Our Preschool

HALL Playtime Learners Preschool is a licensed, play-based care facility approved by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. Preschool is offered to children ages 3 and 5 years old, and is located within the Hampton Elementary School building (82 School St.).

There are four weekly classes:

• Mondays & Wednesdays from 9:00 am to 11:30 am
• Mondays & Wednesdays from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm
• Tuesdays & Thursdays from 9:00 am to 11:30 am
• Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Our schedule (see below) is flexible and our learning experiences reflect the current interests and needs of the children.  We have explored many different WEBS of learning in past years, some of which include: Doctors, Farms, Feelings, Dinosaurs, Fish, Books, Pets, Firefighters, Teeth, Mysteries, Restaurants, Airplanes, Superheroes, Worms, School Buses, Music, Spirits, and Puppets, just to name a few!

Some events throughout the year include: Pyjama Days, Monthly Fire Drills, Weekly Class Leader, Show and Share, and Graduation. During Graduation, we present each child with a Special Memory Book which includes documentation of each child’s learning and special memories. We also collect donations towards the Hampton Food Basket throughout the year. 

HALL participates in the Scholastic Book program, and the TALK WITH ME program, which offers each child an opportunity to meet with an Early Language Specialist to have a free hearing and speech assessment.

Our Educators also participate in the Kindergarten Bridging Project where they share and compare mutual learning experiences with a local Kindergarten teacher. Our staff team includes two Early Childhood Educators, Sue MacDonald and Candace Muir.

Registration for Fall session is currently full, to be put on the wait list contact us at hamptonallianceforlifelonglearning@outlook.com.

A Typical Day at Our Preschool

The children arrive at Preschool with a parent or guardian and the Educators help them put their book bags on their lower hooks and place their indoor shoes on the floor under their hooks. In the greeting area, parents and guardians can view communicative bulletin boards sharing updates on learning, reminders, and other news items. Updates on learning can include a variety of documentation and webs of possibilities. 


Then the children go directly outside to play (weather permitting.) Outdoors, children can explore trees, stumps, plants, mud, insects, or anything else their heart desires. There are materials for the children to transform and observe these parts of nature. Children are supported when engaging in big body movement, such as climbing play structures, running, balancing, swinging on trees, etc. Often, typical “indoor” materials can be seen outside as well. Children can read a book, mark-make, use tools, or cook “food.” Once in a while, the Preschool children and Educators will venture outside of the classroom and go on a “nature walk” in the Dutch Point Trails connecting to the school. On these walks, the children can identify different kinds of fences, bridges, paths, plants, and native animals and insects. The possibilities are endless for the children when outside!


Before the children go inside each day, we all sing together “The Good Morning Train” where the children can share their names, and “How Many Friends Are Here Today?” where the children can count how many children have joined us for Preschool today.


After outdoor time, the children and Educators will head inside to change their shoes and remove their outdoor attire. Once children enter the classroom, they will wash their hands, “sign-in” and engage in indoor free play with various areas of the class. Each area is purposefully planned to encourage learning through play. 


The Art Area includes a variety of open-ended materials such as fabric pieces, tapes, popsicle sticks, buttons, paint, etc. The children can create whatever they wish with these materials. Within the art area, children’s annotated paintings and creations can be found displayed on the “Open-Ended Art” wall. The children’s art work is always displayed throughout the room in frames, a photo hanging display, and bulletin boards. 


The Music and Movement Area includes a diverse range of instruments to create sound, or for the children to play a tune. There is also a CD player with corresponding CDs to play different genres of music, and music-themed books to accompany the rhythm of the music or dance. 


Elements of Dramatic Play can be found throughout the room. Dresses, scarves, superhero costumes, animal outfits, and construction hats can all be adorned by the children. Two play kitchens and materials, a fully-stocked grocery store, ride on horses, play phones, and babies can be used by the children. 


In the Block and Construction Area children can engage with wooden blocks of various shape and size, large foam blocks, loose parts like bark and stumps, cardboard tubes, clipboards and mark-making materials, construction tools and a work bench, and small vehicles and people. In this area children can also use traintracks and put together Potato Head families!


The Scientific/ Mathematical Area includes sorting games, puzzles, geo-boards, magnets, magnifying glasses, a microscope, and a mixture of cause and effect materials. Children are supported when making discoveries and observing the world around them.


In the Library/ Gathering Area children can snuggle up with a blanket or stuffed animal to read a book. There are fiction and non-fiction books for the children to engage with! In this area, children can also utilize felt story boards, story stones, and photos and information about authors and illustrators.