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
Meals and Snacks
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, 2025 | Center Closed – Professional Development |
August 6, 2025 | Children’s First Day of School |
September 1, 2025 | Center Closed – Observance of Labor Day |
September 4, 2025 | Parent Meeting at 6 PM |
October 13, 2025 | Center Closed – Mandatory Training |
October 17, 2025 | Carnival 6-7:30PM |
November 27-28, 2025 | Center Closed – Thanksgiving Break |
December 22, 2025 – January 2, 2026 | Center Closed – Winter Break |
January 5, 2026 | Center Open – Children and Staff Return |
January 19, 2026 | Center Closed – MLK Day |
February 20, 2026 | Center Closed – Professional Development |
May 15, 2026 | Center Closed – Professional Development |
May 25, 2026 | Center Closed – Memorial Day |
July 3, 2026 | Center Closed – Independence Day |
July 24, 2026 | Last Day of School/End-of-Year Picnic at 4-5:30 PM |
July 27-August 4, 2026 | Center Closed |
August 3-4, 2026 | Center Closed – Professional Development |
August 5, 2026 | Children’s First Day of School |
Classroom Daily Schedules and Sample Activity Plans
Purple (6 weeks – 2 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Red (18 – 36 months) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Blue (2 years) | Daily Schedule | Morning Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Orange (2 1/2 – 4 1/2 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Green (2 1/2 – 4 1/2 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Yellow (3 – 5 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |
Aqua (3 – 5 years) | Daily Schedule | AM Plan | PM Plan | Center Plan |