The Community Preschool of the Palisades
is dedicated to providing high quality education for our children. We encourage natural curiosity and creativity in a play-based setting. We believe that preschoolers learn most naturally through play and their interaction with peers and teachers. We value the child as a whole person and seek to promote all aspects of his or her growth.
What We Offer
At the Community Preschool of the Palisades, we strive to foster children's creativity, build their confidence, and instill a love of learning among each child. We offer a variety of age-based classes to meet the varying needs of our preschoolers, as well as morning and afternoon enrichment and Summer Camp. For more than 30 years, the preschool has been a central part of the Palisades and neighboring communities. Our strength lies primarily in our teaching staff who have been with the preschool for many years and bring a unique depth of experience, education and investment to our early childhood programming. Our sun filled classrooms and expansive playground are the backdrop of many happy memories of the thousands of children who have come through the Community Preschool of the Palisades.
Our Programs
Tadpoles
Our youngest learners (at least 2 years old on the first day of class) are introduced to a moderately structured routine in a caring, nurturing, play-based environment that offers children a stimulating curriculum and social setting. Two teachers lead the Tadpole class from 9:00 am-12:00 pm with 3 day (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) or 5 day options (Monday through Friday). The classroom serves a maximum of 12 children. (The class is currently capped at 8 children due to Covid restrictions)
Polliwogs
2 ½ -3 ½ year olds meet Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm to continue their transition to a Pre-K classroom. Polliwogs are introduced to a structured routine including morning meeting, story time, singing, lots of outdoor play, and more. Two teachers lead in the Polliwog classroom, serving a maximum of 16 children. (Class is currently capped at 8 children due to Covid restrictions)
Frogs/Dragonflies
The Frog and Dragonfly classrooms serve 3-5 year olds and meet daily from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and until 12:00 pm on Fridays to provide teachers time for collaborative planning. Children in the Frog and Dragonfly classrooms participate in a balance of child directed experiential play and structured learning activities. With the support of two nurturing teachers, children develop the social-emotional and cognitive skills necessary to be successful in school and beyond. Both classrooms draw on children’s natural curiosity and joy in gaining competence. Class size is limited to 16. (Classes are currently capped at 8 children due to Covid restrictions)
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The preschool is a wonderful place for kids to be! To play, to have fun and to learn along the way…. We have been with the preschool for a few years now. Our daughter loves to create art and was always encouraged to express her creativity. This was apparent in her overflowing art bag coming home on Fridays.
Our son has a more sensory nature. He loves to dig in the dirt and explore how things work. Every day at pick up he tells me what he did build in the sandbox and in the classroom. TP - Washington, DC
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A true sense of community, shared purposed, and a safe structure in which children can explore… Having worked in education for over ten years, most of it on a high school boarding campus, I believe that the Preschool embodies many of the same principles that we worked so hard to achieve at the high school level: a sense of community for the children, the parents, and the teachers; a sense of shared purpose; and a safe structure in which children can explore.
LW - Washington, DC
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It is not just about the kids. There is a real community being built here… Like many, my wife and I came to the Palisades neighborhood for the Key School, Parks, River, and overall Village feel. We had not yet drilled into details of preschools and a church. No Matter.
Neighbors introduced us to the idea of the Community Preschool of the Palisades and we visited. Hard for me to overstate what a fantastic place it is. Very warm and loving. The school draws in the parents and you quickly become part of a larger Palisades Community.
EP - Washington, DC
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The Community Preschool of the Palisades, or “la escuelita” (the little school) like we call it at home, has been more than an early education option for our family…. The amazing teachers at “la escuelita”, who also speak different languages other than English, helped our daughter transition and become the bilingual kid she is today.
We cannot say enough words to thank the Community Preschool of the Palisades and its team for providing our kids with a safe and loving learning environment.
JM & CT- Washington, DC