Early Childhood
Where Joyful Play Meets Grounded Learning
Our Early Childhood program is thoughtfully designed to align with how young children learn best, blending elements of imaginative play with opportunities to gain foundational knowledge in literacy, early math concepts, and social-emotional development.
Through this balanced approach, we prepare our children to become not only enthusiastic learners, but confident and independent individuals who are capable of guiding their own academic and personal growth.
Welcome to the Early Childhood Division
There is something truly special about the Early Childhood years—a time when children are full of wonder, eager to explore, and growing by leaps and bounds. As both an educator and a parent of two WES alumni who began their journeys in the Early Childhood program, I feel incredibly fortunate to support children and families during this meaningful stage.
At WES, our program is designed to nurture each child’s natural enthusiasm for learning. What sets us apart is not only our inviting spaces and engaging activities, but the deep care and expertise of the educators who guide our students every day. Together, our team supports the whole child—academically, socially, and emotionally.
There’s truly no place I’d rather be. Watching our youngest learners grow in confidence and curiosity brings me joy every single day.
Katie Rothwell
Early Childhood Director
Intentional Learning
Intentional Learning at WES
At Washington Episcopal School, we blend research-based curricula in cognitive development, literacy, and mathematics with an understanding of how emotion, motivation, and relationships impact learning. From foundational skills in early childhood to critical thinking in middle school, our educators create responsive, engaging environments that support deep understanding, independence, and a lifelong love of learning. Every lesson is designed not just to teach—but to stick, stretch, and inspire.
Social-Emotional Learning
Building Emotional Foundations
In Early Childhood at WES, social-emotional learning is woven into everything we do. Using the Zones of Regulation framework, children begin to recognize and name their feelings, understand how emotions affect their behavior, and learn simple, age-appropriate strategies to self-regulate. Through stories, movement, visual cues, and caring guidance from teachers, our youngest learners build the skills to navigate big feelings, solve conflicts, and develop empathy. These early lessons help create confident, kind classmates—and strong foundations for lifelong emotional growth.
Values
Growing in Heart and Spirit
In Early Childhood, our youngest learners begin exploring what it means to be kind, caring, and part of a community. Through weekly Chapel, they hear stories, sing songs, and reflect on simple but meaningful values like friendship, gratitude, and helping others. These joyful gatherings help children feel connected, calm, and supported. By teaching values in ways that are concrete and relatable, we lay the foundation for empathy, respect, and a strong moral compass—building not just smart learners, but good-hearted ones too.
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Curriculum by Grade
Early Childhood learning at Washington Episcopal School is active, joyful, and rooted in play. Our curriculum during these foundational years takes a balanced approach, where purposeful play and direct instruction work together to support the whole child. Through hands-on experiences, playful exploration, and explicit instruction, children develop essential skills while cultivating curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.
PreK3:
The primary purpose of the PK3 program is to nurture children as they learn to function independently within a classroom setting. Play is the highlight of the program. The environment is intentionally designed to foster discovery and exploration through play, providing children with access to rich materials, media, and equipment that inspire hands-on learning and spark curiosity. Play experiences encourage problem-solving, the development of attention span, and the growth of organizational skills.
The days are bursting with art, music, movement, science, and math. Kids plunge into language arts, PE, library, and more. Friendship building is also a key component of development and is supported and advanced throughout the year.
Please note that PK3 applicants must be age 3 by September 1 and toilet trained to attend WES. The PK3 and PK4 programs start at 8:30 a.m. but students may be dropped off as early as 7:45 a.m.
Language Arts (daily)
Spoken language is practiced daily by speaking in circle time; participating in show and tell; singing songs and listening to stories, poems, and music; practicing auditory discrimination and memory activities; naming objects, colors, days of the week, and seasons; describing pictures and events; retelling stories; finding likenesses and differences; and identifying rhyming words, building vocabulary, and matching names and sounds of letters.
Written language study begins through hands-on and interactive read-aloud activities. Students recognize and begin to spell their first names. Children study the letters in the alphabet through multi-sensory play, direct instruction, and creating their own alphabet journals. Children begin to develop handwriting skills by strengthening their fine motor abilities. Through practice and repetition, children make the transition to grasping paintbrushes, markers, and crayons.
Mathematics (daily)
Children use objects such as blocks, pegs, counters, and the calendar to learn the meaning of numbers, addition, and subtraction. They learn patterns through grouping and sorting by size and length, matching and ordering objects, and color. Students learn to measure by experimenting during cooking projects and finding the length, height, and weight of objects. Problem-solving is emphasized through work on individual and large-group games and puzzles.
Social Studies (daily)
Students explore theme-based units centered on self, family, and celebrations. Through these experiences, they learn to respect and care for others in their community, while also discovering new cultures and perspectives, broadening their understanding of the world and their place in it.
Art (twice each week)
Students experience the wonder of creating, exploring, problem-solving, and discovery through the fundamentals of art: drawing, painting, color mixing, collaging, and building with clay, wood, and cardboard. Subjects taught in the classroom are reinforced, such as seasons, holidays, life cycles, and hibernation. Students are introduced to two famous artists: Jackson Pollock and Vincent van Gogh. After learning about these artists, the students create action paintings and paint sunflowers.
Music (twice each week)
Students experience and learn music through singing, movement, dance, and playing instruments. They learn to keep a steady beat, recognize patterns, and imitate musical patterns through games and activities.
PE (three times each week)
The PE curriculum strengthens gross motor development through a variety of games and activities that incorporate balance, running, jumping, kicking, throwing, and core strength. Children engage in activities that require planning and executing movements to improve motor planning skills.
Science (twice each week)
Students learn to take risks and gain confidence by exploring different textures, colors, smells, and sounds. They study magnetism, buoyancy, plant life, meteorology, geology, volcanoes, dinosaurs, and more. Through hands-on activities and projects, they develop their curiosity by making observations and connections between what they know and want to know.
Library (weekly)
WES’s library program seeks to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Students enjoy a weekly storytime, where they are exposed to a wide range of genres and authors. They are encouraged to explore titles according to their interests, and they may check out one book a week.
Chapel (weekly)
Students meet to sing, dance, and hear simple stories drawn from the Bible about God’s love for creation and humanity. Students also learn and think about ways to apply the virtues that are emphasized each month into their daily activities.
Wellness (weekly)
Students’ social-emotional development is nurtured through books, videos, puppets, and other engagement. Topics include: promoting personal safety and the safety of others, recognizing feelings, practicing empathy and kindness, making and keeping friends, problem-solving, using mindfulness techniques, and having a growth mindset.
Public Speaking (daily)
From greeting each other in the morning to speaking confidently on stage, our Early Childhood students speak and perform publicly throughout the year including:
- Early Childhood Christmas Chapel
- Early Childhood Spring Performance
Additional Highlights
- Three recess periods a day
- Access to the Early Childhood Science Lab and Discovery Room
- Regular field trips, such as visits to local farms, Imagination Stage performances, and nature walks along the Capital Crescent Trail
- Five-morning core program, with the option of afternoons
- Age-appropriate after-school enrichment
- Extended Day until 6 p.m.
PreK4:
PK-4 offers a thoughtful balance of play-based learning and purposeful instruction. In a nurturing and engaging environment, children are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and learn from both their experiences and one another. Classroom activities promote curiosity, creativity, and a growing sense of independence.
Through hands-on experiences and teacher-guided moments, students build foundational skills in language, literacy, math, and social development. Daily routines support confidence and autonomy, while opportunities to make choices help children develop initiative. Whether learning through play, participating in group discussions, or engaging in early academic concepts, PK4 students are supported in becoming joyful, confident learners ready for the next step in their educational journey.
Language Arts (daily)
Students engage daily in multiple read-aloud, phonemic awareness activities, letter recognition, word building, journaling, and drawing through both large and small groups. The Heggerty Program is used as a primary resource for word studies in phonemic awareness and phonics. The Handwriting Without Tears® Program is used to promote the correct formation of letters and penmanship.
Mathematics (daily)
Beginning in PK4, students are introduced to the Bridges in Mathematics Program. Interactive hands-on activities develop an understanding of math concepts while working toward proficiency in key skills. The program helps students build more flexible and efficient ways to solve problems.
Social Studies (daily)
Students explore theme-based units with a focus on identity within and outside of the WES community. Children learn to respect each other and their differences through sharing, active listening, and caring for one another in our community.
PE (three times each week)
The PE curriculum strengthens gross motor development through games and activities that incorporate balance, running, jumping, kicking, throwing, and core strength. Children engage in activities that require planning and executing movements to improve motor planning skills. Students learn to work as a team, respect others, and emphasize safety.
Art (twice each week)Students take great joy in using their imaginations to discover, explore, learn, and problem-solve with each art challenge. A wide variety of materials are introduced as students continue to learn the fundamentals of art: drawing, painting, printing, and collaging. Students also develop three-dimensional spatial and manipulative skills by working with ceramics and papier-mâché. Classroom learning is reinforced through cross-curricular efforts, including a hibernation collage, author and illustrator studies, and more. Artists such as Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, and Charly Palmer are introduced as students imitate each artist’s style.
Music (twice each week)
Children experience and learn music through singing games, echoing sounds, body percussion, and choral participation. Basic musical concepts such as rhythm and beat dynamics are explored through guided listening and songs. Students use pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments to enhance stories and songs. Students are given many opportunities to express themselves creatively.
Science (twice each week)
Students use their senses to observe the world around them and apply their knowledge to ask questions, conduct investigations, classify, and communicate information. Units of exploration include: the five senses, seasons, human growth, animals, nutrition, plant life, sea life, insects, ecology, environmental stewardship, balances and weight, magnets, electricity, and the rock cycle.
Library (weekly)
WES’s library program seeks to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Students enjoy a weekly storytime, where they are exposed to a wide range of genres and authors. They are encouraged to explore titles according to their interests, and they may check out one book a week.
Chapel (weekly)
Students meet to sing, dance, and hear simple stories drawn from the Bible about God’s love for creation and humanity. Students also learn and think about ways to apply the virtues that are emphasized each month into their daily activities.
Wellness (weekly)
Students’ social-emotional development is nurtured through books, videos, puppets, and other engagement. Topics include: promoting personal safety and the safety of others, recognizing feelings, practicing empathy and kindness, making and keeping friends, problem-solving, using mindfulness techniques, and having a growth mindset.
Public Speaking (daily)
From greeting each other in the morning to speaking confidently on stage, our Early Childhood students speak and perform publicly throughout the year including:
- Early Childhood Christmas Chapel
- Early Childhood Spring Performance
Other Highlights
- Three recess periods a day
- Field trips to Green Meadows Farm and Petting Zoo, Brookside Gardens, and the National Zoo
- Five-day, full-day program to 3:30 p.m.
- Small class sizes
Kindergarten:
Kindergarten at Washington Episcopal School builds upon the strong foundation established in PK4, offering children more opportunities for direct and explicit instruction while continuing to value exploration and play. The classroom environment encourages curiosity, creativity, and increased independence as students engage in meaningful learning experiences throughout the day.
Children develop foundational skills in literacy, math, and problem-solving through a blend of hands-on activities and guided teaching. Oral and written language skills are expanded as students learn to express their ideas more confidently and with greater detail. Mathematical thinking is deepened through real-world applications that build number sense and reasoning. As autonomy grows, students take greater ownership of their learning, strengthen their social-emotional skills, and build the confidence needed for continued academic success.
Language Arts (daily)
Kindergarten at Washington Episcopal School builds upon the strong foundation established in PK4, offering children more opportunities for direct and explicit instruction while continuing to value exploration and play. The classroom environment encourages curiosity, creativity, and increased independence as students engage in meaningful learning experiences throughout the day.
Children develop foundational skills in literacy, math, and problem-solving through a blend of hands-on activities and guided teaching. Oral and written language skills are expanded as students learn to express their ideas more confidently and with greater detail. Mathematical thinking is deepened through real-world applications that build number sense and reasoning. As autonomy grows, students take greater ownership of their learning, strengthen their social-emotional skills, and build the confidence needed for continued academic success.
Mathematics (daily)
Classes use the Bridges in Mathematics Program to develop an understanding of math concepts while working toward proficiency in key skills. The program helps students develop more flexible and efficient problem-solving strategies. Through hands-on activities, games, and visual models, students are encouraged to explore foundational concepts such as number sense, patterns, and spatial reasoning in meaningful ways. This approach nurtures curiosity and confidence as students learn to think critically and make connections in math.
Social Studies (daily)Kindergarten students explore theme-based units with a focus on self-growth and change, past and present, and chronological awareness. Kindergarten students explore theme-based units with a focus on self-growth and change, the past and present, and developing chronological awareness. They use personal timelines to mark and reflect on important moments in their lives, including experiences at home and school. These meaningful connections help students understand the concept of time and sequence, while encouraging them to see their own stories as part of a larger world.
PE (three times each week)
The PE curriculum strengthens gross motor development through games and activities that incorporate balance, running, jumping, kicking, throwing, and core strength. Children engage in activities that require planning and executing movements to improve motor planning skills. They learn to work as a team, respect others, and practice safety. The class emphasizes the benefits of personal fitness in laying the foundation for lifelong wellness.
Art (twice each week)
Kindergarten students continue their joyful exploration of art materials and styles. Students draw, paint, print, collage, and build with clay and cardboard together. Kindergarten artists will learn to identify “still life,” “landscape,” and “portrait” as they view the work of various artists. They then attempt to create light and shadow from a simple “still life” setup. The class focuses on artists Faith Ringgold and Wassily Kandinsky, reinforcing classroom learning through several cross-curricular units.
French or Spanish (twice each week)
Languages are taught using an immersion method where the children hear almost exclusively French or Spanish during class time. Students expand their vocabulary in the target language and build upon concepts in a fun and interactive way. The emphasis is on repetition through songs, games, puppets, stories, and hands-on activities.
Music (twice each week)
Our goal is to create lifelong lovers of music who are musically literate and active audience members or accomplished performers. Children experience and learn music through singing games, folk dances, playing instruments, and learning to read simple musical notation. Students are given many opportunities to express themselves creatively.
Science (twice each week)
Students engage in hands-on STEM activities that promote problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Through experiments, they explore topics such as circuits, electrical safety, magnetism, and buoyancy. Projects such as building simple circuits and designing aluminum foil boats help students make predictions, test their ideas, and apply the scientific method in creative and meaningful ways.
Library (weekly)
WES’s library program seeks to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Students enjoy a weekly storytime, where they are exposed to a wide range of genres and authors. They are encouraged to explore titles according to their interests, and they may check out one book a week.
Chapel (weekly)
Students meet to sing, dance, and hear simple stories drawn from the Bible about God’s love for creation and humanity. Students also learn and think about ways to apply the virtues that are emphasized each month into their daily activities.
Wellness (weekly)
Students’ social-emotional development is nurtured through books, videos, puppets, and other engagement. Topics include: promoting personal safety and the safety of others, recognizing feelings, practicing empathy and kindness, making and keeping friends, problem-solving, using mindfulness techniques, and having a growth mindset.
Public Speaking (daily)
From greeting each other in the morning to speaking confidently on stage, our Early Childhood students speak and perform publicly throughout the year including:
- Early Childhood Christmas Chapel
- Chapel Presentations
- Early Childhood Spring Performance
Other Highlights
- Spring field trip to a Maryland pond to explore native wildlife and plants
- Work with Grade 5 Reading Buddies
- Kindergarten play, performed for the entire school
Grade 1:
Grade 1 students are now the leaders of Early Childhood, with a newfound sense of independence and confidence. The children continue to build upon the foundational skills and concepts they learned in Kindergarten. The curriculum becomes more structured and formalized, focusing on further development in various areas. Children become active participants in their learning as they become readers, writers, and mathematicians.
Grade 1 students take pride in being the leaders of Early Childhood, embracing their roles with growing independence and confidence. With added responsibilities, such as wearing uniforms, organizing their desks, and caring for others, they gain greater autonomy while continuing to build on the strong foundation from Kindergarten. The curriculum becomes more structured as students grow into confident readers, writers, and mathematicians, yet purposeful play remains an essential part of the day. Through creative exploration and joyful peer interactions, students continue to learn, connect, and grow.
Language Arts (daily)
In Grade 1, students strengthen their reading and writing skills through explicit, research-based instruction grounded in the Science of Reading. Using the Into Reading program, children build phonics knowledge, learn high-frequency words, and develop spelling and grammar skills essential for fluent reading and clear writing.
Daily small-group reading instruction allows teachers to provide targeted support based on each child’s needs, helping students grow as confident, capable readers. Writing instruction focuses on forming complete sentences, organizing ideas, and expressing thoughts through narrative, opinion, and informational writing. Students also participate in interactive writing and journaling activities that promote creativity and communication. Regular read-aloud sessions, featuring a variety of texts including chapter books and picture books, play an important role in building vocabulary, listening comprehension, and a lifelong appreciation for stories
Mathematics (daily)
Classes use the Bridges in Mathematics program to develop a deep understanding of key math concepts such as number sense, addition and subtraction strategies, place value, and measurement. The program emphasizes flexible thinking by encouraging students to explore multiple ways to solve problems and to explain their reasoning. Through hands-on activities, visual models, and games, students build fluency with numbers while developing critical skills in pattern recognition, data collection, and problem-solving. This approach supports both conceptual understanding and skill proficiency, helping students become confident and adaptable mathematicians.
Science (twice each week)
Students explore topics such as plants, animals, weather, and simple scientific processes. They begin to classify various kinds of animals (mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and insects) and work to create and present 3D creatures using recycled materials. Our young scientists also learn about the life cycle of different plants and animals, explore the rock cycle, make detailed observations while using microscopes, become familiar with the metric system, and understand the function and structure of animal and plant cells. Students complete and present Earth Day projects explaining how they can take care of our planet.
Social Studies (daily)
Students begin by building a strong classroom community, learning about themselves and each other while discovering the importance of cooperation. They then explore their neighborhood and town, deepening their understanding of how communities function. Through hands-on projects like constructing a community from cardboard boxes, creating road maps, and drafting blueprints, students develop teamwork, problem-solving, and spatial skills. The year concludes with a study of key Washington, D.C. landmarks, connecting their local community to the larger world.
PE (three times each week)
The PE curriculum strengthens gross motor development through games and activities that incorporate balance, running, jumping, kicking, throwing, and core strength. Children engage in activities that require planning and executing movements to improve motor planning skills. They learn to work as a team, respect others, and practice safety. The class emphasizes the benefits of personal fitness in laying the foundation for lifelong wellness.
Art (twice each week)
With many of the fundamentals of art—such as line drawing, color mixing, scissor skills, and 2D and 3D exploration—underway, Grade 1 artists get right to work creating. Students begin the year with a full-body action self-portrait, reviewing many famous artists who portray humans in action, such as William Johnson, Edgar Dégas, Mary Cassatt, and Norman Rockwell. They continue with projects that highlight angles, perspective, lights, and shadows. They will also explore history, social studies, and the natural sciences, as well as develop their observation skills and imagination. They will study Wilson Bentley (photographer), Bisa Butler, Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Sipho Mabona.
French or Spanish (twice each week)
Students will expand and enrich their vocabulary by engaging in conversation, expressing feelings and emotions, obtaining and providing simple/basic information, and exchanging opinions in the target language. Learning through songs, movies, dancing, and games happens in a joyful manner.
Music (twice each week)
Children continue to build their musical skills, adding the concepts of tempo, pitch, rhythmic and melodic reading, and recognizing the stylistic characteristics of music through listening. They additionally learn more complicated folk dances and participate in movement as a form of musical expression. Students are given many opportunities to express themselves creatively.
Library (weekly)
WES’s library program seeks to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Students enjoy a weekly storytime, where they are exposed to a wide range of genres and authors. They are encouraged to explore titles according to their interests, and they may check out one book a week.
Chapel (weekly)
Students meet to sing, dance, and hear simple stories drawn from the Bible about God’s love for creation and humanity. Grade 1 students are given the opportunity to serve as Chapel leaders responsible for leading the Early Childhood division in prayer and song. Students also learn and think about ways to apply the virtues that are emphasized each month into their daily activities.
Wellness (weekly)
Students’ social-emotional development is nurtured through books, videos, puppets, and other engagement. Topics include: promoting personal safety and the safety of others, recognizing feelings, practicing empathy and kindness, making and keeping friends, problem-solving, using mindfulness techniques, and having a growth mindset.
Public Speaking (daily)
From greeting each other in the morning to speaking confidently on stage, our Early Childhood students speak and perform publicly throughout the year including:
- All-School Chapels
- Early Childhood Christmas Chapel
- Chapel Presentations
- Early Childhood May Day Performance
- Grade 1 Class Play
Other Highlights:
- Field trips to the National Building Museum, Imagination Stage, Kennedy Center, and the U.S. Capitol
- Designing and creating a 3-D project in the ceramics studio
