Pricing & Availability
Find out about pricing and availability by talking to our experts.
- Overview
- Programs
- Our Team
- Accreditation
- FAQ's
Welcome to Our PlayHouse Preschool in Durham, NC
At Our PlayHouse Preschool, we believe childhood should be joyful, curious, and full of discovery. Serving children ages 12 months to 5 years, our school is a Reggio Emilia–inspired preschool and kindergarten where learning comes alive through hands-on projects, outdoor exploration, and meaningful play. Located in a beautiful, wooded setting in Durham, NC, we provide a safe and nurturing environment that feels like a second home for families.
Our goal is simple: to honor each child’s individuality while building the social, emotional, and academic foundations they’ll carry into kindergarten and beyond.
Our Reggio-Emilia Inspired Programs
Preschool
Our six classrooms have large windows that allow for maximum natural light and our campus is backed by a protected green space. Two large natural playgrounds with giant magnolia trees, a natural willow hut, and gardens tended by the children make our space a place of wonder and exploration. Between two of our classrooms there is an art studio or “atelier” which is used for project-based artistic exploration.
Pre-K and Kindergarten
Our PlayHouse offers a full-day, full-week pre-kindergarten & transitional kindergarten classroom with a low student-teacher ratio. This classroom serves as a valuable transition between preschool and elementary school, preparing the children emotionally as well as academically for the next step of their educational journey.
Our Philosophy
Our play-based and project focused preschool, pre-kindergarten and transitional kindergarten learning environments offer each student their own emergent path to learning. The focus on the whole child starts with helping each individual student build the social emotional foundations that they will need both in and out of the classroom environment. We also offer our families flexible scheduling, understanding that focusing on the whole child also means accommodating each family’s unique needs.
Meaningful Play & Nature
Our Pre-Kindergarten and transitional kindergarten students spend one to two hours each day outdoors. Our wooded setting is more than just a backdrop—it’s a classroom in itself. Children take nature walks, dig in the dirt, splash in puddles, and discover the wonders of the world around them. We believe messy play, outdoor discovery, and hands-on exploration are essential for growth, creativity, and joy.
We understand the importance of children taking risks, making social connections, and spending time in nature.
Our Mission
At Our PlayHouse Preschool, we see children as capable, competent learners. Our mission is to create an environment where they feel empowered to ask questions, solve problems, and share their ideas. Teachers act as guides and co-learners, helping children deepen their interests through open-ended projects, creative expression, and social collaboration.
We value the whole child—supporting not just academic skills, but also emotional growth, physical development, and social awareness. By focusing on kindness, respect, and cooperation, we help children develop the confidence and compassion that prepare them for a lifetime of learning.
Accredited school serving children ages 12 months to 5 years
Focus on principles of kindness, respect and cooperation
Foster each child’s interest and development
Encourage children to explore and get messy
Offer flexible scheduling – parents can choose the number of days their child attends
Why Choose Our Playhouse Preschool
Every preschool has toys and classrooms. What makes Our PlayHouse Preschool special is the way we bring learning to life.
Reggio Emilia Philosophy
Our Reggio-inspired curriculum has an underlying structure based on guided learning and collaboration. This approach engages the interests and skills of each individual child, interweaving teachings on a broad range of disciplines through real world learning.
Emergent Curriculum
An emergent curriculum means deriving the areas of study in the classroom from careful observation of the children. As teachers, our job is to observe children as they play and to engage in meaningful conversations with them to find out where their interests lie and what their abilities are. Our curriculum is then tailored to help the children explore these play themes in depth, to help them create meaning out of their play, and to offer guidance and support which will enable a child to go beyond his or her current abilities.
Kindness, Collaboration, and Community Values
Throughout our school, we focus on principles of kindness, respect and cooperation. In our younger classrooms, teachers develop curriculum that supports caring behaviors (such as taking care of baby dolls, planting seeds, or cleaning up messes). As children grow older they are encouraged to take care of our school by participating in jobs, fixing broken objects, and using materials in appropriate ways.
Our teachers facilitate field-trips to deepen community connections in the context of the children’s group projects. Our kindergartners have taken a variety of trips, from visiting a local glass blower during their studies of the artist Dale Chihuly, to visiting Duke Gardens or walking to neighborhood restaurants during their exploration of our city.
Instead of rules, our school community has developed kindness principles for framing our interactions with the world. Families, teachers, and children work together to build a supportive school community.
“We take care of ourselves. We take care of each other. We take care of our materials and the school community.”
Schedule a Tour Today
We’d love to meet your family and show you what makes Our PlayHouse Preschool so special. Contact us at 919-967-2700, visit us at 2400 University Dr., Durham, NC 27707, or click below to Schedule a Tour. Come see firsthand how our Reggio-inspired, nature-rich preschool in Durham can help your child grow, learn, and thrive.
Programs Offered
Our Team
Emily Bell
School Director
Emily recently moved to North Carolina from Maryland and is enjoying the scenery, warm weather, and welcoming community. She has worked with children for over fifteen years, including seven years as a regional director of two children’s fitness centers where she both led a team of teachers and taught classes for kids from six weeks to thirteen years old.
She is excited to be teaching in a Reggio-inspired school alongside such talented educators. Emily believes learning should be student-centered and loves collaborating with children to build lasting relationships. She enjoys incorporating music and movement into the school day, and in her free time she can be found hiking, watching musicals, playing board games, and spending time with her four pets.
Kathryn Gernstein
Assistant Director
Kathryn is a Durham transplant, originally from Austin, Texas. She has been working with children in various capacities over the last eight years, including teaching windsurfing and working with children in the foster system as a therapeutic childcare specialist. This will be Kathryn’s third year working in an early childcare setting, and she is so excited to be a part of the OPH community again! Kathryn believes in student-centered learning and loves to create opportunities for creativity, discovery, and independence in and outside of the classroom.
In her free time, Kathryn enjoys spending time outside with her friends and family, reading, playing board games, traveling, and painting.
Accreditations
Cognia
Based on a set of rigorous research-based standards and evidence-based criteria, the accreditation process examines the whole institution–its policies, programs, practices, learning conditions, and cultural context–to determine how well the parts work together to carry out the institution’s vision and meet the needs of every learner. Accreditation isn’t about passing a one-time inspection. Rather, accreditation recognizes education providers that demonstrate and sustain their commitments to continuous improvement and better learner outcomes.
What is the Reggio Emilia Approach?
The Reggio approach had its beginnings in 1945 in the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Loris Malaguzzi, an innovator in education, developed an educational philosophy based on relationships between children, parents, and teachers. He emphasized both children and teachers as co-learners exploring and living together, using tools of listening, observing, and flexibility to create the learning space.
Does The Reggio Emilia philosophy use a specific curriculum?
Rather than following a standard curriculum model with pre-determined units of study, our Reggio-inspired curriculum has an underlying structure based on guided learning and collaboration. This approach engages the interests and skills of each individual child, interweaving teachings on a broad range of disciplines through real world learning. Within each Reggio community, short and long term projects emerge that highlight children’s learning processes.
What do you mean by flexible schedules?
Our PlayHouse understands that not every family has the same needs, so we do our best to accommodate each family’s scheduling requests. Some families need full day preschool for their children, while others need a part-time schedule and the flexibility of having their child stay a few afternoons a week. It’s our goal to be flexible and meet the needs of each family.
What are your school hours?
Our PlayHouse is open from 7:30 – 5:00. We offer early care from 7:30 – 8:30, morning preschool from 8:30 – 12:30, extended day preschool from 12:30 – 3:00 and aftercare from 3:00 – 5:00.
When are applications due?
Our PlayHouse accepts applications throughout the year, but we will begin offering spaces to new families in early February for the upcoming school year. Applications should be submitted prior to February 1st in order to be considered in the first round of enrollment.
Do you enroll students during the school year?
Yes, we occasionally have spots become available during the school year. We give families from our waitlist the opportunity to enroll at this time.
How do I know if my child has been accepted to Our Playhouse Preschool?
Once accepted, you will be notified by email. If you wish to accept the offer, you will be required to sign a contract, and pay an enrollment fee, supply fee, and a deposit in the amount of one month’s tuition.
Do you offer a Summer Camp program?
Yes, we do! Contact us for more details.
