Great Pines First School
Learning Love Community Play Nature
Preschool in Burlington, MA
Great Pines First School is a small early education and childcare program in Burlington, Massachusetts serving children ages 1 to 5 years. Warm, relationship-centered approach in a group of six children and two expert educators. We offer nature-rich environment designed to support play, learning, and community.
Love is our foundation - it connects us all.
In community we grow together - children, families and teacher learning side by side.
Play is children's most powerful way of being.
Learning with nature is children's right. We need the fulness of experiences with natural rhythms, beauty and harmony.
We strive for learning to feel intimate, joyful, and meaningful.
Who we are
We are two professional educators with decades of experience — from teaching in classrooms and leading schools to mentoring teachers, designing curriculum, and teaching at the university level.
Eliana
I began my career as a speech and language therapist, where a deep curiosity about how children communicate — with and without words — first took root. My work as an educator is grounded in careful listening, close observation and the belief that meaningful learning grows through play.
My teaching journey began in Brazil and has been shaped by collaborations with schools, researchers, and educators at well-known schools such as Paideia, Sidarta, and Atelier Carambola in Brazil, as well as Jardin Fabulinus in Argentina. Drawing from language, design, photography, and play, I strive to create learning experiences where children feel seen and ideas can unfold.
When not teaching, you’ll probably find me playing board games, dancing, or at the gym — all excellent excuses to laugh and move. But most of all, I love spending time with my daughter and visiting her at Colby College (where I try not to embarrass her too much).
Lucy
I have spent over thirty years working with young children and their families, guided by a lifelong belief in curiosity as the foundation of learning. After earning a PhD in the Sociology of Childhood, I worked with educators across Europe and the U.S., exploring what high-quality early learning looks like in everyday practice.
As a teacher, mentor, lecturer, and school director, my work is centered on learning as a living relationship — between children, adults, families, and the world around them. I advocate for young children’s right to play and bring the latest research on play into education.
While Eliana’s daughter is already a college student and my youngest son will begin college next year, we channel this shared life transition into building a school grounded in our deepest belief: that learning grows from curiosity, relationships, and joy.
Get in touch
1 Great Pines Ave, Burlington MA-01803
info@greatpinesfirstschool.com
+1 781-655- 1671
It all begins with a connection
FAQs
What is Great Pines First School?
1
Great Pines First School is a small, home-based early childhood program in Burlington, Massachusetts for children ages 1 to 5 years. We offer a warm and intimate learning environment where children grow through play, relationships, and exploration in nature.
Our approach is rooted in research on child development and guided by the belief that children learn best when they feel safe, curious, and connected to others.
Where is Great Pines First School located?
2
Great Pines First School is located in Burlington, Massachusetts on Great Pines Avenue. We serve families from Burlington and nearby communities including Lexington, Bedford, Woburn, Wilmington, and Winchester.
We welcome children from 1 through 5 years old, supporting them through the important developmental years from toddlerhood through preschool.
What ages do you serve?
3
What makes Great Pines different from other preschools?
4
Great Pines is intentionally small. This allows teachers to know each child deeply and respond thoughtfully to their curiosity, play, emotions, and ideas.
Our program emphasizes: close relationships between children and teachers; rich play experiences; time outdoors and connection with nature; thoughtful observation and responsive teaching;
We call this approach play-responsive education
What is play-responsive education?
5
Play-responsive education means that teachers pay close attention to the thinking unfolding inside children’s play.
Children experience our program as play while the educators ensure that children engage deeply in a broad variety of thoughtfully designed play invitations and activities (building, pretending, drawing, modelling with clay, or) storytelling. Teachers observe carefully and respond in ways that extend children’s ideas and support collaboration between children.
What is the difference between play-based and play-responsive learning?
6
In play-based programs, teachers prepare environments that allow children to explore freely.
Play-responsive teaching goes further. Teachers stay close to children’s play, noticing the ideas and relationships developing within it. They respond in ways that deepen children’s thinking and help children learn to play together as partners.
Do children learn academic skills in a play-based environment?
7
Yes. Young children learn academic skills (such as language, problem-solving, and early math and literacy) through meaningful experiences rather than worksheets. Most importantly, a play-responsive approach targets development of foundational skills which predict future school success (such as executive function, empathy, critical thinking and intrinsic motivation to learn). Research shows that these early experiences strongly support long-term learning.
How do teachers support children’s social development?
8
Learning to play together is one of the most important parts of early childhood.
Teachers help children: express their ideas; listen to others; negotiate shared stories and games; resolve conflicts respectfully. Over time, children move from playing near one another to becoming true partners in play.
We value your privacy. Any information you share with us is used only to respond to your inquiries or enrollment requests and is never shared or sold.
Read our full Privacy Policy for details.
© 2025 Great Pines First School LLC | Licensed by MA EEC | Terms of Use | Accessibility