Wonder Guides
At Ark Valley Preschool, our teachers are more than caregivers — they are Wonder Guides. This title reflects our belief that young children learn best when adults walk beside them with curiosity, encouragement, and care. Each guide brings their unique passions, training, and personality to create a rich, collaborative learning environment.
What Makes a Wonder Guide?
Co-Learners: Wonder Guides explore alongside children, asking questions, noticing details, and celebrating discoveries.
Nurturers: They build trusting relationships that make children feel safe, seen, and valued.
Storytellers & Documenters: They capture children’s ideas, creations, and conversations so families can share in the learning journey.
Specialists in Connection: From music to mindfulness, from language to literacy, each Wonder Guide offers their unique gifts to enrich our classrooms.
Our Three Wonder Guides
Breath & Belonging Guide (Ms. Carmel): Leads children in mindfulness practices that build emotional awareness and self-regulation. Using puppets like Blue the Whale and Jack the Rabbit, children learn calming breath techniques, grounding exercises, and community rituals that remind them every feeling has a place.
Rhythm & Music Guide (Ms. Rayna): Introduces children to genres, instruments, and movement through playful music exploration. Twice a week, children sing, dance, listen, and even explore tools like record players or percussion instruments, deepening their joy and rhythm.
Literacy & Language Guide (Ms. Janet): Sparks curiosity for reading and storytelling with playful, interactive lessons. Through books, letter hunts, writing invitations, and story sharing, children build early literacy skills while celebrating the power of words.
Each Wonder Guide offers their class twice a week, giving children consistent opportunities to grow in mindfulness, music, and literacy while still leaving space for open exploration and child-led play.
Wonder Guide Playlists
Music and rhythm are woven throughout the day at AVP. Each Wonder Guide curates a Spotify playlist connected to their work — from mindfulness songs to blues and folk rhythms to storytelling tunes. Families can listen at home too, keeping the classroom experience alive outside of school. Classrooms also have their own playlists that grow with the children’s interests, helping bridge school and family life through music.
Why “Guide” Instead of Teacher?
Because our work is not about directing children, but about creating spaces where they can wonder, explore, and grow. “Guide” reflects the respect we hold for children as capable learners and the partnership we build with families along the way.
Our Commitment
Every Wonder Guide at AVP is deeply trained in child development, anti-bias education, intuitive eating practices, and the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Together, we form a team that values joy, respect, and belonging in every moment of the school day.
