We are the Playschool of the Arts for Kids, a non-profit preschool serving children ages 18 months to 4 years in the Siler Arts District in Santa Fe. We proudly serve families regardless of their ability to pay tuition; therefore over 70% of our student body is on tuition assistance from the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department. Our mission to accept children of all economic backgrounds keeps our community diverse and inclusive. It also, however, means that we operate on a shoestring budget.

Still, we make the most of what we have. Our classrooms contain a learning circle, book center, block area, dramatic play center, animal and garden area, and, of course, an art area. Art supplies, books, doll houses, trains, trucks, cars, and road building materials, dress-up wardrobes, and more are always accessible to our children. Children play daily in our large outdoor playground. Multi-purpose mats are outstanding venues for music and dance.

Our curriculum consists of music, song, dance, art, drama, science, math, emotions, and kindness. Topics include the alphabet, seasons, habitats, community service, conservation, and more.

Movement is a critical component of our kids’ curriculum, not just on the playground, but coursing throughout their entire day. All of our classrooms are designed and set up for movement, which has been proven to improve kids’ cognitive development.

We would buy two colorful rugs with the Awesome grant. We are located in a warehouse-style location. The enormous open space allows for our children to really move. We have concrete and hard floors and they can get quite cold in the winter, which can be problematic as many of our kids often go shoeless at school for mat activities.