Our Approach and Values

At La Casita, we view children as capable, curious, and full of potential. We honor each child’s pace, voice, and way of engaging with the world. Children are trusted to explore, take risks, express emotions, and make meaning through play and relationships. Strong, responsive relationships are the foundation of our program. Through consistent care and connection, children develop a sense of belonging, confidence, and identity. We support children in recognizing and expressing their feelings, building empathy, and navigating social interactions. Rather than directing behavior, we guide children through problem-solving and conflict resolution in ways that are respectful and developmentally appropriate.

La Casita offers a play-based Spanish immersion environment where language is acquired naturally through everyday experiences, relationships, and meaningful interactions.

Maestra Edilma speaks exclusively in Spanish, her native language. Maestra Emma speaks primarily in Spanish, using English intentionally to support communication with families, ease transitions, provide emotional support, and ensure safety. In doing so, she models authentic bilingualism and helps children learn to move fluidly between languages.

Children are never pressured or corrected for speaking English. Instead, their ideas are acknowledged and expanded upon in Spanish. No prior exposure to Spanish is required. Our warm, responsive environment ensures that every child feels understood, secure, and included. We also partner with families by sharing resources to support language development at home.

At La Casita, we believe that children thrive when families and teachers work together as partners. We are dedicated to building meaningful connections between home and school. Before the school year begins, Maestra Emma will visit each family at home for approximately 45 minutes to begin building relationships and learning about your family. These visits help us create a more personalized and responsive classroom experience from the very first day of school.

Families are invited to participate in three adult Enrichment Evenings throughout the year. These gatherings include a beginning-of-the-year orientation and roundtable discussions focused on topics related to social-emotional development and supporting multilingual learners. Enrichment Evenings provide opportunities to strengthen the home-school connection, develop a shared language, and for families to connect with one another. Dates and times will be determined based on the availability of families and teachers.

Communication between families and teachers will remain open, collaborative, and consistent throughout the year. Family-teacher conferences will be held twice annually, in November and April. Regular updates and photographs will be shared to document children's learning and experiences. In addition to supporting children's learning, we are committed to supporting families as they navigate the opportunities and challenges of early childhood. We welcome conversations about child development, behavior, and family life and are happy to share resources, ideas, and guidance when helpful. Families are also encouraged to share their skills and interests with our school community and participate in classroom projects and field trips.

At La Casita, the environment is an essential part of the learning experience. Our space, both indoors and outdoors, is intentionally designed to inspire curiosity, sensory engagement, and a sense of wonder. 

Time outdoors is a meaningful part of each day. Children engage with natural elements such as water, sand, soil, and plants, experiencing the natural world with all of their senses. The sensory garden of aromatic herbs and edible plants grows next to the mud kitchen as an invitation to use them in their kitchen play. 

Gardening is an integral part of our program. Children participate in planting, caring for, and harvesting, gaining hands-on experience with growth, responsibility, and sustainability. Through this work, they develop patience, observation skills, and an appreciation for where food comes from.

Our approach is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, where learning emerges from children’s interests, questions, and ideas. We view children as active participants in their learning, and the curriculum develops through exploration, collaboration, and inquiry.

As teachers, we are intentional and reflective in our practice. We carefully design the environment, select materials, and offer invitations that spark curiosity and investigation. We observe and listen closely to children, documenting their thinking through notes, photographs, and conversations. This documentation informs our planning, deepens children’s learning, and makes their experiences visible. 

Our teaching is not fixed, it evolves through our relationships with children and families as well as our ongoing commitment to professional growth and current research in early childhood education.

La Casita is a community where every child and family is seen, valued, and respected. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion is not only part of our curriculum, it is part of who we are.

This commitment is rooted in our lived experiences. The program takes place in Maestra Emma’s home, where she lives with her multilingual and multicultural family. Maestra Edilma, originally from Guatemala, is also raising bilingual children. Together, we bring both personal and professional understanding of what it means to navigate multiple languages, cultures, and identities.

This perspective shapes how we design our environment and build relationships with families. We intentionally reflect diverse identities, cultures, languages, and abilities in our materials and curriculum. We honor each family’s background and support children in developing a strong sense of self and belonging.

Through our interactions, we model empathy, equity, and respect. We support children as they begin to make sense of the world around them, laying the foundation for kindness, inclusion, and social responsibility.