As the back-to-school season approaches, families with preschoolers are evaluating early learning programs that go beyond traditional academic outcomes. Increasingly, parents seek environments that build foundational skills essential for lifelong learning and healthy development, as identified by researchers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. These six skills—creativity, critical thinking, curiosity, self-regulation, perspective-taking, and early identity—are strengthened through enrichment experiences that encourage young children to explore, create, communicate, and solve problems.
Parents looking for full-time daycare options that fit busy schedules are turning to providers like The Crème School, which integrates enrichment directly into the daily routine. Children ages two through five participate in four daily, 30-minute enrichment classes in dedicated classrooms, covering STEM, Spanish, music, and art. These experiences extend classroom learning and reinforce the skills Harvard researchers emphasize.
STEM enrichment encourages children to ask questions, investigate, experiment, and solve problems through hands-on exploration, nurturing curiosity and critical thinking. Research shows that early, inquiry-based experiences lay the foundation for later scientific thinking and innovation. Music engages children in singing, movement, and instrument play, supporting creativity and memory, and has been linked to improvements in early language skills and executive functioning. Visual arts encourage creativity, fine motor skills, and problem-solving through drawing, painting, and sculpting. Spanish introduces a second language during a key developmental window, and research suggests it helps build perspective-taking and communication abilities.
“Our enrichment classes do more than expose children to new subjects,” said Stephanie Sturdevant-Ward, vice president of operations for The Crème Schools. “They help develop the habits that support learning throughout life, such as asking questions, working through challenges, collaborating with others and approaching problems with curiosity and confidence.”
As families consider school choices for young learners, the question is not only what children will learn but how they will learn it. When enrichment is woven into the daily curriculum, children have more opportunities to grow curiosity, creativity, and the foundational skills that support future learning and development.
