classrooms, and the children remain with their group as much as possible. We place great importance on a positive teacher-child-family relationship as we believe social interaction is necessary for cognitive development.
About Our Curriculum
The storybook journey
Children are capable of amazing things when they are allowed to follow their interests. It is not ideal for young children to learn through worksheets or direct instruction. They must dive in and experiment; touch, taste, hear, smell, and see everything they are learning about through a 'hands on' exploration of their environment. At Purple Moon, we utilize the Storybook Journey curriculum, an emergent or child-led curriculum that allows children's interests to guide topics of study.
"Purple Moon Child Care is truly a home away from home. My child is so valued and cared for. She gets lots of exercise, outdoor time, and preschool education. Marnie is wonderful! Finding childcare is one of the most stressful and difficult but we knew immediately that Purple Moon was a perfect fit for us. We are grateful every day that we have found Marnie!"
-Amanda B.
"My daughter attended Purple Moon full time from the time she started daycare at 18 months until she went off to kindergarten. They helped teacher her reading, math, and fostered an incredible love for nature/science in her. When it was time to start school she was already fully prepared, and had developed her social skills. They have always treated her (and us) like family. I would recommend Purple Moon to ANYONE! Your kids will love it!"
- Amanda F.
Inspirational down to earth creativity with strong diverse cultural roots. - Paul K.
"Marnie’s [school] was such a wonderful start for our son. She and her family are such kind people. Our son came home often with educational arts and crafts which we loved. I would definitely send my kids there again if I could and I often recommend people to her. I now am a preschool teacher assistant and still would recommend her center."
-Amy B.
View Our beautiful facility
