Beyond the Classroom: How The Little School Builds a Village for Families

Choosing the right school for your child is about more than finding the right classroom. You want to know that you’re choosing the right community for your family as well.

Early school years are a time when children learn to read, write, solve problems, ask questions, and make sense of the world around them. But they are also learning how to make friends, try new things, feel safe around adults outside their family, and see themselves as capable members of a larger community.

Here at The Little School, that sense of community doesn’t happen by accident. It is nurtured through daily relationships, thoughtful transitions, whole-child support, parent partnership, and shared traditions that help families feel known and included.

Children build confidence and friendships, parents find connection and support, and families become part of a “village” that helps each child grow. 

Key Insights

• The Little School builds community through intentional relationship building among children, families, teachers, and staff.
• TLS families describe the school as warm, welcoming, open, and deeply centered around children and learning.
• Teachers support the whole child, including academic growth, confidence, friendships, and developmental needs.
• Parent connections grow through Room Reps, Parent Guardian Association Council (PGAC), multiple communication channels, playdates, socials, and community traditions.
• TLS is especially meaningful for families seeking a small, caring, connected school where children and parents feel known and valued

What Does it Feel Like to Join The Little School Community?

For families entering a new school, the first days and weeks are important. A child’s sense of comfort can shape how they enter the classroom, how they approach new friendships, and how willing they feel to take small, but important, risks.

Kristin, whose child is currently enrolled at The Little School, describes the experience of first becoming a part of the school community as “very warm and welcoming and open.” From the beginning, she explains, the environment felt centered around children and around helping them feel comfortable enough to succeed.

For her son, that welcoming environment was critical.

“He’s not introverted, but it takes him a while to warm up,” Kristen shares. “They [the school faculty and staff] have been phenomenal about helping ease him into new situations where he gets very nervous and unsure.”

Before the first day of school, TLS creates multiple opportunities for children to become familiar with the school. Kristin’s son was able to meet his teacher, see his classroom, find his cubby, and then participate in school community events like the Ice Cream Social. 

All of it helped make the unfamiliar feel more familiar for Kristin’s son.

“The school did a fantastic job of leading up to the first day of school, doing multiple things to help him with the transition,” Kristin says.

Jennifer, whose daughter is a first grader at TLS, describes a similar feeling of belonging. Her family came to The Little School after her daughter’s previous preschool teachers recommended it., During the tour process, Jennifer could already picture her child thriving in the classroom and on the campus.

“We just knew when we were visiting and we toured that it was a school she was going to love,” Jennifer says.

How Does The Little School Help Children Feel Known, Safe, and Ready to Grow?

A strong school community begins with how well adults know children.

Here at The Little School, teachers are attentive not only to academic skills, but also to a child’s confidence, comfort, social development, and individual needs. Kristin saw that first hand, when her son’s kindergarten teacher suggested that he might benefit from occupational therapy support for handwriting. 

That observation helped the family to take action, with the impact extending well beyond the child’s handwriting ability.

“We’ve been working on that,” Kristen says. “It’s really improved his handwriting a lot as well as his self-confidence.”

Kristin’s son went from not being able to spell, to now reading and spelling at such a level, the family can no longer quietly spell things out in front of him without him recognizing what is being said.

For Jennifer’s daughter, a love of school has developed quickly. Before winter break, 2026, Jannier’s daughter explained that she was upset the school was paused for the break—she wanted to continue the learning.

These small family moments can point to something larger. Children thrive when they are seen clearly, and that whole-child perspective  is part of what helps The Little School feel like a village. Children are not treated as a collection of academic milestones. They are seen as full people, with strengths, sensitivities, questions, friendships, and growth that unfolds in many directions at once.

How Does a Whole-Child View Help Parents Support Life Outside School?

For families, feeling connected to school also means understanding what a child’s day is really like.

Classroom progress reports are a large part of that. Kristin describes the value of such reports, which include not only academic updates from teachers, but also social insight:

• Who her child is spending time with
• What he enjoys doing
• What new interests are emerging during the school day

“[You’re] getting the whole picture,” she says. “You’ve got academics—they’re doing great here, they could do some work here. That’s helpful. But [you’re] also hearing about the social aspect, like this is their social circle. This is what they enjoy doing at school.”

One example Kristin shares involves the card game, Uno. Her son learned to play the game at school, so the family bought a deck for home. It quickly became a family favorite.

A progress report also helped spark a new playdate. When another parent reached out to Kristin after learning that their children were spending time together at school, the families, who live nearby, arranged time together. That led to new bonds being formed, both among the children and parents as well.

Jennifer also points to the value of regular check-ins from teachers. Such responsive communication, as well as parent-teacher conferences, help her feel connected to what is happening at school and confident that she can reach out when questions arise.

“I feel like if I were to email with any concerns, I would hear back from teachers pretty much right away,” Jennifer says.

How Do Parent Connections Grow at The Little School?

A family community needs more than occasional events. It needs simple, welcoming ways for people to find each other.

At The Little School, parents use multiple communication channels to ask questions, share resources, and support one another. Room reps help organize playdates, and opportunities for families to gather. The Parent Guardian Association Council (PGAC) organizes opportunities for families to gather in meaningful ways and thus participate in the life of the school.

“Everyone is so nice and willing to pitch in and do things,” Kristin says. “You put out a call for help… and everyone’s like, ‘Here’s a resource. Here’s a resource. Here’s a resource.’”

Jennifer has experienced a deeper level of connection through her own involvement with the PGAC . During her first year, she did not know every staff member by name but, after becoming more involved, that has changed.

“I just feel like it’s a great opportunity to get further involved,” Jennifer says.

Jenny Chiang, TLS Community Events and Alumni Coordinator, explains that Room Reps and PGAC often help build community by bringing families together in ways that meet different needs. For younger students, that may mean helping organize playdates. For older grades, it may mean parent socials or creating space for families to connect when children already have their own friendships.

Regan Wensnahan, TLS Director of Student Enrollment, describes the school’s approach as creating “systems across the school that help support families” at different stages of parenting and in different ways of connecting. Family friendships often grow most naturally when children are young, and when families are given enough opportunities to cross paths.

At The Little School, the goal is not to make every family participate in the same way. Rather, it is to create many welcoming opportunities so connection can happen authentically.

What Traditions Help Families Feel Part of Something Bigger?

Some of the strongest community memories are built through shared traditions: food, music, plays, performances, celebrations, and the chance to be together.

At our school, the community gathers throughout the year in ways that help families feel part of something larger than their individual classroom—at events such as:

• The Ice Cream Social
• Fall Festival
• Winter Wonderland Dance Party
• The Global Cultures Celebration
• The Arts Festival
• Parent-led gatherings and more

The Global Cultures Celebration is a time when third, fourth, and fifth graders perform and showcase some of the work they have been doing for the whole school. But Chaig also explains it as a time when the community gathers, dresses up, shares favorite foods, and enjoys being together.

Chiang believes deeper learning can happen when families share celebrations and traditions with one another. Through events like the Global Cultures Celebration, families learn about one another in authentic ways and bring that learning back to their broader school communities.

A Village That Extends Beyond the Classroom

Here at The Little School, community is built in many ways

It is built when:

• A child visits the classroom before the first day and begins to imagine belonging there.
• A teacher notices a child may need extra support and helps their  family understand the next steps.
• Parent/teacher communication  gives parents insight into friendships and interests.
• Parents share resources, gather for events, organize playdates, and learn from one another

“Seeing my kid who doesn’t do great with new things and changes do well and succeed and thrive is something that I would want every parent to see and experience,” Kristin says.

For Jennifer—who describes TLS as a “hidden gem ….tucked into the woods”—the feeling is tied to both the school’s setting and its responsiveness. 

That sense of partnership is what makes the village feel real. It is not only the traditions or the events, though those matter. It is the everyday trust between children, families, teachers, and staff.

Interested to know how your child and family can thrive as a member of the TLS community?

Be sure to:

• Explore our learning programs
• Schedule an admissions tour
• Request more information