Serving Preschool Through 8th Grade in the San Francisco East Bay Since 1962
“In Red Barn children learn about their world through play. Our materials provide the medium through which children explore, test ideas, acquire information and draw conclusions about the world around them. In each and every area children are learning skills that lay the foundation for learning.”

Did you know?

Last year the children in Red Barn explored at length the concept of kindness, which emerged from their own conversations about friendships. To kick off the project, they spent the month of February focusing on daily acts of kindness. Kindness and empathy became one of the core values in the classroom and lent itself to the social-emotional learning that we value so deeply in ECE.

Pre-Kindergarten (Red Barn)

What Do Children Learn in Red Barn?

In Red Barn, children learn about their world through inquiry, using a wide variety of materials. Our materials provide the medium through which children explore, test ideas, acquire information and draw conclusions about the world around them. Through developing trust with children and a partnership with parents, Red Barn teachers lay the foundation for lifelong learning.

Through authentic experiences with materials, the outside world and careful intentional provocations, children learn a wide range of skills related to math, language, science and their world to get them ready for Kindergarten. These “get set for school skills” are introduced in authentic ways to continue to promote a sense of curiosity and an excitement for learning.

Red Barn is an active and engaging program that is rich in conversation and wonder. It is through their conversation that children develop language and literacy as they articulate their ideas and listen to others. Children understand that printed words convey messages as they scribble shopping lists in the dramatic play area, hold up traffic signs in the bike lanes, or dictate stories to teachers for books they have created.

Throughout the year we monitor cognitive, social and emotional behavioral benchmarks, which correlate with success in Kindergarten: self-regulation, increased attention span, and peer relationships. Through long amounts of uninterrupted time children are given opportunities to grow in these areas with teacher support and guidance.

Most importantly, Red Barn children learn about themselves. They are respected and treated as a unique individual. We also place great emphasis on each individual’s responsibilities as a member of the classroom community. These social skills help contribute to your child’s growing self-confidence.