Wellesley Morning Half Day

Half day summer preschool at The Gardens at Elm Bank is a fully outdoors, mixed age program. (Click here for a video of the grounds.) We spend our days in the forest and the extraordinary gardens. The children are active participants in selecting which places we visit each day and how we explore them. 

Families drop-off and pick-up their children at the same outdoor spot every day. At 9:00AM, we begin with a brief circle time that includes our greetings, songs, seasonal events, and safety rules. We then hike to our "adventure spot," which varies each day. We carefully select these outdoor "classrooms" for safety and diversity of natural elements that support children's imagination and creativity. Regular spots include Weezie's Garden, a magical playscape offering several different themes to engage the senses of young children, and Dirt Hills, a shady forest refuge where students can climb, explore, and engage in joyful mud sliding on rainy days. 

Children have a small snack at the adventure spot and then are free to play, explore, read, and participate in self-initiated or teacher-guided projects, all under close supervision of our summer staff. 

Around 11:45AM, the class will hike back to the designated pick up/drop off spot and play while waiting for families to arrive. 

Family members can review their child's day via the Storypark app, which allows teachers to document individual and group activity in rich format that includes photo and video. 

To inquire about admission to our Wellesley half day program, please complete our interest form and a staff member will be in touch shortly.

Summer Session 2022 Dates:

Session 1: June 27 - July 8 

Session 2: July 11-22

Session 3: Jul 25 - Aug 5

Session 4: Aug 8-19

Bonus Week: Aug 22-26 (only available to families enrolled for at least one summer session)