Primavera School

Primavera School was founded in 1972 to serve the needs of children and parents who prefer a more flexible, personalized, and safe learning environment. We currently enroll 130 children from three to eleven years of age in preschool through fifth grade.

Our student/teacher ratio is very low a maximum of 8:1 in preschool and an average of 12:1 in Kindergarten and the primary grades. Our teachers are highly skilled, caring people with years of experience and expertise in early childhood education. Parents choose Primavera because they are seeking a school that takes an individual interest in their childs development and learning style.

Our facility is located on 2.6 acres of land in a residential area of southwest Prescott. The setting and grounds reflect our belief that children learn best in an environment which encourages exploration and is peaceful to the mind as well as the eye.

Primavera is an independent non-profit corporation, operated by a Board of Directors made up largely of parents. Over the years we have evolved in structure, but our philosophy has remained the same. First we believe that learning is the most important of human endeavors. Schools must be structured to teach the way children learn best, by direct experience and interaction with the real world. Schools must strive to enhance the childs natural desire to learn by providing structure, encouragement, and success.

Second, we see schools as an extension of the family. Parents should have an active role in their childs life at school and be informed as to what they are learning and how they learn best. The content, quality, direction, and pace of the childs day are the concern of the parents and teachers alike.

Good schools serve to strengthen family life, which in turn fosters healthy children. Good schools, like families, are interested in educating the whole child, keeping them healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. We invite much parent participation within the Primavera community of learners.

Third, we see children as the hope of the future. We owe them every opportunity to grow up in a safe and accepting environment where they can feel good about themselves and the rest of mankind.

Research has consistently pointed to early experience, and particularly early education in the foundational years, as the most reliable predictor of adult competence and social adjustment.

Special programs are an integral part of the Primavera experience. We involve all of our students in outside activities and field trips. Extended day outings, and occasional overnight trips, are taken to places of interest in and around Prescott, Arizona, and even neighboring states. Physical education is a regular and valued part of our curriculum. Foreign language (French, Spanish, and sign language), music, art, and computers are integrated components of our preschool through 5th grade curriculum. These experiences enrich the learning of Primavera students.

Primavera is committed to high-quality early childhood education at an affordable cost. Admissions and hiring policies are non-discriminatory. We believe that all children should have access to developmentally-based, enriched, whole-child education in a safe and healthy environment.