INFANT ROOM (0-12 months)
In our Infant Room, we carefully continue and extend the loving care that your child has received at home.
A parent will be in the classroom with us in the first weeks (as long as desired), and we will learn every detail about your child directly from you. Starting with the on cue feeding schedule to sleeping habits to how we can best alleviate teething or digestive pain. During this transition, you will receive photos every few hours documenting your infant's activities. At the end of the day, we text you a summary of the day, including the sleeping observation, feeding and diaper logs.
From the very beginning, your baby will be surrounded by German children's songs, "Kniereiter," and books. We will also start integrating small arts and crafts projects into their day. The youngest members of the Rella's Spielhaus family are individually cared for as they become a part of the Rella's community.
You may enroll your infant at any time during the school year.
Toddler Care
TODDLER ROOM (12–24 months)
During their toddler year, the children learn how to walk, talk, and eat by themselves. The Rella's teachers encourage and help them to discover their newly found independence. The toddler year is full of new projects such as arts and crafts, first steps in getting dressed, and walking to the park.
📅 WEEKLY CLASSES
⚽ Soccer with Adrian: Every Tuesday, Adrian runs a fun soccer practice with the toddlers. It is amazing how well children can navigate a ball with their feet, even at such a young age, and it's heart-warming to see their first goals.
Your child takes its first steps toward independence, gently guided by Rella’s teachers. As sounds become language, we nurture her German through singing, rhyming, and reading, becoming your child’s dedicated conversation partners. 🎶 Music with Barbara: On Wednesdays, Barbara teaches the toddlers the concept of rhythm, structure, and musical expression through movement and voice. They will also be able to try out rhythm instruments, the recorder, the "Mundharmonika,” the piano, and the cello.
Preschool/Pre-K Care
PRESCHOOL/PRE-K ROOM (2-5 years)
Rella's Spielhaus Curriculum is based on European Pedagogues such as Montessori, Vygotsky, Piaget, and the German-born Erikson. It is accompanied by learning through music and rhythm. Language development stands at the core of Rella’s Spielhaus Curriculum. Your child's skills and independence will be fostered and supported with the help of established research and by individual observation. The preschoolers/pre-K student thrives when she is fully involved with all of her body and mind while becoming a successful member of her class community.
The Preschool/Pre-K curriculum also addresses a child’s inner life, making space for feelings and conflicts and teaching them how to manage this complex world.
Time spent outside is very important at Rella's Spielhaus, and we go to Central Park every day for 60 - 90 minutes. In the summer, the kids enjoy the sprinklers and little creeks. In the fall, we collect what the fall brings, and in the winter, we go sledding on one of the nearby hills! Twice a month, we also visit a museum or explore the neighborhood.
At Rella's Spielhaus Preschool/Pre-K, the children learn intensively about the world around them through nature, books, experiments, arts and crafts, and music.
Preschool 2-3.5's room: Diaper changes and lunch support are provided.
Pre-K 3.5-5's room: All the children are signed up full-time, and a focused learning environment is created where they will engage in the first steps of literacy - in German, of course. By the time they move on to kindergarten, they will have become curious lifelong learners, carrying their cultural awareness into the next phase of their lives.
We are proud of our list of exmissions.
📅 WEEKLY CLASSES
⚽ Soccer with Adrian: Every Tuesday, Adrian runs a classic soccer practice with the students. The kids become familiar with the game's rules and start learning drills.
🎶 Music with Barbara: On Wednesdays, Barbara teaches the preschoolers and pre-K students the concepts of rhythm, musical structure, and expression through movement and voice. They learn how to move, breathe and sing together and express the quality of a piece of music through their bodies. They will also be introduced to music notation and learn many famous German language songs, accompanied by the piano, cello or recorder.
