Focus
By focusing attention on each boy’s specific needs, we help kids understand that school is a place they are going to feel safe coming to every day. The key here is pacing. We adjust our pacing with each student so he can go at his own unique speed.
Each of our students has an individualized plan to demonstrate that there are people here who are going to respond to him and help him—no matter what kind of help he needs.
With trust and safety as the bedrock, we then set the stage for learning how to focus, listen and communicate. From here we can ask: ‘What do you feel confident enough to do while you’re here? What do you feel you’re good at? What do you enjoy?’
To understand who we serve, please see FAQ.
Our flexibility is endless.
Daily Life
Our young learners can come off the bus full of energy for the day. They can be worn down by the bus ride…or they can be well-rested and ready to go. They can be super-charged or sleepy, overfed or hungry.
Each day is different, so every day at Plumfield starts with some kind of welcome and check-in. From here, the plan for the day starts with where exactly the student is on that specific day.
Because each student has activities he enjoys, we build our curriculum around where each boy is naturally. Our curriculum is integrated, so math or language or reading skills can be taught while building towers, or making forts, or reading stories, drawing pictures, playing outside or planting seeds. Regular check-ins and adjustments are a normal part of school life.
We create individualized plans that adjust with the student, so he can be in school and be open to learning.
Exposure to New Things
We believe that the young brain needs stimulation, so our goal is to expose our students to new things—gently. For some this is music, for others this is art, and for still others this means playing with physical toys they can touch and manipulate versus video games with buttons and screens.
The pandemic left our youngest learners alone and isolated — when their developing brains needed daily interaction with other people.
Values
Our therapeutic approaches are woven into the fabric of the day, so that working on communication skills is a natural part of what happens here. But more than that, learning in the early grades depends on emotional regulation, so the focus of our 5 PILLARS program for our youngest learners is around mindfulness.
Our young students are just starting to learn how to identify that they are having feelings. They need help knowing what to call these feelings, and what to do when feelings come up.
We make sure they have a lot of external support around them to help them manage this process and talk about it. To understand more about the types of therapeutic support we have on staff, see Therapeutic Support.
Many of our early learners arrive here not knowing the rituals of school. We ease them into the experience. It can be new to be away from family. It can be scary having to talk and manage yourself in foreign spaces.
Key Elements for TK-Fifth
- Small Number of Students
- Serene, Natural Setting
- Individualized Instruction
- Regular Check-ins Throughout the Day
- Activities to Grow Exposure to New Things
- Mindfulness Skills to Help Communicate and Regulate (5 PILLARS)
It's possible.