Preschool, Kindergarten & Elementary School in San Francisco Bay Area

Trinity School:
Trinity School, established in 1961, is a co-educational, independent Episcopal day school offering preschool through to elementary school programs, with two campus locations in Menlo Park in San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. The Early Childhood Program (ECP 3 & 4) is located at our lower campus at 330 Ravenswood Road, Menlo Park, and ECP for JK through to Grade 5 is located at our upper campus at 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park.

Education Programs:

- Early Childhood program for ages 3-4 years
- ECP Junior Kindergarten program
- Kindergarten to Grade 5 program
- Elementary School program
- Extended Care program

* We provide a rigorous curriculum that reinforces our students' intrinsic desires to learn.
* In early childhood and elementary years of education, children thrive on a broad and deep curriculum crafted with a clear eye on basic skills and knowledge related to literacy, math, social studies, and science. 
* Our innovative program features specialist teachers for science / garden, library, advanced math, Spanish, music, art, physical education, and religious studies. 
* We are very proud as our graduates embark on their middle school experience in the area's best schools. 

Key Concepts:
Key Concepts guide the ECP programs and form a continuum leading to children’s preparation for the academic standards which frame elementary school learning. Each Key Concept embodies many developmental skills and concepts.

- Social and Emotional Development:  Learn to thrive in a group outside the family. Know your feelings, and talk about them.
- Initiative and Social Relations:  Learn to be a friend, a helper, a leader.
- Language and Literacy:  Learn how words stand for thoughts. Written words hold ideas we can share.
- Communication Tools:  Share ideas in your many languages: words, structures, paintings, your moving body.
- Mathematics Learning and Development:  Learn counting, shapes, volumes, and time. Use these ideas to learn about the world.
- Science:  Learn how things work and why.
- Movement:  Use your body to move in large ways and small, careful ways to do your best.
- Music:  Love music. Sing, dance, play. Learn the language of organized sound.

Teaching Methods:
ECP 3-4 and ECP JK teachers carry the Key Concepts to every teaching task choosing the appropriate teaching methods and resources to empower students. They teach Key Concepts in three important ways:

- Teacher-child interactions:  Every teacher-child interaction is a learning opportunity. Grounded in respect, love, and trust, the child learns from the teacher and the teacher from the child.

- Small groups:  Whether a circle time or a small group orchestrated by the teacher to attend to a particular kind of learning, children learn from each other and from the teacher.

- Project-based learning: I n this dynamic and sometimes extended process, the teacher integrates the key concepts into the child’s spontaneous, day-to-day discoveries, interests, and questions. Teachers also provoke the children’s curiosity with unique and intriguing ideas. In turn, each child’s experiences, personality, knowledge, skills, and interests determine what, how and even whether a child will learn from any given activity.

The Trinity ECP programs provide the time, space, expertise, and guidance to prepare children for elementary school through an unhurried, child-centered set of experiences.