will make you wish you could go back in time to experience it as a student.
Joyful natural classrooms that nurture a connection with the outdoor world. Teachers who cultivate curiosity and creativity. Outdoor spaces that provide endless teachable moments about science, math, literacy, and art — and also about self-regulation, being a good community member, perseverance, and resilience. And while you can’t turn back the clock to experience it yourself, you can potentially partner with us to provide a St. Anne’s-Belfield education to your child.
A Day in the Life at the ECP
With nature as our main classroom, along with its changing sights, textures, and sounds, every day in the ECP looks a little different. One constant, however, is that your student will learn and grow through the guidance of nurturing, expert teachers. These sample daily schedules provide a general structure, but truly, they can’t encapsulate the breadth and depth of active, engaged learning that occurs each school day.
Daily Schedules
Two-Year-Olds
ϐ 8:30 Arrival and outdoor play
ϐ 8:45 First outdoor rotation
ϐ 9:15 Circle time
ϐ 9:30 Snack (provided by the school)
ϐ 9:45 Activity time, indoor rotation
ϐ 10:30 Literary stations
ϐ 10:45 Second outdoor rotation
ϐ 11:30 Storytime
ϐ 11:45 Dismissal for half-day students
ϐ by 3 Dismissal for full-day students
Pre-School
ϐ 8:00 Arrival and outdoor play
ϐ 8:30 Morning meeting
ϐ 9:00 Group instruction and activity
ϐ 9:30 First natural classroom lessons and explortion
ϐ 10:00 Snack (provided by the school) and stories
ϐ 10:15 Co-curriculars/second natural classroom lessons and exploration
ϐ 10:35 Second natural classroom lessons and exploration/co-curriculars
ϐ 11:00 Group instruction and activity
ϐ 11:45 Closing meeting
ϐ 12:00 Dismissal for half-day students
ϐ by 3 Dismissal for full-day students
Junior Kindergarten
ϐ 8:00 Arrival and choice activities
ϐ 8:30 Morning meeting
ϐ 9:00 Literacy skills
ϐ 10:00 Snack (provided by the school)
ϐ 10:15 Natural classroom
ϐ 10:40 Co-curriculars
ϐ 11:00 Science
ϐ 12:00 Lunch
ϐ 12:45 Outdoor recess/hike
ϐ 1:15 Music & Movement/yoga
ϐ 1:30 Mathematics/literacy skills
ϐ 2:15 Tinker trays/rest
ϐ 2:45 Closing meeting
ϐ 3:00 Dismissal
After-school Care
After-school care is available each day of the regular school year for Twos, Pre-School, and Junior Kindergarten. After-school care runs between 3 – 5:30 p.m. daily. Families must sign up at the time of enrollment.
Delightful by Design
We strive to make learning “sticky” at St. Anne’s-Belfield. Small wonders that spark curiosity and invite exploration. Challenges that beckon to be solved. Our learning spaces aren’t just charming and playful. They are intentionally designed to reflect how young children are wired to learn. We have Saints’ Meadow, where children learn to be members of a community, practice music and movement, and enjoy our little libraries. The Quarry, our dedicated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) space, and Pinecone Valley, our science lab. Cheerful indoor classrooms with sensory-rich learning stations. The Art Lab, where students draw, paint, design, build, and yes — get literally sticky at times. Under the guidance of talented, caring teachers, students gain skills, build confidence, and a love of learning that lasts far beyond early childhood.
“I’ve seen firsthand the incredible impact that outdoor learning has had on my children. The natural classroom has not only strengthened their physical abilities but also sparked their curiosity and creativity in ways I never imagined.
They come home brimming with stories of their discoveries and adventures, showing a deeper connection to nature and a growing sense of independence and confidence. The social skills they’ve developed through outdoor play have made them more empathetic and cooperative. I truly believe that these experiences are laying a strong foundation for their future.”
— Sally Ryan, P. ’36, ’38, & ’39
Our Academic Program
Cultivating Curiosity
It’s not every day that you discover a box turtle hiding in the leaves. When it happened to our students on a fall hike, it set off a series of wonderments. Where did the turtle come from? What does it eat? How far can turtles travel in a day? And when our students pivot, so do our teachers. Early literacy: What else in these woods starts with the letter T? Science: Let’s guess, or hypothesize, about how many box turtles live here in Virginia. Art: Let’s paint rocks to look like turtles! In the ECP, every organic discovery becomes a moment to reinforce academic concepts.
Becoming Strong in Body
Young children learn to embrace challenges and develop resilience in a culmination of little victories. Our ECP provides a dynamic environment where students can climb obstacles, navigate unfamiliar pathways, and manipulate tools and objects in a way that digital screens, worksheets, and defined stations can’t fully replicate. Under the guidance of our teachers, our students build essential fine and gross motor skills and a foundation of confidence and perseverance that will serve them the rest of their lives.
Setting a Solid Foundation
Families are often surprised by the rigor of our academics. It’s easy to see how, given how magical and boisterous our classes are. Incorporated into the fun, however, is an intentional educational experience designed to build foundational skills. Read more about our interdisciplinary approach to reading, writing, math, science, arts, physical education, and socio-emotional learning in the ECP Curriculum Guide.
The Saints Community
At St. Anne’s-Belfield School, we are first and foremost a community. Our community reaches beyond the classroom to build strong, intentional relationships with the whole family. This connection begins even before our students arrive on the first day with Parent/Guardian Partnership Meetings between family caregivers and faculty, and continues throughout the year with our Wednesday Wellness family education webinars, ECP parent/guardian chats, and volunteer opportunities on and off campus. Your young learners will meet and interact with students from all divisions of the School. From their first day in the Early Childhood Program to their last day of Grade 12, our students know they are part of a caring and vibrant community.
Parent/Guardian Programming
The Early Childhood Program offers parent/guardian education on important developmental topics via monthly in-person chats, Curriculum Night, webinars, and written resources. Facilitators discuss the various stages of a child’s growth and development to provide the support and understanding needed to raise healthy, confident, and responsible children. We also know there is great value in offering space for parents/guardians to share techniques and strategies with each other. We feel fortunate to be able to facilitate these connections throughout the year.
Partnerning with You
We may be experts in early childhood education, but you are the expert on your child. The connection between school and home life is vital to your child’s success at school. Our Parent/Guardian Partnership Meetings, the first of which is prior to the start of school, along with weekly newsletters from homeroom teachers, are just two of the ways we stay in regular communication with you to support your young learner.
The Parents’ Association (PA)
The Parents’ Association welcomes volunteers. From greeting visitors at Grandparents’ & Special Friends’ Day to helping in the library, we provide many opportunities for you to become involved. In your student’s class, parents/guardians serve as grade level reps, read to children, and serve at special events such as the Birthday Fairy, a treasured tradition.
Community Events
Cheer on our Saints athletes at a game, bring the family to a music or theatre performance, attend a speaker lecture, come decked in maroon and white for our Fall Family Festival or Maroon & White Party, roll up your sleeves and volunteer alongside a local organization during Saints Serve Saturday — the School community loves to come together.
Meet the Director
Emily Brown, M.A.T.L.
I am excited that you are considering the Early Childhood Program at St. Anne’s-Belfield! As the new director of the program, I was recently on a similar search as you. I was seeking a collaborative, innovative early childhood program committed to nurturing the individual needs of each child. I found it with St. Anne’s-Belfield.
Over the last 15 years, I have had the privilege of developing a deep understanding of child development, curriculum design, and the importance of creating an inclusive and supporting environment for children, families, and faculty alike. It is such a pleasure to find myself at our ECP, a dynamic place full of excellent teachers who are committed to academic excellence and experiential learning. I am so happy that you are considering joining me as a new member of our school community.
“We moved to Charlottesville in 2020 and our youngest child has been in the Early Childhood Program since age 2. The outdoor program has been great for him. He can run around all day, exploring and connecting with nature. Being outdoors not only allows him to spend his energy, but also helps him learn how to focus it. And the teachers have been wonderful in helping him grow and learn new skills.”
— Timothy Hà Smith, P. ’29 & ’39
“The outdoor environment is filled with rich, magical learning opportunities for our children. They become curious about parts of nature that we as adults may not even notice, and they are given the tools and support to explore those curiosities right in the moment!”
— Stephanie Tollefsen, P. ’39 & ’40
St. Anne’s-Belfield School
At A Glance
Quick Facts
994 students age 2 – Grade 12
672 family households
4,975 living alumns in 49 countries located in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, VA
55 acres of land between two campuses around the corner from University of Virginia
44 sports teams
104 zip codes
13 countries represented in the Residential Life Program as of Aug. 20, 2025
21 Advanced Placement (AP) exams offered on campus
26 countries and
10 U.S. states in the student body
“We wish our students to become strong in body, broad of mind, tender of heart, responsive
in soul.”
— Mary Hyde DuVal, Founding Headmistress (1910 – 1920)
enroll in highly selective schools with <25% admit rate
average SAT vs 1028 national average
28 average ACT vs 19.9 national average
1 out of 5 in the Class of 2026 are “Sandbox Kids” (joined by Kindergarten)
The School admits qualified students of any race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, sex, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law, and extends to them all the privilege to participate in the educational programs generally accorded or made available to students at the School. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, sex, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or any status protected by applicable law in the administration of its admission or its educational programs.
