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 into 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 is critical.

Our philosophy emphasize 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 literacy, math, STEM, and outdoor adventure learning blocks. 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 allows 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.
  • Flexible pick up included with all enrollment from 2:50pm-3:20pm
  • 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.

Enrollment

  • We have 2 classrooms of Kindergarten with up to 14 students per classroom.
  • Our current PreK students are accepted first during a priority enrollment period.
  • Enrollment or the waitlist opens to the general public in mid-January.
  • We have students from Sandwich and many towns on and off Cape Cod.

Tours

Enrollment Process for New Students

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

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.

Enroll in Kindergarten for Next School Year 2025 -2026

August 25, 2025 – June 25, 2026 (41 weeks)

Students age 5 by September 1, 2025 will be accepted on a rolling basis until both classrooms are full.

18 out of 28 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. Please note that we do not offer specialized education services or have any staff with these credentials. If you have specific questions about if your child would be supported by our school, reach out to the School Director or come to 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.

Kindergarten Daily Schedule