rundown

The Piper Philosophy

Developmental or Academic, right? Yes, that’s the hot question… but only part of it. In terms of an educational philosophy, we created a blended approach. Beginning with an emergent curriculum, children are gradually exposed to components of traditional education as they progress through the school. We think, we re-think, we create, and we listen. We do what makes sense, and promise never to become complacent. We’re so invested in our approach that we put it directly on our homepage. If you haven’t read that yet, click our logo above and go see.

Click to see a Day-In-The-Life of Piper.

The Piper philosophy, however, extends beyond the curriculum. We love what we do, and put our hearts into every detail. Our admin staff was carefully created with a beautiful blend of former parents, current parents, former teachers, a few experts in the community, and an all-star named Helen, who had thirty years on us before we even broke ground. As for our teachers, they are our village… the one it takes. And boy, are they amazing.

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  • Our Approach

    With aspects of Reggio, Montessori, and traditional school readiness, our philosophy is to blend the best of each approach and adapt to meet the needs and path of each child.

  • Ratios

    We maintain a very low child-to-teacher ratio to ensure a quality learning experience and individual relationships. 2s are at a 5:1, 3s at 6:1, and 4s/5s at 7:1. We also have floaters to relieve teachers, so the kids don’t have too many new faces.

  • Piper Years

    The average tenure of Piper’s admin… and with a combined 217 years of teaching between them, you’re in good hands with well-versed educators.

  • Linguistics

    Languages spoken in our community. Between our teachers, parents, and even some of the little ones, we run the gamut.

  • Outdoors

    With multiple outdoor classrooms settings, we spend up to 40% of our day outside. A great way to recharge their vitamin D and playful minds.

  • Classrooms

    Parents being the first and classroom teachers the second, our thoughtfully-curated classrooms serve as the third teacher and designed to be reflective of your child’s learning.

  • Community

    Average number of minutes our parents hang out in the community room after drop-off. Work, chat, cook, nap. We built it. You should come.

  • Life After Piper

    Nearly every family we’ve had has made lifelong friends from their time at Piper. The others moved away… bummer.

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The Four Agreements

We also try to live by four very basic principles found in a book called The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz. While it isn’t always easy, we expect it of ourselves and encourage it from others. These are the four principles that have carried us through some tough times… and made the good times even better.

BE IMPECCABLE
WITH YOUR WORD

Speak with integrity. Mean what you say, say what you mean, and don’t gossip. Secrets don’t make friends.

DON’T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

Ask questions, dig a little deeper, and express what you really want. Communicate as clearly as possible… and check your ego at the door.

DON’T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

Nothing others do is because of you, so try not to worry about things you can’t control. Let it ride, take the high road, and stay positive.

ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST

No matter what you do, where you are, or who you know… just do your best. Do what’s right, and you’ll never be in the wrong.