Marymount Early Learning Academy: Nurturing Young Minds Through Innovation and Play
Marymount University's Early Learning Academy (ELA) provides a unique and innovative approach to early childhood education. Conceptualized and designed by faculty from Marymount’s School of Education, the ELA serves as a "lab school," benefiting from evidence-based research conducted by university faculty experts. This commitment to research-backed practices, combined with a nurturing environment, helps children discover and reach their full potential.
A Foundation Built on Research and Expertise
The ELA's innovative educational experience is designed by the Marymount University School of Education faculty. The Academy leverages the resources of a nationally ranked university to provide enriching, campus-wide opportunities for preschoolers. The ELA utilizes The Creative Curriculum ® for Preschool, a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that emphasizes exploration and discovery as key learning methods. This approach empowers children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills.
Programs Tailored for Growth and Development
The Early Learning Academy enrolls preschoolers ages 2.5 - 5 and is open year-round, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 am to 6 pm. The ELA offers a range of programs designed to meet the developmental needs of young children:
Nursery Program
The student-centered Nursery program is designed to nurture and challenge children. Thoughtfully planned experiences extend a child’s own discoveries and cultivate their curiosity. Play is a central learning modality in this program. Children are guided to explore the world they inhabit while treating each other with kindness and respect. The skills children develop in Nursery form a secure foundation for academic success.
Pre-Kindergarten Program
The Pre-Kindergarten program facilitates individual growth, encourages collaboration among students, and celebrates community. Children begin to identify their place in the world as it expands from family to school to the wider community. They also learn how people celebrate growth and change in other cultures through the study of diverse holidays and festivals.
Read also: Marymount University Analysis
The day is rich with songs, stories, and poems. Small group, teacher-led lessons develop foundational literacy skills, including writing through the developmentally-appropriate and multisensory Handwriting Without Tears program. Explicit instruction in letter formation, as well as in letter-sound correspondence, gives students the tools needed for later phonetic decoding of new words. Manipulative-based math games and readiness activities foster numeracy skills. In addition to developing their number sense, spatial understanding, and vocabulary, the children strengthen many mathematical skills as they identify and build patterns; categorize, sort, and arrange materials; compare various phenomena; and begin to graph their discoveries.
Learning Centers
In Learning Centers, children focus on literacy or math activities in small groups led by a teacher. In literacy, the focus is on the development of expressive and receptive language. Rich exposure to stories, poems, and nonfiction creates a strong foundation for cultivating pre-reading skills as students develop letter recognition and phonological awareness. Mathematics is present throughout the day, from counting the days on the calendar to evaluating the number of blocks it takes to construct a tower. Through interactive and hands-on activities, students build a solid understanding of counting and number value, patterning and sorting, and establish the basis for later mathematical skills.
Specialist Programs
Specialist teachers in science, STEAM, music, physical education, religion, and library extend the Early Childhood program beyond the homeroom. Children also attend a Chapel service regularly. Hands-on science activities encompass experimentation, investigation, and discovery, developing a flexible and creative mindset. Through interactive experiences with physical computing and robotics, children are introduced to critical thinking concepts in STEAM, laying a strong foundation for future technological literacy. Music and movement align with the rhythms of language, and kinesthetic activities engage the children in dynamic learning of both mind and body, offering experiential understanding of space and time. Through the exploration of a broad range of art materials and mediums, children develop visual discrimination and fine motor skills.
STEAM Integration: Fostering Future Innovators
Marymount’s Early Learning Academy is enhancing its innovative approach to early childhood education through the development of a new STEAM Lab and outdoor STEAM learning area. This initiative is supported by a $75,000 Child Care Capacity Building & Quality Improvement Grant awarded by the Arlington County Board and additional donor funding from Marymount trustee J. Approved in May 2025, the grant supports the creation of a dedicated indoor STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) learning space and complementary outdoor environment designed to encourage nature-based creativity, exploration and hands-on discovery for preschoolers.
The ELA's STEAM Lab will feature interactive learning centers designed to integrate science experiments, engineering challenges, creative arts, and mathematical exploration in ways appropriate for young learners. This space allows children to experiment, ask questions, and explore concepts through art, building, science, and technology.
Read also: Marymount Fees and Costs
Research demonstrates how early exposure to STEAM concepts can be powerful for building a strong foundation that leads to future academic success. A recent study published by the American Psychological Association, conducted by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that high-quality early childhood education emphasizing sensitivity, cognitive stimulation and exploratory learning is strongly associated with STEM achievement through high school.
A Commitment to Community and Teacher Training
As part of Marymount’s mission as a lab school, the ELA plans to share the STEAM Lab as a training resource for educators, parents, and students in the Arlington community-aligning with a “train the trainer” model that extends professional development to local preschool directors and caregivers. This initiative reflects Marymount’s deep commitment to both education and community partnership.
The Marymount Difference: Preparing Education Leaders
Marymount University’s commitment to education extends beyond the Early Learning Academy. Its professional programs leading to teaching licensure are dedicated to preparing education leaders for diverse learning communities. The foundation for these programs lies in knowledge of the learner and learning, content, instructional practice, and professional responsibility.
Through a variety of programs, Marymount undergraduate students may earn Virginia licensure in elementary, secondary, and special education. Undergraduates major in elementary education, special education, or an appropriate content discipline and complete their teacher licensure program requirements as outlined. All programs are designed to prepare graduates to enter the job market as beginning professionals in their respective fields. Students seeking teaching licensure reserve one semester for the student-teaching experience. This experience is a 14-week, full-time placement. Student teaching is the culmination of the Marymount teacher education program and reflects the degree to which a student will be effective as a classroom teacher. All Marymount University teacher education programs are approved by the Virginia Department of Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
A Vision for the Future
The Early Learning Academy was envisioned as a revival of an idea rooted in a passion for children. Recognizing a significant need in the Arlington community, Marymount plays a crucial role in the region through both economic development and serving others. The Academy's development included the renovation of a 6,000-square-foot portion of Marymount’s Emerson G. Reinsch Library to accommodate its physical space.
Read also: A Look at LMU
tags: #marymount #early #learning #academy #programs
