Yajaira Peguero
Director and Fours room teacher
Yajaira leads the school and teaches the Fours room. She grew up in a Dominican family in Providence, reads aloud in Spanish and in English, and writes most of the documentation panels herself.
A Reggio-inspired preschool for ages 2 to 5
A story told twice, and a long morning to explore it
Bramble is a small preschool in Central Falls. Teachers read in Spanish and in English, children take the story to the studio, and every project is written down on a panel families can read.
- OpenMonday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- LanguagesSpanish and English every day
- GroupsUp to 20 children, with 2 adults
- WhereCentral Falls, Rhode Island
Documentation
How we write a project down
Each project gets a panel by the door: what we noticed, what children said and where it goes next. Families read the panels at drop-off and pickup.
Fall projectLeaves under the roller
After a rainy week, the Threes room rolled paint over leaves and pressed them onto paper.
We noticed: some leaves printed their veins and others only a shadow.
A child said: “This one has roads inside.”
Next: a walk to find the leaf with the most roads.
Winter projectSand on a line of glue
In the studio, children drew with glue and covered the line with sand to see what stayed.
We noticed: children shook the card to find where the line ended.
A child said: “The sand is hiding the glue.”
Next: glue lines on cloth, and a drawing too big for one table.
Spring projectOver, under, over
The Fours room wove cloth through a paper loom, and then asked who else weaves.
We noticed: children chanted the pattern as they worked.
A child said: “My abuela does this with hair.”
Next: families bring something woven to show the room.
Sample content.
Programs
A room for each age, three ways to spend the week
| Ages | Adults to children | Group size | Mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.5 days | Three mornings8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.3 days | School day8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.5 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twos room2-year-oldsA quiet room beside the studio, with a teacher and an assistant | 1 adult to 6 children | 12 | Offered | Offered | OfferedRest after lunch |
| Threes room3-year-oldsThe studio is next door and open all morning | 1 adult to 9 children | 18 | Offered | Offered | OfferedLunch from home |
| Fours room4-year-oldsLonger projects, and the oldest children in the school | 1 adult to 10 children | 20 | Offered | Not offered | OfferedLunch from home |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Holds a place and opens the enrollment file.
- Atelier materials
- Covers clay, paper, paint and the loose parts the studio replaces through the year.
- Walks and visits
- Covers the bus on the few outings each room takes.
Children stay with their teacher through the year, and move to the next room when they turn three or four.
Sample programs.
Dates
The school year, month by month
Tours run most weeks, applications open in the new year, and families walk through the year's panels in June.
This school year
Tours
Most Tuesday and Thursday mornings, September to May
A tour takes about an hour, while the rooms and the studio are working.
Book a tourApplications open
January
The form takes a few minutes and asks about your family and the days you want.
- Decisions
Families hear from us
March
By email and a phone call, in Spanish or English, with a place or a spot on the waitlist.
- Event
Documentation evening
June
Families walk through the year's panels with the teachers and the children.
First day
Late August
New children start with a short visit alongside a parent.
- Closed
Closed for breaks
Late December and one week in February
We share the full list of closures at the start of the school year.
Sample dates.
Safety and license
Who licenses us, and how we look after the rooms
License
Licensed by DHS
Child care center license · RI License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 6 children
2-year-olds
Group size: 12
1 adult to 9 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 18
1 adult to 10 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 20
Group size
Up to 20 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
50
Ages 2 years to 5 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
Arrival and pickup
A teacher greets each child at the door and signs them in. At pickup we hand a child only to an adult on the family's list, and we ask to see an ID if we don't know the person.
Allergies and snacks
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. Snack is posted by the door each week, and we plan it around the allergies families share.
When a child is ill
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill at school, we call you right away and keep them comfortable with an adult.
Drills and headcounts
We practice fire drills and shelter drills each month, and we count heads at every move between rooms, the studio and the yard.
Materials and the studio
Clay, paint and loose parts are checked for small pieces in the twos room. A teacher is always in the studio when children are working there.
Walks and outings
On a walk, each child holds a rope handle or a hand, and an adult counts heads at the start, at each corner and on the way back.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
The team
The people in the rooms and the studio
Seven adults work at Bramble: a director, a studio teacher, a teacher in each of the three rooms and two assistants who move between them. Yajaira and both assistants speak Spanish with children and families.
Hisako Takano
Studio teacher
Hisako runs the studio, where children work with clay, paint, paper and loose parts. She photographs and writes down what each group does, and sets the next materials out with the room's teacher.
From families
What families say about the first weeks
“The panel by the door told us what the room had been asking about all week. We could talk about it at dinner, in Spanish and in English.”
Marisol T.Parent of a four-year-old
“Drop-off was calm from the first morning. Yajaira greets every child at the door, and she greeted my mother in Spanish too.”
Colin R.Parent of a two-year-old
“We came for the art and stayed for how the teachers listen. Our daughter now explains what she and her friends found out.”
Danielle P.Parent of a three-year-old
Sample reviews.
Come and see the studio on a morning tour
Tours run most Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Book one, or call the school and we will find a time.