Nest Preschool

With a small class size of only 10 children, Nest Preschool, located in Lafayette's Arts Hub, offers a nurturing environment where each child receives personalized attention and thrives through arts and nature-based curriculum. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia and Montessori philosophies, our program emphasizes the importance of play, exploration, discovery, and independence. Driven by the belief that children are to be respected as the unique individuals that they are, and we work in partnership with families.

Some of the benefits of being a part of the Nest family:

  • Nurturing Family Atmosphere: Our small program a warm family-like setting where every child feels known, valued and supported.

  • Play-Based Curriculum: Play is the foundation of our preschool program where our children learn through being given opportunities to explore, create, and build relationships. Our play-based philosophy, enriched with arts and nature, fosters holistic development and a joyful journey of discovery.

  • Nature at Our Doorstep: At Nest, children will have plenty of opportunities to run, jump, climb, and explore the natural world. We are ideally situated near Coal Creek and the new Lafayette Nature Center, offering children endless opportunities to explore, play, and learn in a natural setting.

  • Collaborative Learning: Children are collaborators in relationships with each other, teachers parents and their environment. Long-term projects, open-ended exploration and discussions provide rich learning opportunities that encourage investigation and discovery. Together we question, problem-solve and learn.

  • We are a Universal Preschool provider: We welcome any families enrolled in the UPK program! Our staff is happy to assist you in getting your child enrolled.

We are a state licensed preschool program (#1730611)

Ages Served
The Nest Preschool is licensed for ages 3 - 5 years old. Our mixed-age groups offer children opportunities to develop and practice valuable social and problem solving skills. This also can be a wonderful environment for siblings, because they are not separated, and this can ease their transition into a new child care setting. Older children learn to adapt their language and social skills to relate with younger children, often learning patience, compassion and problem solving skills. In addition, younger children are challenged by older children and often engage in more complex activities than when they play with same age peers.

Location & Hours of Operation

420 Courtney Way, Lafayette CO
Monday - Friday 8:30am - 3:30pm

After school classes (subject to availability/Arts Hub scheduling) available through Arts Hub.

Program Learning Areas

One of the pillars of the Reggio Emilia philosophy is the idea of the “environment as the third teacher” (with the child and the teacher/family members being the first and second “teachers”, together, as co-learners). We believe that children learn best in environments that provide natural light, access to natural materials, and the freedom to move, explore, and engage in open-ended play by themselves and in collaboration with others. With this in mind, we have designed every space within our classroom with care and intention. We strive to create learning centers that invite children to explore by themselves and in groups; a home-like atmosphere that is inviting and captivating. Children are encouraged to wonder, think and ask questions.

Art & Nature

A vibrant space, ample work surfaces and easy-to-reach materials. Art & Music activities foster confidence encourage experimentation with different media, and develop fine motor skills. By also weaving music throughout the program, we create a rich and vibrant learning environment that nurtures creativity, self-expression, and a lifelong love of music.

  • Montessori-inspired: Open shelving with trays of organized art supplies (various papers, paints, brushes, collage materials, clay).

  • Reggio-inspired: "Inspiration wall" showcasing artwork from famous artists, nature photographs, and children's own creations.

  • Natural Art Materials: Provide natural items like leaves, twigs, stones, and flower petals for creating nature-inspired art.

  • Art Process vs. Product: Emphasize the process of art-making rather than focusing on a perfect final product. Display children's works-in-progress to highlight their creativity and exploration.

  • Collaborative Art Projects: We will offer large canvases or mural paper for group art projects that encourage collaboration and shared expression.

  • Music and Art Connection: Playing instrumental music while children create to inspire different moods and emotions in their artwork.

Stories, Music & Dramatic Play

  • To help calm children and support them with self-regulation, we incorporate calm movements and simple stretches into Circle time. We may lead children in gentle stretches like reaching for the sky, touching their toes, and rolling their shoulders.

  • Animal Yoga Poses: We include yoga poses inspired by animals (e.g., cat-cow pose, downward dog, butterfly pose).

  • Interactive Storytelling: We incorporate felt boards, finger puppets, or props to bring stories to life and to actively engage the children.

  • Singing and Movement: We sing songs, recite rhymes, and encourage movement to make storytime a multi-sensory experience.

  • "Sharing Circle:" Children are encouraged to share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences with the group.

  • A Transformative Play Space

    Step into a world where creativity knows no bounds! The Imagination Station is a dynamic space where children's ideas come to life through role-playing, storytelling, and playful exploration.

    Features:

    • Ever-Changing Scenes: Discover new worlds each week, whether it's a bustling marketplace, a cozy café, a veterinary clinic, or a far-off planet.

    • Open-Ended Materials: Unleash creativity with loose parts like fabrics, cardboard boxes, wooden planks, and natural elements, inviting children to construct their own props and settings.

    • Real-World Connections: Explore different roles and professions with realistic tools, costumes, and props. Cook in a child-sized kitchen, care for patients in a doctor's office, or build with tools in a construction zone.

    • Digital Storytelling: Document adventures with cameras and tablets, creating photos, videos, and stories to share and revisit.Digital Storytelling: Document adventures with cameras and tablets, creating photos, videos, and stories to share and revisit.

    • Collaborative Creations: Work together to design sets, write scripts, and perform plays for friends and family.

    The Imagination Station is a place where children can...

    • Explore different roles and perspectives

    • Develop social skills and emotional intelligence

    • Express their creativity and imagination

    • Build language and communication skills

    • Practice problem-solving and collaboration

    • Make connections between play and the real world

Science, Technology, Math & Engineering

A space designed to....

  • Live Animals: Our small aquarium with fish can spark wonder and observation.

  • Gardening Corner: Our small indoor herb garden with seedlings provides opportunities for learning about plant life cycles and caring for living things.

  • "Scientist of the Week" Board: Displayed photos and information about famous scientists (both male and female, from diverse backgrounds) to inspire young learners.

  • Open-Ended Materials: Materials that can be used in multiple ways:

    • Water and Sand Table: Including tools for pouring, measuring, and creating with these natural elements.

    • Light Table, Mirrors & Prisms: Explore light, reflection, and color.

    • Building Materials: Blocks, tubes, magnets, and other construction materials encourage experimentation with physics concepts.

    • Exploration with Science Tools : An offering of a variety of tools for investigation and exploration.

    • Microscopes: Introduce children to the microscopic world with simple microscopes or a digital microscope connected to a screen.

      Scales and Balances: Allow children to weigh and compare different objects, exploring concepts of mass and gravity.

    • Thermometers & Weather Instruments: Introduce children to concepts of temperature, wind, and rainfall.

    • Magnifying Glasses and Binoculars: Encourage closer observation of natural objects and distant views.

Natural Specimens: Expand your collection beyond the basics. Include:

  • Fossils and Rocks: Different types of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic), fossils, crystals, and minerals.

  • Plants and Seeds: Dried flowers, seed pods, leaves, bark, and magnifying glasses to examine their intricate details.

  • Animal Artifacts: Feathers, nests, animal tracks (casts), and photos of animals in their habitats.

A space designed to foster a love of numbers, encourage exploration of mathematical concepts, and develop early numeracy skills. Shelving displays a variety of hands-on Reggio Emilia and Montessori inspired math materials, such as:

  • Number rods, spindle boxes, sandpaper numerals

  • Loose parts for counting and sorting (pine cones, stones, buttons), baskets of colorful geometric shapes for pattern-making

  • White board and dry erase markers for children to practice writing numerals and drawing simple shapes.

  • Loose Parts: A variety of natural and found objects for counting, sorting, and creating patterns:

    • Natural: Pinecones, acorns, leaves, rocks, seashells

    • Recycled: Bottle caps, buttons, corks, cardboard tubes

    • Other: Pom poms, beads, craft sticks, straws

    • Measuring Tools: Encourage comparisons and estimations with:

      • Rulers and Tape Measures: For measuring length and height

      • Scales and Balances: For comparing weights

      • Measuring Cups and Spoons: For exploring volume and capacity

    • Geometric Solids: Offer 3D shapes (cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones) for building and exploring spatial relationships.

Reading Readiness

A cozy, inviting space with comfortable seating, soft rugs, and warm lighting. A space to foster a love of language, build phonemic awareness, and create a foundation for reading success with a combination of Montesssori and Reggio Emilia inspired materials:

  • Waseca Reading Program Materials:

The Waseca Reading Program has become a standard in many Montessori classrooms. It is structured to provide a systematic and sequential presentation of the phonetic elements used in the English language.

The program uses a four-step approach: after you have introduced a phonetic element, the child uses the movable alphabet to spell, or encode, the word depicted on a picture card.

Next, the child decodes the phonetic information by matching a picture card to its label. Then the child further practices decoding by reading the phonogram booklet and doing writing practice.

The system is organized on low shelves for easy access, with picture cards, storybooks, and phonics games. There is daily structured time with reading readiness activities, and children are also encouraged to explore the Wauseca Reading program materials during their open play time.