Classrooms

About Our Classrooms

The classroom experience is unique for each child and their family. Classroom activities and routines are designed to help children gain the confidence to try new activities, solve problems, and explore new ideas and ways of doing things. At the same time, they are learning to respect others and their different ideas. The curriculum is never static; it changes to reflect the needs and interests of individual children as well as the total group.

Meals & Snacks

What’s on my child’s plate?

Calendar

Important days at Miller Lab School

Daily Schedule & Sample Plans

What we are doing and learning


Menus

Snacks and meals are provided by MCDLS. Eating is a social activity that we enjoy. Good eating habits are acquired through imitation, practice, encouragement, and guidance. It is important that children enjoy the foods they eat.

Some guidelines we use that help children develop healthy eating habits include:

  • Food is served in a relaxed atmosphere, which allows for social interactions with peers and adults.
  • Snack and meal time provides a time to be together and for setting good examples. Children are marvelous imitators.
  • Cooking experiences give children a sense of accomplishment. Children will have opportunities to help prepare snacks.

Milk

MCDLS does not feed cow’s milk to infants younger than 12 months, and it serves only whole milk to children of ages 12 months to 24 months. Children 2 years and older are served 2% milk; children with allergies can be served a milk substitute with a doctor’s note. Families may choose to have their child served organic milk and/or soy milk for a monthly fee. Please contact your head teacher or the director if you are interested in substituting one of the organic options available for dairy (milk) products.

Safe Food Guidelines

MCDLS shall not offer foods that present a choking hazard to children younger than three (3) years of age, including, but not limited to, the following:

Whole grapes, hot dog rounds, hard candy, nuts, seeds, raw peas, dried fruit*, pretzel nuggets, chips, popcorn, marshmallows, spoonful of peanut butter, and chunks of meat larger than children can swallow whole. Hard pretzel sticks and hard, small, traditionally shaped pretzels are high-risk foods for choking incidents. * To clarify: raisins are a dried fruit and cannot be served to children under three years of age.

Staff cut foods into pieces no larger than ¼-inch squares for infants and ½-inch squares for toddler/twos according to each child’s chewing and swallowing capability.

Infants and toddlers often swallow pieces of food without chewing. Chicken tenders, fish sticks, and other foods will be cut according to the age group requirements. If this cannot be done, these foods will not be served regardless if the program provides the food or if it is brought from home. Staff will err on the side of safety regardless of whether a child has had problems chewing or swallowing.


Miller Lab School Calendar 2025-26

August 4-5, 2025Center Closed – Professional Development
August 6, 2025Children’s First Day of School
September 1, 2025Center Closed – Observance of Labor Day
September 4, 2025Parent Meeting at 6 PM
October 13, 2025Center Closed – Mandatory Training
October 17, 2025Carnival 6-7:30PM
November 27-28, 2025Center Closed – Thanksgiving Break
December 22, 2025 – January 2, 2026Center Closed – Winter Break
January 5, 2026Center Open – Children and Staff Return
January 19, 2026Center Closed – MLK Day
February 20, 2026Center Closed – Professional Development
May 15, 2026Center Closed – Professional Development
May 25, 2026Center Closed – Memorial Day
July 3, 2026Center Closed – Independence Day
July 24, 2026Last Day of School/End-of-Year Picnic at 4-5:30 PM
July 27-August 4, 2026Center Closed
August 3-4, 2026Center Closed – Professional Development
August 5, 2026Children’s First Day of School

Classroom Daily Schedules and Sample Activity Plans

Purple (6 weeks – 2 years)Daily ScheduleAM PlanPM PlanCenter Plan
Red (18 – 36 months)Daily ScheduleAM PlanPM PlanCenter Plan
Blue (2 years)Daily ScheduleMorning PlanPM PlanCenter Plan
Orange (2 1/2 – 4 1/2 years)Daily ScheduleAM PlanPM PlanCenter Plan
Green (2 1/2 – 4 1/2 years)Daily ScheduleAM PlanPM PlanCenter Plan
Yellow (3 – 5 years)Daily ScheduleAM PlanPM PlanCenter Plan
Aqua (3 – 5 years)Daily ScheduleAM PlanPM PlanCenter Plan