PRESCHOOL at SANDY SPRING
3 & 4 Year Olds | 10- and 12-Month Program | Full & Half-Day, 3 & 5-Day Options
Play-Based and Inquiry-Based Learning, with Nature Exploration and Quaker Values at the Core
- Nature exploration through hands-on outdoor activities on our beautiful 140-acre campus inspires wonder, empathy, and stewardship.
- Child-centered, inquiry-based, and active learning sparks curiosity and encourages critical thinking, problem-solving, and a growth mindset.
- Joyful, creative play with peers strengthens a sense of belonging, builds social awareness, and teaches collaborative learning.
- Quaker values such as simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship help cultivate inner reflection, compassion, and ethical decision-making.
At the intersection of these components is a WHOLE CHILD APPROACH, where each child is nurtured socially, emotionally, intellectually, physically, spiritually, and creatively.
Program Highlights
- 12-month and 10-month options
- Full-day (8:00 am - 3:10 pm), half-day (8:00 am - 12:30 pm), extended day (7:30 am - 6:30 pm), and 3-day (T,W,Th) schedule options
- Nature and outdoor exploration on our beautiful 140-acre campus
- Snacks and a healthy hot lunch included
- Co-Curriculars include Spanish, Farm, PE, Music, Art, Science, and Library
- Play-based learning
- Whole child approach
Kay Mason
Head of Lower School
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Aimee Farley
Associate Director of Admissions
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Our Community Speaks: The Preschool Experience
"As parents, we’ve seen firsthand how the SSFS preschool environment nurtured and supported our child’s learning and development in the most meaningful ways. The warm, engaging classrooms sparked curiosity, while the caring teachers created a space where children felt safe, valued, and excited to learn."
"I’ve been here since Pre-K4, so I know you can be who you want to be at this school—you’re part of the community no matter what."
"We chose Sandy Spring Friends because we wanted our son to feel safe—to be happy. We had no idea we were choosing the person he would become."
"I didn't just have a hunch, I saw evidence through emails, conferences, and anecdotes along the way that the teachers knew my kids—really knew them—in all their little quirks and uniqueness. I cannot think of a more compassionate place—it's like the Pre-K teachers are the kind of parents we wish we could be, at our best!"
Exploring in Nature
Preschoolers enjoy exploring our beautiful 140-acre campus including the playground, mud kitchen, raised garden beds, campus farm, pond, woods, streams, and nature trails.
Seasonal nature explorations include activities such as collecting and decorating fall leaves and pumpkins, planting and harvesting veggies, insect observations, tadpole-to-frog life cycle study, and more.
Learning Through Play
In our program, play is purposeful and joyful. Children engage in hands-on experiences both indoors and outdoors, discovering new ideas, practicing new skills, and having fun along the way. By learning through play, children grow academically, socially, emotionally, and physically in a natural and meaningful way.
Various stations and a dedicated “Flex Space” provide opportunities for imaginative, dramatic, sensory, creative, building, balancing, and cooperative play.
Inquiring with Curiosity
Following children’s questions, interests, and discoveries and using a variety of educational tools and sensory materials, children explore concepts in math, reading, writing, language, art, and music.
Children learn to establish social and classroom norms while participating in circle time, inquiry-based classroom activities, and cooperative, hands-on projects.
Living Quaker Values
In keeping with our Quaker belief that there is "that of God in everyone," we honor the unique gifts within each child.
The Quaker “SPICES”:
- Simplicity: Focusing on what is important and appreciating the basics
- Peace: Practicing kindness and teaching peaceful, non-violent conflict resolution
- Integrity: Being honest and truthful
- Community: Welcoming everyone, supporting one another, and learning about the greater community around us
- Equality: Recognizing that there is “that of God in everyone,” treating all people with respect
- Stewardship: Taking care of the land, our things, and each other.