Reign & Root Academy is a licensed family child care and micro-school grounded in faith, equity, and intentional community. We specialize in serving families who are looking for more than just a placement — families who need a safe, affirming space where their child’s strengths are nurtured, their needs are understood, and their joy is protected.

Our mission is to center neurodivergent learners in a setting that honors the whole child — emotionally, spiritually, and developmentally. Through child-led play, hands-on learning, nature-based exploration, and culturally affirming experiences, we help each child build confidence, communication, and community.

We are rooted in the belief that every child deserves to reign where they are planted, and that includes access to care that is responsive, loving, and individualized.

Program Highlights

  • Small & Personalized: Our inaugural 2025–2026 cohort will be led by a doctoral-level educator with advanced training in special education, autism, and child development, serving a small ratio to ensure deeply personalized attention and support.

  • Outdoor Learning Daily: Children spend significant time outdoors each day in our "Outdoor Classroom" — rain or shine — where they explore, regulate, and connect with the natural world as part of their learning and sensory integration.

  • Whole-Child Care: We provide nutritious meals (breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack), a rest period, and a peaceful rhythm that supports regulation and well-being — not overstimulation or overstretching.

  • Inclusive Enrollment: We welcome children ages 2.9 to 6 years, including those with late birthdays who may miss the kindergarten cutoff. Children do not need to be potty trained to enroll, but must be walking independently.

  • Accessible Scheduling: Our program runs Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., following the Boston Public School District calendar. Families are not charged tuition during school vacation weeks. Part-time schedules (2–3 days per week) are available, though preference is given to full-time families and those who reflect the rich cultural diversity of our global community.

  • Summer Enrichment: We remain open during the summer, offering a more relaxed, play-centered rhythm with themed weeks, water play, sensory activities, and creative enrichment — all rooted in joy and movement.

Our Curriculum

At Reign & Root Academy, we proudly use the Experience Early Learning (EEL) curriculum — a research-based, whole-child program designed to support young children across all areas of development. This curriculum is developmentally appropriate, play-based, and aligned with both the Massachusetts Infant/Toddler Guidelines and the Preschool Learning Standards and Guidelines, ensuring children meet key milestones in a way that’s meaningful and joyful.

EEL supports learning across 7 key domains:

  • Language & Literacy Development

  • Social-Emotional Development

  • Physical Development (Fine & Gross Motor Skills)

  • Cognitive Development

  • Math & Reasoning

  • Science & Discovery

  • Creative Arts & Expression

Children engage in hands-on, thematic learning through music, storytelling, art, sensory play, STEAM challenges, and outdoor exploration. Each month includes rich content that connects to the real world and builds critical thinking, social skills, and early academic foundations.

One of the strongest features of the Experience Early Learning system is its 35 observable skills, which are tracked across age groups and aligned with state frameworks. This allows us to monitor growth, identify strengths, and adjust support as needed — especially helpful in mixed-age and inclusive classrooms like ours.

Why It Works for Neurodivergent Children

EEL is especially effective for neurodivergent learners because it:

  • Offers multisensory learning (visuals, movement, hands-on tools)

  • Builds predictable routines through consistent structure and visual schedules

  • Encourages choice, creativity, and expression in varied ways

  • Integrates SEL (social-emotional learning) into daily activities

  • Allows for adaptable pacing, supporting children who need more time or prefer different approaches

Its flexibility and built-in supports make it ideal for children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, and other learning variations. At Reign & Root, we adapt EEL with a neuro-affirming lens, making sure every child feels seen, supported, and celebrated.

Open educational booklet or poster about bees and butterflies, with a diagram titled 'Theme Web' showing categories like 'Bee Basics', 'Bees & Butterflies', 'Metamorphosis', and 'Bees & Wasps'. There is a plush bee toy with yellow and black stripes attached to a string on the page. A photograph of a child smelling a yellow flower is also visible.

Where We Learn: Indoor & Outdoor Classrooms

At Reign & Root Academy, learning doesn’t only happen at a table — it happens through movement, discovery, language, and joyful curiosity. Our small-group setting allows us to create rich, responsive environments that support each child’s development across settings.

The Designated Classroom

Our indoor classroom is a thoughtfully prepared learning space designed to feel peaceful, purposeful, and full of wonder. Children move through developmentally aligned learning centers that support our research-based curriculum and reflect student interests. These may include:

  • Mini Library area on the rug

  • Math, science & manipulatives area

  • Sensory exploration table

  • Dramatic Play space

  • Calming Corner

In this space, we also incorporate daily language exposure to American Sign Language (ASL), French, and Spanish — woven naturally into songs, routines, and story time to build communication skills and global awareness.

Everything in our classroom is designed to be engaging, hands-on, & developmentally appropriate — offering children the freedom to engage, play, and regulate in ways that feel good to their bodies and brains.

The Outdoor Classroom

We consider nature an essential part of our curriculum. Our outdoor classroom is not just recess — it’s a rich learning environment where we explore, imagine, and connect with God’s creation.

Children spend time outdoors daily and at least twice a week, for extended blocks of time. Out there, we engage in:

  • Nature walks and sensory exploration

  • Seasonal studies like ornithology (the study of birds)

  • Gardening and farm-to-school planting projects

  • Loose parts play, mud kitchens, and storytelling under the sky

Unlike many programs, you won’t see rows of plastic toys or fixed playground equipment. Instead, you'll find tools for creativity, space for movement, and materials that support social-emotional growth, self-regulation, and practical life skills — especially helpful for neurodivergent learners.

Why It Matters

At Reign & Root, every environment — inside and out — is designed to support the whole child. We integrate play, nature, faith, language, and culture to help children feel safe, inspired, and seen. This approach helps all children thrive — especially those with sensory needs, social-emotional differences, and developmental delays.

We're not just building strong students.
We're cultivating joyful, rooted, world-ready children.