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Childcare and School in DC, VIrginia, and Maryland
Two Birds is a Reggio-inspired school for children, Infants through Pre-K. Our all-inclusive approach to education supports the entire family through community. At Two Birds, children have the opportunity to explore the world around them while building knowledge through interactions with teachers, classmates, and open-ended materials. We implement this mission by building Two Birds around three core pillars:
1. Comprehensive Early Childhood Education
2. Professional Workspace for Parents
3. Engaging Extracurricular Classes for Children & Parents
Locations
Programs
Curriculum
Family Classes
Coworking Space
Early Childhood Education Programs
The early childhood education program at Two Birds is rooted in a play based approach to learning. Our teachers are facilitators and observers within the classroom, which allows children to collaborate and lead, express themselves, and to influence experiences. Hand in hand with this approach is creating a balance of individual, small group, and large classroom work as well as a combination of child-led and teacher-led but child driven learning.
Integral to the Two Birds mission is building a foundation that supports the “whole” child during their early formative years. We focus on the child, the family, and the teachers within this framework as primary pillars of support in the development of the “whole” individual. For this reason, we think of the environment as the third teacher; it serves not only to support fine motor skills, but also to expand sensory experiences and to assist in the education of the whole child.
Infants
Our Infant Program is an individualized program, meaning our teachers focus on individualized attention and develop schedules to meet each child’s needs. Our classrooms are nurturing and safe environments where our teachers lovingly care for each child and curate experiences to support infants in developing the skills they need to grow.
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Toddlers
In our Toddler program, teachers’ planning focuses on providing opportunities for students to build gross and fine motor skills as well as develop social/emotional skills. Children build skills to develop both independence while also engaging with classmates through the lens of a play based approach to learning.
Preschool
Preschoolers develop a sense of independence and agency in decision making, as well as critical thinking skills, through a combination of small group project work and open center choice time. In our Preschool Program, students are also encouraged to use their imagination to create and interpret how materials can transform and adopt new meaning depending on the way in which they are presented.
Pre-K
The Pre-K classrooms utilize an emergent approach to teaching and exploration, similar to the rest of our school, while folding in the fundamentals of early childhood education learning standards such as literacy, mathematics and science. Our Teachers incorporate children’s interests into comprehensive project work and daily activities and create intentional learning opportunities within children’s play. Our Pre-K program offers students an opportunity for the synthesis of fundamental tools and developmental skills that they have learned throughout their time at Two Birds.
Curriculum
Two Birds’ approach to teaching and curriculum is centered around fostering children’s voice in their classroom, connecting children’s learning to their own experiences, and seamlessly integrating opportunities for discovery, new concepts and developmental skills throughout a child’s day and play. This approach is rooted in social justice and democracy, and a belief that children learn best in rich environments where their voices and thinking are driving forces in the curriculum and the daily life of the school and community.
At Two Birds, children have the opportunity to explore and research the world around them. Teachers, peers and environment form the three pillars of how children build their knowledge, and project- and play-based learning is grounded in children’s interactions with each of these pillars. As children share their theories and perspectives in both verbal and non-verbal ways and listen to those of others, they grow their understanding, develop collaborative and creative skills, and cultivate a self-identity as lifelong learners.
Co-Working Space
All Two Birds locations provide onsite co-working space for parents alongside childcare. This area is complimentary for Two Birds families and includes cafe-style seating, private offices and phone rooms. The onsite co-working space at Two Birds maximizes your professional efficiency by cutting out your commute while also giving you access to a community of fellow working parents.
Weekend Classes and Family Programming
All Two Birds families have access to weekend programming at no additional cost. These classes are an opportunity for families to connect outside of the classroom. Programming introduces the concept of extracurriculars to children and inspires them to explore new ways of thinking and moving while in a familiar environment and surrounded by friends.
Classes for kids range from music to STEM to dance, Taekwondo, soccer, etc. depending on age. We also host some parent-only opportunities such as knitting or ceramics.
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Careers at Two Birds
Our teachers are part of our Two Birds family, and we support their growth, passions, and aspirations, just as we do with our students. We hire across a range of teaching qualifications and experience; we value the expertise more experienced teachers bring to the classroom as well as the openness and innovation newer teachers introduce. All of our teachers are an integral part of a child’s day, have close relationships with the families, and are deeply familiar with classroom’s and children’s routines.
Additionally, we’re committed to supporting staff professional development both in and out of the classroom. Development opportunities include dedicated professional development days, in-house coaching, conferences, and educational stipends.
Join the Two Birds family!
Ready to enroll your little one at Two Birds and enjoy Reggio-Emilia inspired curriculum, family classes, and a professional workspace? Find your nearest Two Birds location!
