School Philosophy

These are the critical years. Brain research clearly demonstrates that the first five years of a child’s life are a time of enormous growth.  At Hanna Perkins Center, we invest wholeheartedly in early childhood.  It is a short period that will set the direction of a child’s entire life, and we are committed to helping parents and children get it right.

Supported by a growing body of evidence, we believe that emotional intelligence forms a foundation for all future learning. Emotional intelligence, the ability to know and manage feelings, can be fostered most effectively during the preschool years.  It is the cornerstone of our academic program. With the gift of adult mindfulness and a challenging, engaging curriculum, we help our children develop essential assets, such as curiosity, problem-solving, management of worries and fears, the ability to focus, self-control, kindness, and self-advocacy.

We understand that parents are a child’s first and most influential teachers, advocates and supporters. At Hanna Perkins School, we believe in the importance of families and their role in supporting a child’s learning journey. We create an open dialogue between parents, teachers and child development specialists, so that learning can be enhanced in the classroom and reinforced at home.

Preschool is an exciting time of transition for families, as children leave the family nest and enter a whole new world of learning and friends.  We work closely with families to gently guide the child through this transition. We know that a positive first-time experience with school will set the stage for future learning and the ability to make friends.

Each child is unique, bringing to school his or her own individual set of experiences and abilities. Our students receive the highest level of individualized attention through a unique partnership among parents, teacher and dedicated child development specialists.  This means more resources and expertise are focused on each child’s success.

We value relationships as integral to the learning process. In their early years, children form a sense of who they are and what they can do.  A child who has developed secure, trusting relationships during these formative years is more likely to have the confidence to be inquisitive, explore and learn.  At Hanna Perkins School, we work hard to help children cultivate strong relationships with teachers and peers.  Our program is built on empathy and respect.

With 60 years of experience as Cleveland’s child development experts, our extensive knowledge of child development informs our curriculum every step of the way.  Our approach is gentle and effective.  It integrates best practices in early childhood education with an internationally-recognized relationship-based model that has been researched, developed, practiced and fine-tuned over six decades.