Learning Without Tears® at Willowdale Children’s Academy: Building Readiness For Kindergarten
“Thank You for setting standards that exceed normal expectations.”
By Jennifer V.
Introducing Learning Without Tears®
Give your child the best start on their educational journey. At Willowdale Children’s Academy, we proudly offer the Learning Without Tears® program, a research-proven curriculum designed to make learning fun, engaging, and effective for every child. Our approach fosters a deep love for learning by focusing on hands-on activities that develop crucial readiness, literacy, and math skills.
Why Choose Learning Without Tears® for Your Child?
The Learning Without Tears® curriculum is more than just an educational program; it’s a complete developmental experience. It uses music, movement, and multisensory play to meet children where they are and guide them toward important milestones. We build the essential skills that prepare them for kindergarten and beyond.
The Benefit of Learning Without Tears® for Your Child
- Fosters a Love for Learning: We transform education into an exciting adventure. Children are so engaged in the playful activities that they don't even realize how much they're learning.
- Develops Essential Readiness Skills: Our curriculum focuses on building the core foundations for academic success, including fine and gross motor skills, body awareness, and social-emotional growth.
- Builds Strong Literacy Foundations: We make pre-reading and writing skills accessible and fun. Children learn letter recognition, sounds, and vocabulary through singing, building, and imaginative play.
- Makes Math Concepts Click: From number sense to problem-solving, we use hands-on materials to make abstract math ideas concrete and understandable for young minds.
- Inclusive for All Learners: The multisensory approach is designed to support every child's unique learning style, ensuring that all students can participate confidently and achieve success.
What Makes Our Program at Willowdale Different?
At Willowdale Children’s Academy, we integrate the Learning Without Tears® philosophy into our nurturing and supportive environment. Our certified educators are experts in early childhood development and are passionate about helping each child thrive.
- Expert, Caring Teachers: Our teachers receive specialized training to implement the curriculum effectively, creating a positive and encouraging classroom atmosphere.
- Small Class Sizes: We ensure personalized attention for every child, allowing our teachers to tailor activities to individual needs and strengths.
- Play-Based, Purposeful Activities: Your child will engage with unique tools like wooden letter pieces, stamp sets, and music that are all part of a structured, goal-oriented curriculum.
- A Solid Foundation for Future Schooling: Graduates of our program enter kindergarten with confidence, strong social skills, and the academic readiness needed to excel.
Learning Without Tears® FAQ
The Learning Without Tears® program is a research-proven, multisensory educational curriculum designed for early learners. At Willowdale Children’s Academy, we use its play-based activities, music, and hands-on materials to teach foundational readiness, literacy, and math skills in a joyful and engaging way.
This program stands out due to its multisensory approach that caters to all learning styles. It uses unique, developmentally appropriate tools and strategies—like wooden letter pieces, music, and movement—to make abstract concepts concrete and fun, ensuring children build a strong, positive foundation for future schooling.
Children in our Learning Without Tears® program develop crucial skills while having fun. Key benefits include:
- A genuine love for learning.
- Strong pre-reading, vocabulary, and letter recognition skills.
- An early understanding of math concepts.
- Improved fine and gross motor skills.
- Increased social-emotional awareness and confidence.
Not at all. The Learning Without Tears® curriculum is designed to be universally effective for all children. Its inclusive, multisensory methods support every type of learner, from those who need extra support to those who are ready for an advanced challenge, ensuring everyone can succeed and build confidence.
We make learning an adventure. By using music, purposeful play, and engaging hands-on activities, children become active participants in their own education. They are often so absorbed in the fun that they learn key academic concepts without pressure or anxiety, associating education with joy and discovery.
A typical day is a blend of structured, teacher-led activities and child-directed exploration. Your child will participate in circle time with songs and stories, engage in small-group lessons using the program’s hands-on materials, and enjoy free play that reinforces the concepts they are learning.
Our classrooms are equipped with specialized Learning Without Tears® materials designed for little hands. These include wooden pieces for building letters, slate chalkboards, stamp and see screens, and other interactive tools that make learning a tactile and memorable experience.
We make math tangible and fun. Instead of worksheets, children learn number concepts through hands-on activities, songs, and games. They might use blocks to understand quantity, sort objects to learn classification, or use their bodies to form shapes, building a concrete understanding of math principles.
Our program is explicitly designed to build kindergarten readiness. Graduates enter school with strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills, the ability to follow directions, developed social skills for interacting with peers, and a high level of confidence and curiosity.
The Learning Without Tears® program at Willowdale Children’s Academy is designed for our preschool and pre-kindergarten students, typically serving children ages 3 to 5. We place children in the appropriate group based on their developmental stage.
Yes, all of our lead teachers in the program have received training directly from Learning Without Tears®. They are experts at implementing the curriculum with fidelity and adapting activities to meet the individual needs of each child.
We maintain small class sizes and PA-state-mandated student-to-teacher ratios. This ensures every child receives personalized attention and support, allowing our teachers to build strong relationships and effectively guide each student’s learning journey.
Enrollment is simple. The first step is to contact our admissions office to schedule a tour of Willowdale Children’s Academy. During the tour, you can see the program in action, meet our teachers, and receive an enrollment packet with all the necessary forms.
Yes, social-emotional learning is a core component. The curriculum’s group activities, turn-taking games, and focus on self-awareness help children learn to share, cooperate, manage their emotions, and build positive relationships with their peers and teachers.
The program’s multisensory design makes it an excellent fit for children with diverse learning styles. Whether your child is a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic (hands-on) learner, the variety of activities ensures they can connect with concepts in the way that works best for them.
We would love to answer any other questions you may have! Please contact the Willowdale Children’s Academy front office to speak with our director or to schedule a personal tour of our facility.
Give Your Child a Joyful Start to Their Education
Are you ready to see your child flourish in a fun, supportive, and highly effective learning environment? Spots in our Learning Without Tears® program are limited to ensure personalized attention for every student.
Contact us today to schedule a tour and learn more about how Willowdale Children’s Academy can help your child build a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning.
Contact Us Today
- Book a Tour
- Request Enrollment Info
- Ask About Availability and Tuition
