Our Mission
Southborough Village Preschool is a small community preschool located in the heart of Southborough, Massachusetts. We service young children ranging in age from 21 months to 5 years old (Toddlers through Pre-Kindergarten). We are committed to providing a warm, rich, inclusive, educational environment in which our students can grow and learn as they begin their journey towards lifelong learning. Our developmental program fosters a caring and creative school environment that emphasizes the total social, emotional, physical and cognitive development of each child. We recognize each child as a unique individual and special member of our community, and we honor the integral role that their families play as their primary educators.
Our Philosophy
At Southborough Village Preschool, we believe that the exciting preschool years are critical in helping a child to develop the skills, confidence and curiosity necessary to become an enthusiastic lifelong learner. We believe that preschool is a time to explore the world around us, to take risks, to ask questions and to feel safe and secure enough to do so within our diverse community of learners. We believe in encouraging and nurturing the growth of the whole child, including their emotional, physical, social and cognitive development. Research strongly indicates that for young children, play is the foundation of all early learning. Play is the “work” of children and at SVP, we celebrate and honor that by creating a daily variety of valuable, open ended play experiences through which our children can grow and develop as learners.
At Southborough Village Preschool, we strive to provide a preschool experience that is hands on, developmentally appropriate and quite simply great fun for our students. We place tremendous importance on guiding our students to not only feel good about themselves as learners but to feel good about themselves as part of a community. Our teachers encourage this by developing, supporting and modeling positive, warm and nurturing interactions with and between their students. At Southborough Village Preschool we work hard to help children see great value in treating other people well and with the respect and kindness that every person deserves.
We are committed to making the environment of Southborough Village Preschool a place in which children have the freedom to make choices, the safety to take risks and the opportunity to express themselves every day. As teachers, we feel honored to be a part of this exciting process and are committed to working as partners with you as we guide your child through this early educational journey.
Our Curriculum
At Southborough Village Preschool we are committed to providing an integrated, thematic, hands-on, discovery and project based curriculum that promotes self esteem, creativity and rich social interactions amongst our students. Our teachers have a strong understanding of the developmental needs of children as well as the knowledge that all children learn best and most joyfully when they are active and engaged in meaningful play. Our curriculum is designed to help children develop rich language, social, physical and cognitive skills in a positive, safe, hands-on setting. Our curriculum themes will vary year to year and class to class, based on student interest, but our approach to curriculum remains the same. Our skilled teachers design open-ended, process-oriented activities that allow for the exploration of many materials, textures and experiences. Our curriculum is largely project based and exploratory in nature.
We nurture all learning styles at school and encourage children to explore topics and units using a variety of methods and experiences, such as music and movement, fine and gross motor activities, dramatic play and problem solving as well as interpersonal and cooperative based activities. Our teachers have a strong background in developmentally appropriate education, and you will find that our classrooms are rich in exciting emergent literacy and number sense experiences. Throughout the day, our staff engage children in meaningful conversations, use open-ended questions and provide opportunities for students to develop more complex language skills through sharing, problem solving and positive peer interactions.
Every day at SVP, you will find that our staff utilizes teaching strategies that ensure a positive classroom environment, engage children in learning and promote critical thinking skills. Our curriculum is developed and continuously modified as needed, always keeping in mind the needs and interests of our students. At Southborough Village Preschool, helping children to find joy in what they are learning about is our highest priority!
Our Objectives
Through the implementation of age-appropriate, developmental, hands-on activities, we provide the nurturing, safe environment, materials and supportive guidance in which children will:
- Develop a positive sense of self and learn to be self confident in a variety of situations.
- Be able to function as part of a group, listen, cooperate, share, problem solve, observe, negotiate and participate.
- Learn to be independent according to their ability.
- Be able to think, reason, question and experiment.
- Develop language and communication skills which will enable them to be able to follow directions, articulate needs, express their feelings, develop negotiation skills, initiate conversation and share experiences.
- Develop emergent literacy skills including left to right progression, letter recognition, vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awareness and meaning in print and text all around them.
- Find and explore math concepts all around them, including sequencing, categorizing, one-to-one correspondence, patterns, shapes, number sense and number recognition, using manipulatives, unit blocks and everyday objects.
- Explore the world of science, through observation, prediction, exploration, investigation and experimentation.
- Experience the thrill of creativity, construction and discovery.
- Recognize that they are part of a classroom community.
- Feel comfortable experimenting with many types of materials.
- Become stronger and more coordi nated through gross motor outdoor play during which time they will run, swing, climb, jump, hop, bike, dig or spin!
- Develop respect and appreciation for others through cooperative play and social experiences.
- Learn to respect others’ differences and recognize their similarities.
- Be exposed to many different types of artistic expression (music, movement, drama, different art mediums, etc.).