Programs
Academics

Early Childhood (2-4 Year Olds)

Satisfying the Curious Mind

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  • We Take Playtime Seriously

The premise of Hutchison’s Early Childhood (EC) program is that each child is innately full of wonder and knowledge, anxious to make connections through exploration and discovery.

Upcoming Events

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MEET OUR FACULTY

Early Childhood

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We understand children learn by making observations and asking questions. Lots of questions! In the Reggio Emilia style, our expert teachers engage the girls through hands-on projects and real life experiences that are relevant to them. Learning centers play an important role in the girls’ academic development. The centers integrate different aspects of the curriculum to develop thinking and motor skills. EC girls rotate through the centers daily, gaining independence and time management skills that will serve them well when they progress to higher grades.

Fred Rogers

“Play is really the work of childhood.”

A secluded oasis of learning

Tucked away in the Northwest corner of Hutchison’s lush campus is the Abston Early Childhood Center, a state- of-the-art facility constructed in 2001 that houses Little Hive (2 year olds), Pre-Kindergarten (3 year olds), and Junior Kindergarten (4 year olds). Classes are small, and parents can choose from full-week or partial week programs. Students enjoy the quiet EC playground nestled away near a wooded area, but frequent jaunts to other corners of Hutchison’s 52-acres are mini learning expeditions.

Whether they are visiting the upper school science lab for Junior Kindergarten’s annual dissection of a sheep’s heart, or wandering over to the farm to pick up something they will write about later in their journals, the excursions are learning opportunities, a chance to explore and feel independent in a secure setting.

Curriculum

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  • Literacy

    Our phonics program includes both listening and hands-on activities to engage the girls. All PK and JK girls begin journal writing in August. Journaling is done in small groups, giving the girls the attention they need to become successful writers. Girls have many other opportunities to express themselves through print.

    The girls also enjoy sending messages to one another in the message center. They create cards and letters for their friends and when they are finished they put them in their friends’ mailboxes. Through this experience, the girls learn to write their names and the names of everyone in their class and get to practice writing using prior knowledge of letters and sounds. The girls also practice writing in center activities and project work.

    Guided reading groups begin in JK. Through working in small groups, the teachers know when their girls are ready to read. Guided reading is differentiated so each girl is taught on her level. Shared reading is taught using big books.

  • Math

    The Little Hive and PK girls learn math skills through calendar time, songs, morning meeting, and center activities. In the block center, for example, girls are exposed to shapes, counting, more, less, taller than, shorter than, and measurement. University of Chicago’s Everyday Mathematics is taught in JK. This program is full of hands-on activities and games that reinforce: number and numeration, operations and computations, data and chance, measurement and reference frames, geometry, patterns, functions, and algebra.

  • Spanish, Chinese, Movement, and Music

    Early childhood girls participate in Spanish, Chinese, Creative Movement, and Music. Essential developmental skills are enhanced through songs and rhymes. They teach concepts, enhance vocabulary, develop motor skills, and encourage social skills. Dance begins in JK, building an awareness of the movement of the body, and its potential for creativity. The classroom teachers plan with the extra-curricular teachers so they can reinforce what is taught in class.

Check out our blog!

In the News

  • Super Thoughtful Super Heroes

    These young super heroes use their special powers to save the day on the playground and in the cafeteria line. Student-centered learning takes EC girls anywhere they can imagine. 
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  • 10 Ways to Promote a Culture of Literacy

    By Upper School Head Dr. Barry Gilmore
    If we could boil down all of the overwhelming challenges schools face in promoting literacy to a single disheartening statistic, it might be this: As students age from elementary school to high school, the majority of students who previously read frequently for enjoyment give up the practice (Scholastic, 2015). Simply put, as students grow up, they read less.
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  • A Simple Dot Opens Up a World of Possibilities

    By Pre-Kindergarten Teacher Missy Prewitt & Upper School Mathematics Teacher Molly Prewitt
    What can a simple dot teach us? For Hutchison’s upper school and early childhood girls… a lot, actually.
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  • Building an Inclusive School Community

    by Inclusion Visiting Scholar Rachel Shankman
    "The best examples of inclusion take place in the classrooms as girls are learning how to become critical and independent thinkers equipped to engage in civil discourse."
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  • Early Childhood Explores Service Learning

    Girls in Little Hive, pre-kindergarten and junior kindergarten biked in Hutchison’s annual Trike-A-Thon to benefit St. Jude. This year’s event raised more than $14,000, exceeding all previous years.
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  • Girls Explore Apiary at the Hutchison Farm

    Hutchison girls of all ages visit our working farm regularly for a variety of unique learning opportunities. Today, in honor of International Women's Day, several classes joined school Horticulturist Mary Riddle for an early spring inspection of our school apiary where 50,000+ female honeybees currently reside.
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  • Junior Kindergarteners Explore the Heart

    "Your heart in your body is different than a pretty Valentine's heart!"
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  • Exploring a Real Construction Project

    When Hutchison started construction on the Crain Center, a new building, the 2-year-olds in the Little Hive program were curious.
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  • Go girls go!

    Early Childhood Trike-a-thon Raises Record Amount for St. Jude

    As a nationally ranked school for St. Jude fundraising, Hutchison has donated more than $100,000 through the trike-a-thon over the past 12 years.
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Experience

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  • Life at Hutchison

    Learn more about the Hutchison experience and why a girl's school is your daughter's best opportunity to excel.

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  • Serious Play

    Self-awareness, taking turns, and being kind… EC teachers weave these lessons into the curriculum to instill, at an early age, the confidence, selflessness, and leadership skills that are hallmarks of a Hutchison education.

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  • An Important Investment for an Important Foundation

    The pillars of our EC education are creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. Yes, critical thinking happens in preschool.

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  • Life on the Big Girl Campus

    EC girls enjoy exploring the campus. This year, girls are learning some engineering basics on their weekly visits to the Crain Center construction site.
  • Real Hands-On Learning Real Hands-On Learning
    Hands-on learning translates to memorable learning. Each year, JK girls dissect a sheep’s heart as part of a unit on hearts.
  • Pedaling for a Cause Pedaling for a Cause
    The St. Jude Trike-a-Thon is an EC tradition. Hutchison is among the top fundraisers in the country, and girls learn an invaluable lesson in community service.

Come and experience

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  • Life at Hutchison

    Contact us today to tour our campus, meet with our admissions staff, and see the opportunities that Hutchison offers.

Connect

Hutchison is the leading private girls school in Memphis for ages 2 years old through twelfth grade.