The Friends’ Preschool emphasis is on learning through play. Children spend the majority of their time at school investigating and learning about the world through many types of purposeful play. Emphasis is on the process rather than the product. By emphasizing the rich experiences which children garner through play, they are able to develop socially, emotionally, physically, and cognitively. The activities children engage in while at Friends’ lay the foundation for their future work in reading, writing, math, science, social interactions, and more.

To support children’s play, teachers create indoor and outdoor classrooms filled with open ended materials that invite a variety of possibilities for use and exploration. Students are generally busy with the activities which are of intrinsic interest to them and come together for at least one group time per class. Teachers observe children closely. Periodically a teacher will watch a child or group of children and write down everything that is said or done. By observing closely, teachers come to understand a child and can therefore know how and when (and when not!) to intervene. Through observation, teachers generate ideas about materials which might expand the children’s play.

The younger children, who attend the morning classes, are in transition from parallel play to interactive play. For example, they may begin the year playing at the water table without interacting with each other and by the end of the year may be dressed up as firefighters actively putting out a "fire" together. As the children get older and enter the afternoon class, they tend to be interacting more fully in their play. They are ready for four consecutive half days at school, longer group times and field trips. By the time children leave the Preschool, they are ready to enter Kindergarten where continued academic learning takes place. They are confident and inquisitive, interested in the world around them, and in learning.