Kindergarten at The Hundred Acre School

Since its establishment in 2014, our school has been consistently responding to the desires of our preschool families who have longed for an expansion of our educational offerings. They sought continuity in the exceptional learning environment provided by Heritage Museums & Gardens, our STEM-focused curriculum, and the expertise of our dedicated educators in the elementary years. Additionally, parents have emphasized the significance of play-based learning and the invaluable experiences gained through interactions with nature.

In 2019, we proudly introduced a full-day Kindergarten program that immediately reached full capacity within its inaugural year. During the challenging times of the fall of 2020, amid the pandemic’s peak, we went above and beyond by offering a five-day, in-person Kindergarten program. We achieved this by harnessing the advantages of our small class sizes and our customary practice of outdoor learning.

Attending elementary school within a museum and botanical garden offers a truly distinctive educational experience. The opportunities to connect learning to student interests, our community, and our environment are critical.

Our philosophy emphasizes the importance of granting early elementary students the freedom to play, explore, engage in physical activity, and cultivate a passion for learning. Learning isn’t confined to desks or classrooms; in fact, our students spend an average of 2 hours outdoors daily. Our curriculum is hands-on and capitalizes on the natural world to provide immersive learning experiences. Furthermore, elementary students benefit from dedicated learning blocks in literacy, math, STEM, and outdoor adventure. Click here to learn more about our curriculum.

This approach ensures that students have a strong foundation and are ready for grade 1 and beyond. Click here to review our assessment data.

Our teachers collaborate closely with families to provide each child with the appropriate engagement and encouragement necessary to foster a love for learning and school. We use an app called Brightwheel to connect with families throughout the day using photos, videos, and notes about the day. When your child arrives home, you can ask them about specific experiences instead of the classic “what did you do at school today?”.

Enjoy a slideshow from our Kindergarten classrooms 2024-2025

Our program is a full day, allowing for care from 8:30am to 4:30pm.

  • Flexible drop off included with all enrollments from 8:30-9am
  • Our school day is from 9am – 3pm.
  • In the 2026-2027 school year, the flexible pick up period will be from 2:45pm-3:05pm
  • Add optional after care 3pm-4:30pm

Please note:

  • We are open for a regular week of school during what is typically February public school vacation week.

  • We are closed for April vacation week.
  • We follow Sandwich Public for weather-related closures. If there is a weather delay, we open at 10am.

2026-2027 Enrollment

  • One Kindergarten with up to 15 students.
  • Our current PreK students are accepted first during a priority enrollment period.
  • Enrollment or a waitlist opens to the general public in early January.
  • We have students from Sandwich and many towns on and off Cape Cod.

2026-2027 Tours

Enrollment Process for New Students

Step 1: Submit an Enrollment Request and create a Brightwheel account.

Clicking the enrollment link automatically creates an account. DO NOT CREATE an account separate from clicking the link.

Make sure to turn on all notifications in your account, as we will only communicate with you about your enrollment through Brightwheel.

Step 2: Fill out the Application and Pay the Application Fee

You will be notified in your Brightwheel account of the $150 application fee invoice and 3 additional online forms gathering information about your child. You must complete this step before your child will be reviewed for acceptance.

Step 3: Accepted, Waitlisted or Declined

The School Director will reply within 1 week after the final item in step 2 is submitted. Please note that applications will be reviewed in the order that step 2 is completed. If we have openings, an acceptance letter and tuition deposit invoice will be sent via Brightwheel. If we have a waitlist, you will be notified of your status and contacted when space is available.

Step 4: $500 Tuition Deposit due within 7 days

Learn more about our 4-payment tuition deposit schedule by clicking here.

This School Year ~ Kindergarten

August 25, 2025 – June 25, 2026

Students must be at least 5 years old by September 1, 2025, and will be accepted on a rolling basis.

Program FULL for 2025-2026 school year

Next School Year ~ Kindergarten

August 31, 2025 – June 30, 2026

Students must be at least 5 years old by September 1, 2026, and will be accepted on a rolling basis until the one classroom of 15 students is full.

Please note that the current 2025-2026 PreK students will have a priority enrollment period before it opens to the public. There is a possibility that all spots will be filled before January 6, 2026.

Enrollment for the NEXT school year, 2026-2027, will open ….

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Enrollment Status for 2026-2027

Priority Enrollment opens December 1 for current students and families

General Public Enrollment opens January 6, 2026 at 10am

Fall Birthday Preschool: 0 out of 8 spots
PreK: 0 out of 22 spots
Kindergarten: 0 out of 15 spots
Grade 1 : 0 out of 15 spots
Grade 2: 0 out of 15 spots

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Small class size
  • Amazing Teachers
  • 2+ hours outside daily
  • Hands-on, play-based learning experiences in all subjects
  • Daily communication with the teacher

Follow this link to the curriculum page on our website


Learn more about our teachers at the school on our Faculty Page. We update teacher assignments each year depending on teacher preferences and the needs of the school. For example, we have two kindergarten teachers in the 2024-2025 school year. We anticipate Miss Jessica to move to Grade 1 in 2025-2026 but will confirm that once enrollment is underway sometime in the spring 2025.

Children must be 5 years old by September 1 of the school year to enroll. This is a standard cutoff in Massachusetts, and we do not make exceptions for children who just miss the cutoff

No, our PreK program provides an enriching experience for the year before Kindergarten. This is not a mixed age group, all students will go to Kindergarten the following year.

Kindergarten has a maximum of 14 students.

Our hope is that our Kindergarten class will continue to enroll in the next grade and to stay together through Grade 2.

IEPs are an agreement between a family and public school (not a private school). Here’s information from understood.org about IEPs.

We welcome all students, provided we are able to meet their individual needs within our current educational offerings.

One of the most common reasons for a student to be terminated at the end of our 4-week trial period is if your child’s needs are more than we can support.

Please note that we do not offer specialized education services or have any staff with these credentials. If you have specific questions about whether your child would be supported by our school, reach out to the School Director or come on a tour.

Your child will only need a backpack and lunch box. No other specific school supplies are needed.

No, parents are responsible for getting students to and from school. We find that families will start to carpool once connections are made at the beginning of the year.

 

We follow these procedures for all students to keep them healthy:

  1. Snack and lunch are provided by the family
  2. Students do not share or trade food.
  3. Students with food allergies sit at a table with children that do not have those food items in their snack or lunch.
  4. Tables are cleaned before and after food consumption.
  5. Placemats are washed after each use
  6. Educators are CPR and First Aid certified
  7. The Heritage Security Team is also trained to respond to emergencies and will be able to assist staff with emergencies as needed.

We do not limit what children choose to bring for snack or lunch. We do not limit environmental allergens from our classrooms/interactions on the grounds. Children could be exposed to a variety of allergens either in the classroom, on the grounds or in the museums. If your child has a severe allergy (breathing or touching an item), we probably are not a good fit. If your child has an ingestion allergy to a certain medication or food, we probably are a good fit. You are encouraged and welcome to contact the us to discuss the specifics of your child.

  • We require medical forms for any student with an allergy.
  • You provide us with any medications needed to keep him/her safe (i.e. epi-pen).
  • These medications will be kept in the classroom backpack that is taken with the class anytime they leave the school.

Yes our regular school day goes until 3pm and you can add after care until 4:30pm.

The school has its own entrance and parking lot, so it is very convenient for drop off and pick up. Use Google Maps, as we have a pin on the school, and it’s the easiest way to find us.

Our program uses the gardens and galleries of Heritage Museums & Gardens daily so we already feel like we go on a field trip everyday. We don’t typically go on additional field trips off the grounds of Heritage Museums & Gardens.

No parents or caregivers pack these daily.

  • Yes, we have a financial assistance fund. You must be an accepted student to apply. Click here for more information on our tuition page.
  • We do not accept state vouchers.
  • We are an approved provider for Child Care Aware® of America Fee Assistance for the United States Military and Department of Defense.
  • We are an approved provider for Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) fee assistance which is a DoD- and U.S. Coast Guard-funded program.
  • We coordinate with Cape Cod Children’s Place for the Brewster Child Scholarship Program and Wellfleet Childcare Subsidy Program
  • We coordinate with the Town of Orleans with their Universal PreK program

Kindergarten Daily Schedule