Welcome to the Middlefield Children’s Center, a place where children are honored as capable protagonists in their own learning—free to explore, investigate, and construct meaning through rich, hands-on experiences.
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Programs
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world". Nelson Mandela
Preschool - 4 Classrooms for children ages 3-4
Our classrooms are designed as rich living environments that invite children to explore, collaborate, and express their thinking in many ways. Each space is intentionally arranged to nurture relationships, support children’s natural curiosity, and honor their individual learning journeys. Children are given long, uninterrupted periods of time to move through the environment, choosing experiences that speak to their interests and emerging theories about the world.
Our learning spaces include:
Art Studio - The art studio offers open‑ended materials that encourage children to experiment, represent their ideas, and communicate through a variety of languages. Here, children develop independence, creativity, and problem‑solving skills as they explore color, texture, and form. The studio becomes a place where thinking is made visible.
Writing and Communication - A variety of thoughtful materials invite children to explore marks, symbols, and early written language. Children engage with print in meaningful ways, developing awareness of letters, sounds, and storytelling at their own pace. Educators observe closely, offering tools and provocations that support each child’s unique developmental path.
Construction and Block Area - The block area provides opportunities for children to design, build, test ideas, and collaborate with peers. Through construction, children explore concepts such as balance, gravity, spatial relationships, and scale. These experiences nurture creativity, negotiation, and pride in their work as they transform their ideas into structures.
Dramatic Play - In this space, children take on roles, explore identity, and make sense of their world through imaginative scenarios. Dramatic play supports expressive language, empathy, cooperation, and problem‑solving. It becomes a place where children try on new perspectives and deepen their understanding of relationships.
Mathematical Thinking and Manipulatives - Children engage with materials that invite counting, sorting, patterning, measuring, and comparing. These hands‑on explorations build foundational math concepts while also supporting turn‑taking, flexible thinking, and communication. Puzzles and games encourage children to test hypotheses and develop persistence.
Science and Inquiry - Children are encouraged to observe closely, ask questions, and investigate the natural world. Through hands‑on exploration, they form hypotheses, test ideas, and collect information. This center supports children as active researchers, discovering how things work through curiosity and experimentation.
Sensory Exploration - Sensory materials invite children to explore texture, weight, movement, and the properties of matter. As they pour, sift, compare, and experiment, children develop language, fine motor skills, and scientific thinking. This space encourages wonder and supports children in building vocabulary to describe their discoveries.
Pre-K 5 at MCC
Pre‑K at MCC offers children an additional year to grow as capable, curious, and resourceful learners. Rooted in Reggio Emilia principles, this year honors the image of the child as strong, competent, and full of potential. Through play, exploration, and self‑directed inquiry, children deepen the social and emotional capacities that allow creativity, resilience, and flexible thinking to flourish. It is a year that protects the wonder of childhood and allows learning to unfold at a developmentally authentic pace before formal schooling begins.
A growing body of research on early brain development echoes what the Reggio approach has long understood: between the ages of two and seven, the social and emotional brain is at the center of a child’s growth. When children’s relational needs are met—when they feel listened to, respected, and empowered, they develop the dispositions that support higher‑order thinking, which begins its major developmental phase around age seven or eight. This foundation of emotional security and meaningful connection is essential for children to access the full range of their “hundred languages.”
In MCC’s Pre‑K program, learning emerges from children’s interests, questions, and theories. Educators act as co‑researchers, designing invitations and provocations that extend children’s thinking. Focused studies—such as author explorations, long‑term projects, and investigations in literacy, math, and science—grow organically from children’s curiosities. Documentation will make learning visible, helping children revisit their ideas and supporting families in understanding the depth of their child’s thinking.
The environment, intentionally designed as a third teacher, offers beauty, order, and endless opportunities for discovery. Art and nature—central to MCC’s identity—remain woven throughout the Pre‑K experience, providing rich materials and open‑ended spaces where children can express themselves, collaborate, and construct meaning together.
Programs offered for preschool and Pre-K: 8:30 am - 12:00, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm, or a full day which is 8:30 am - 6:00 pm.
Early Morning Drop-off
Our Early Morning Drop‑off program invites children to begin their day in a calm, thoughtfully prepared environment that opens at 7:30 am, before preschool begins at 8:30 am. In the spirit of Reggio Emilia, children of all ages come together as a community, forming relationships and learning from one another in a mixed‑age setting.
The classroom is arranged with open‑ended materials and invitations that encourage exploration, collaboration, and creativity. Children may choose from experiences such as:
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Art and mark‑making with a variety of materials
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Block building and construction that supports problem‑solving
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Tabletop games and activities that invite curiosity and dialogue
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Time outdoors on the playground
This early morning time offers children a gentle, meaningful transition into their day—one that values their autonomy, their relationships, and their natural drive to explore.
After School K-2
In collaboration with the Middlefield and Durham school system, our After School Program is designed as an extension of the child’s day—a place where curiosity, relationships, and meaningful exploration continue to unfold. Public school students arrive by bus each afternoon, joining a community that honors each child as capable, competent, and full of potential.
Children ease into the afternoon with snack, conversation, and homework support. This predictable rhythm helps them transition from the school day into a more open, exploratory environment. Our playground becomes a space for collaboration, movement, and connection with the natural world—an essential element of Reggio‑inspired learning. Inside, children engage with thoughtfully prepared materials that invite creativity, problem‑solving, and social interaction. The environment is intentionally designed as a “third teacher,” offering opportunities for children to make choices, revisit ideas, and construct understanding together.
Each afternoon features experiences that encourages children to investigate, question, and express their thinking. These activities are:
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Open‑ended, allowing children to enter at their own developmental level
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Collaborative, supporting peer learning and shared discovery
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Hands‑on, inviting children to manipulate materials and test ideas
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Reflective, giving space for children to revisit and deepen their understanding
Differentiated planning ensures that every child—regardless of age—feels challenged, engaged, and valued. Older children naturally take on leadership roles, guiding younger peers and strengthening the sense of community.