Melrose Daycare & Preschool Est. 1971 Schedule a tour

Our rooms

Three ages, eight rooms, one idea.

Every classroom is set up for what little hands are ready to try next, from grasping a rattle to running a science experiment.

Photo: a baby reaching for a crinkly fabric during tummy time

Infants

1 to 18 months · up to 7 per classroom

  • Bumblebee
  • Turtle

Babies keep the same feeding and nap schedule they have at home, so the day feels familiar. Teachers get down on the floor with them for tummy time on soft mats, crinkly fabric, and smooth wood. Our youngest friends reach, grasp, shake, and squeeze their way to one discovery after another.

Photo: toddlers washing their hands at a low sink

Toddlers

15 months to 3 years · 8 to 9 per classroom

  • Kangaroo
  • Rascal
  • Teddy Bear

Toddlers want to do it themselves, and we let them. They wash their own hands, brush their teeth, and practice with spoons and forks at lunch. There is plenty of jumping, dancing, and running, plenty of group play, and lots of gentle help using words instead of pushing.

Photo: preschoolers checking on the garden beds with a magnifying glass

Preschool & Pre-K

2 years 9 months to 5 years · 14 to 18 per classroom

  • Jellyfish
  • Owl
  • Stingray

Preschoolers run science experiments, write their names, and master buttons and zippers. They compare big and small, learn about Melrose and the wider world, and take on real classroom jobs, from line leader to plant waterer.

A day with us

Muddy knees by lunchtime.

Every room keeps its own rhythm, but a day here looks something like this. We’re open Monday to Friday, 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

  1. 7:30 AMArrival & free play Hellos at the door, then a slow start at the block shelf or the easel.
  2. MorningMorning meeting Songs, the weather, and a plan for the day.
  3. Mid-morningOutside The playground, the garden beds, the puddles. Rain or shine.
  4. Late morningProject work Clay, cooking, an experiment, or whatever the children are curious about this week.
  5. MiddayLunch Sitting together, passing the napkins, trying something new.
  6. After lunchRest Quiet time with a blanket from home. Babies keep their own schedules.
  7. AfternoonChoice time Paint, books, blocks, dress-up, or back outside.
  8. By 5:30 PMPickup A painting to take home and a story to tell on the way.