Ashbrook’s Beginning School program provides a welcoming and nurturing place where children ages 3–4 explore, build friendships, and begin developing early academic skills.
Dear Families,
Beginning School at Ashbrook is a shared journey between families and teachers. We know that early childhood is a time for belonging, confidence, and joyful discovery. Our goal is to help children feel comfortable in the classroom as they build friendships, settle into routines, and explore the world around them with curiosity. And we keep families informed and connected through regular, consistent updates all year long.
What a School Day Looks Like
| 7:50 a.m. | Classroom open for arrival |
| 8:15 a.m. | Self-Directed Choice, Learn Through Play |
| 9:00 a.m. | Morning Meeting |
| 9:20 a.m. | Teacher-guided Intentional Learning |
| 10:00 a.m. | Snack |
| 10:30 a.m. | Outdoor Play |
| 12:00 noon | Lunch (or Dismissal for 1/2 day students*) |
| 12:30 p.m. | Reading and Storytime |
| 12:45 p.m. | Rest Time |
| 1:45 p.m. | Whole Group Story and Themed Activities |
| 2:45 p.m. | Pack-up and Dismissal |
Our After School Program (2:45—5:30 p.m.) provides planned activities and supervised play for students and allows for a flexible pick-up time for parents.
*Pre-K students starting the year as half-day will become full-day students half way through the year
Ask About Our Flexible Schedule Options!
(Age 3 by September 1st)
Our Preschool program focuses on helping children feel comfortable, confident, and excited about being at school by emphasizing:
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A gentle and supportive introduction to school, often a child’s first classroom experience
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Learning daily routines and expectations in a calm, age-appropriate way
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Building friendships and social skills through play, collaboration, and shared experiences
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Developing independence and confidence, including making choices and caring for personal needs
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Learning through play and exploration, encouraging curiosity, imagination, and creativity
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Exploring language, numbers, and problem-solving naturally through stories, songs, games, and hands-on activities
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Daily outdoor play and exploration, supporting physical development, curiosity, and overall well-being
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Strengthening fine and gross motor skills through movement, art, and hands-on materials
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Feeling safe, supported, and valued in a nurturing classroom environment
Pre-Kindergarten (Age 4 by September 1st)
Our Pre-Kindergarten program builds on these early experiences, helping children grow more comfortable with classroom routines and prepare for Kindergarten by focusing on:
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Growing independence and responsibility within a more structured classroom setting
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Becoming confident participants in group learning, including listening, sharing ideas, and working together
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Practicing early literacy and math skills naturally, through stories, games, projects, and play-based activities
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Developing fine motor skills, such as drawing, writing, cutting, and using small tools
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Strengthening problem-solving and thinking skills through hands-on exploration and creative projects
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Building social awareness and emotional skills, including empathy, communication, and self-regulation
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Daily outdoor play and movement, recognizing the important role it plays in focus, physical growth, and learning
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Supporting physical development through active play and coordinated movement
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Preparing for a smooth and confident transition to Kindergarten, socially, emotionally, and academically
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Partnering with families through regular communication, conferences, and shared support
Want to know more about our curriculum?
Foundational mathematical concepts are covered daily through counting activities, number recognition practice, one to one correspondence practice, learning patterns, simple addition and subtraction, shape recognition and construction, spatial awareness vocabulary, sorting and classifying objects, predicting outcomes, problem solving and critical thinking. We’re all about finding math in the real world and you will likely find us counting the bugs we find on the playground.
Science education in Preschool and Pre-K is integrated throughout all parts of the day as students explore and create. Students are encouraged to ask questions, make observations, express curiosity, participate in hands-on learning and simple experiments, and share discoveries. We will learn about animals, plants, space, body parts, seasons, weather, food, life cycles, dinosaurs, the ocean, holidays, colors, helpers and so much more! We also spend a significant part of our day outdoors. During this time we get to explore, play, and develop our big muscles and we enjoy both a covered playground as well as a large uncovered play area every day.
In our Preschool and Pre-K curriculum, early literacy is intentionally woven into daily routines, hands-on learning experiences, and purposeful instruction, creating a strong foundation for lifelong reading. Through structured phonics lessons, children are introduced to letter names and sounds in a developmentally appropriate, engaging way. Play-based literacy reinforce these skills through interactive storytelling, letter-building activities, and language-rich conversations.
At the same time, we help young learners develop the fine motor skills necessary for writing success. Through guided practice, children learn proper pencil grip, how to begin to form letters correctly, and how to build hand strength and coordination. Activities such as tracing, coloring within boundaries, cutting with scissors, and working with clay help refine the control needed for early handwriting.
In our Preschool and Pre-K curriculum, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) is seamlessly integrated through daily routines, structured activities, and teachable moments, fostering a holistic approach to early childhood development. Morning circle times provide opportunities for children to express their feelings, set daily goals, and build a sense of community. Storytime and play-based learning activities are designed to teach empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution, while art and music allow children to explore and express their emotions creatively. Additionally, mindfulness exercises and reflection times help children develop self-awareness and self-regulation skills. Social and emotional learning is the core of everything we do in our Beginning School.
Our Commitment to Transparency
We understand that when you drop your child off each morning, you are placing an incredible amount of trust in us. That trust matters deeply.
Every family brings its own traditions, values, and hopes for their child, and we honor the important role parents play as a child’s first and most enduring teachers. In that spirit, we are committed to transparency in all that we do.
We are committed to keeping you informed about what your child is learning, exploring, and experiencing in the classroom. Through curriculum overviews, developmental insights, regular updates through our School Status app, and a weekly newsletter, we aim to build a partnership rooted in openness and trust. We also provide opportunities to connect beyond the classroom through community events held outside of school hours, helping families build meaningful relationships with one another.
Our goal is simple: to work alongside you with clarity, consistency, and care so that together we can support your child’s growth with confidence.
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We have three children at Ashbrook—in Kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade—and our family has truly loved being part of this community. The small class sizes, dedicated teachers, and the wide range of programs built into the school day have really stood out to us.
Each of our children is so different, and it’s been incredible to see how they’re all thriving in their own unique way. Ashbrook has provided an environment where they are supported, challenged, and encouraged to grow both academically and personally.
Laura Burke, Current Parent and Alumni
Ashbrook Beginning School is licensed as a certified childcare center through the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care.
Ashbrook is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research.