Business of the Week: Wayland Creative Preschool

shares it's space with the religious education classes at First Parish Wayland, but that doesn't mean Wayland Creative hasn't made the space its own.

That personalization is thanks, in large part, to the plethora of colorful art projects that decorate the classroom and hallway walls -- all examples of what puts the "creative" in Wayland Creative Preschool.

Director Susanne Geiger said the curriculum at Wayland Creative Preschool is play-based, much like other preschools in town. The curriculum is designed help children -- a maximum of 60 children in five classes -- learn and develop through play.

Preschool is a time children learn "that they can be independent," Geiger said. "They learn to be confident and competent that 'I can do it.'"

What sets Wayland Creative apart, however, is its legacy of emphasis on music and art.

A Wayland artist founded the school in 1970, and that artistic nature permeates the curriculum today.

"Our roots were arts and music with the understanding that it's an important form of creative expression," Geiger said. "Everyone has an instrument that they carry with them at all times," she added, explaining that children learn to use their voices or clap out rhythms or tap their feet to make music.

Each day at Wayland Creative features art and music time. That time often takes the form of something a bit out of the ordinary -- a recent Friday was Marshmallow Day, so the students painted using jumbo marshmallows as their brushes.

Even though teachers have a set curriculum, Geiger said they also seek to adapt to the needs of each unique set of children they have. For example, Geiger said the older class last year had a fascination with pirates, so the teachers incorporated a pirate day into the curriculum.

"We don't fight it," Geiger said.

Wayland Creative Preschool begins enrollment in October for the following school year so most spots for the 2012-13 year are full, though Geiger said a few openings remain. The school operates on a typical school year calendar of September through June and largely follows the Wayland Public Schools calendar.

Classes for children ages 2 through Pre-K are offered at Wayland Creative.