Welcome to Our Blog!

Dear GH Woodley Gardens Families,

We would like to give you the latest update on the situation at the Woodley Gardens property.

More and more kids in the U.S. are practicing yoga each year. In a 2017 study, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that more than 8 percent of 4- to 17-year-olds had practiced yoga in the past year

40 years ago Ellen Cromwell founded Georgetown Hill Early School. It has since become a thriving non-profit with 10 campuses, 300 employees, and serving 750 families.

The term STEM was developed by the National Science Foundation in the early 2000’s as an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education.

Also called “grounding”, the simple act of walking barefoot offers many benefits that get overlooked by society telling us we “need to wear our shoes”.

In May we are introducing our final signature unit of the year—Water! Each age group will explore different bodies of water and the amazing scientific properties of this precious resource!

Did you know introducing kids to music helps them develop early language and literacy skills? Here are five ways music helps prepare kids’ brains to read and write.

Take it up a notch, make your own playdough! This is a simple recipe for homemade playdough; your kids will love making this with you.

If you are not an early childhood educator, chances are you are not terribly familiar with the term ‘phonemic awareness’. However, you may be aware that the spoken word fly is made up of three distinct sounds: /f/-/l/-ī/. This ability to hear and manipulate sounds in spoken words is known as phonemic awareness. ‘Phonemes’ are [...]

At Georgetown Hill, the scope of learning is huge in March as children explore both the neighborhoods around them AND the great expanse of the universe.

Hello Woodley Families, It has been two weeks since we last saw each other, and I had hoped my next check-in would be to provide you some longer term solutions.  I must admit, however, that I do not yet have those answers today. What I do want to tell you though, is that we are [...]

Last week was a profoundly sad and nerve-wracking week for the families, staff and leadership of Georgetown Hill following the devastating fire on the evening of January 27. We have lost our physical home- our quirky, cozy, not-too-fancy home of thousands of children and teachers since 1998. Indeed, the loss has hit us more than we could have imagined.  

There has been a fire at our Woodley Gardens Campus on the evening of January 27th. We are not yet sure of the extent of the fire, but the damage has been significant, No one was hurt in this fire. Woodley Gardens school will be closed on Monday, January 28th, 2019.

The physical space is a crucial piece of the quality child care picture. A purposefully-designed classroom is perhaps second only to the human being who is setting up each day! At Georgetown Hill, we have transformed our classroom environments over the last two years.

It is important for parents and teachers to work as a team so home and school can feel more connected. Antidotally, teachers see amazing success when learning from school is reinforced at home and vice versa. Your child will certainly feel the impact and reap the benefits.

Georgetown Hill will be immersed in fairy tale worlds and folk tale traditions during the month of December!

Ellen Cromwell is a mom of four and a grandmother of seven…but to all of us…she is the mother of Georgetown Hill Early School. Georgetown Hill is proud to continue the legacy of Ellen Cromwell and her loving, play-centered and content-rich curriculum.

We introduced Georgetown Hill’s first signature unit—FOOD– in November! Our three signature preschool units (November, February, and May) immerse the entire school in an in-depth exploration of the same topic.

Fueling our kids for the day is perhaps the most important thing we can do for them before 9am, second only to making sure they are loved and treasured just the way they are. You might try these nutritious and (even more important for busy weekdays) quick and easy breakfast solutions.

For the past few decades, early childhood researchers across the county have been investigating what makes a preschool classroom “high-quality.”

Last Thursday, we got together for our Annual Staff Meeting – that’s right, over 200 Georgetown Hill employees got all together in ONE PLACE! The energy was outstanding, and we are SO EXCITED to start our 2018/2019 school year.

Disciplining your child can be tricky, you want them to learn from their mistakes and to understand why they are being disciplined. Conscious Discipline is a great method to help your child self-regulate.

The start of preschool is an exciting and joyful milestone in your family’s life, but certainly, it can come with anxiety and even some fear for both parents and kids. Here are some more tips about making it through those early weeks of school as tear-free as possible.

You may be asking yourself how you can spend more time outside, by yourself or with your little one. Here are some of my favorite activities to do, especially now that summer is here!

Megan is the Assistant Director at our Darnestown preschool and helps inspire teachers globally at Georgetown Hill.

Breanna was promoted from an incredibly loved preschool teacher to Assistant Director for Apple Ridge back in January!

At Georgetown Hill, Play is the first component of the PLAN Curriculum (Play, Learning, Arts, and Nurturing). Our classrooms are designed to stimulate children’s natural curiosity, exploration, and play through engaging materials and supportive interactions with teachers and other adults.

The term STEM was developed by the National Science Foundation in the early 2000’s as an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education. The addition of the ‘A’ for Arts was made in recent years to promote the integration and use of the arts in STEM curriculum.

It can be difficult to know the best way to engage in your child’s learning. check out these ten helpful tips to help you and your family be engaged in your childs learning.

This is Shelby’s first year as a director – but you wouldn’t know it! We think Shelby was born to be a Georgetown Hill Director. Shelby leads our two-room historic schoolhouse in Clarksburg, Maryland. Both our building and Shelby are classic, timeless, and full of character and charm. Shelby encompasses our core values of Child-First, [...]

Our next Director Spotlight is Kristen Raymond who directs our Darnestown Preschool location. Kristen is known around Georgetown Hill as our “Cheerleader”! Kristen is 100% “all in” and goes above and beyond her position each and every day. Kristen started her journey with Georgetown Hill as a parent while she worked in an elementary school. [...]

Melanie Morillo has been with Georgetown Hill Early School for 16 YEARS!!!!!!!!!! Our infants, toddlers, twos, threes, fours, preschool, and trans-k all adore Melanie, and for good reason. Melanie is so much fun and definitely makes you feel like part of the family.

Lil came to Georgetown Hill Early School as an experienced director, seven (7) years ago! There is really no one quite like Lil. She is an amazing leader and genuinely cares about each one of her team members, parents, and students.  Lil is a go-getter, has amazing follow through and is a fierce family advocate. [...]

Natalie Eades is one of our newest directors, and we couldn’t be more excited! Natalie comes to us from a broad background in child care and…. DANCE! We snagged her back in October and we feel like we won the director lottery! If you are around North Potomac, stop by our campus on Dufief Mill [...]

Lai Fan has been with Georgetown Hill for 12 years. She started with us as an amazing PreK teacher and the kids still love her! Parents love her too! Lai Fan has a ‘get stuff done’ attitude and her institutional knowledge is beyond helpful. She witnessed our founder, Ellen Cromwell’s vision firsthand.

Our first ever Director Spotlight is on Shannon Moodie who directs our Montgomery Village campus, Apple Ridge.

Let me guess. You clicked on this link because you have it all figured out- the grocery store tantrums, the backseat wrestling matches, the refusal to wear shoes- these crises are a thing of the past in your household, right? If you are a parent of a preschooler, we know better! But, the good news [...]

Georgetown Hill is a soft place to land after a stressful morning, and you can count on the fact that your child will receive plenty of hugs and cuddles throughout the day

Whether you go out or stay in, it’s fun to have New Year’s traditions with your littles.  The following list of ideas can be done on December 31st or January 1 depending on your grown-up plans.

Here are some ideas to make the most of your days, even if they’re darker (literally).

I have seen your kids. They are cute enough to grace the cover of Parent Magazine. And, believe it or not, you can capture magazine-worthy shots with just a few tips.

It is just me or does Christmas, Hanukah, Chanukah, Solstice, whatever you celebrate, start to feel a little too material?

We are excited to share with you some of the 2017 book award winners that you might want to check out at your library or purchase for family’s book collection.

Have you heard the news? Water is the body’s most essential nutrient. Water fuels more bodily functions than we can count, including regulating our body temperature, transporting oxygen and nutrients to cells, expelling waste, maintaining blood volume, and lubricating joints and tissues.

Have you ever wondered how Georgetown Hill came to be?