The world is changing for the children at the Sacramento Street Preschool: they are learning the letters of the alphabet. They have mashed Play-Dough into letters, they have cut letters from magazines and pieced them into collages, and they have gripped stamps with determined fingers and pressed letters onto paper—firmly, to capture the dot on the “i” and the tail of the “y.” They have sung songs about letters, including that classic that begins with “A” and ends with “me.” They took a “letter walk” through the neighborhood, and every time someone spotted a letter, a teacher snapped a photo. According to teacher Molly Julin, when everyone returned to the classroom, the children were “really, really excited” to print the photos and cover the classroom walls with these souvenirs from their adventure.

“Everyone has something they’re great at,” says Juhlin. “It’s fun to discover what that is.” To that end, teachers create curriculum accessible to multiple learning styles, and children have many opportunities to explore new activities and new ideas.

According to teacher Emily Lapean, “We don’t prepare kids for kindergarten in the traditional way.” Instead, teachers focus on providing children with a sense of structure and empowering them to feel confident in their abilities. But most of all, children are encouraged to play. In pleasant weather, they can romp around the shaded backyard, climb Fort Agassiz, or dig in the sandbox. Once a week, they visit Maud Morgan Arts next door for an arts and crafts session. The goal of every activity at Sacramento Street Preschool, says Juhlin, is “to make each child’s first school experience a positive one.”

The Sacramento Street Preschool serves children between the ages of two years nine months old and five years old. Online registration is now open for new and returning families. Kim Baldasaro conducts tours on Tuesdays at 10 am, or you can contact her at kbaldasaro@agassiz.org or (617) 349-6287 x14 to schedule a different time.