The Corky Lily will welcome children from four weeks old. Our Madison school runs mornings only, from 7:45 to 11:45. Here is the care, movement, and connection those four hours hold for our youngest children.
Drop off opens at 7:30, and children arrive by 8:00. That gives each baby time to come in gently and settle before the morning asks anything else of them.
After that, a baby at the Lily is free to move. Their mornings are filled with engaging floor play, soothing outdoor moments on the porch, and loving comfort in their teachers’ arms. Each turn toward a sound and reach toward something they see builds both the muscle and the confidence to go and get it.
Positioned low along the walls, mirrors greet children whether they are playing on the floor or pulling themselves up, giving them something engaging to discover independently. The water mat is thick and filled with water, with small sea creatures floating inside. A hand presses down and the whole surface responds, inviting that hand to try again. Cause and effect begins right there on the floor, between two open palms.
Daily care forms the heart of our mornings. When a baby feels hungry, a warm bottle is provided, while our teachers thoughtfully speak throughout these routine moments to engage infants in the meaningful back-and-forth interactions that spur early language development. Additionally, teachers read stories aloud even to the littlest ones who aren’t yet able to hold books themselves, introducing them to the soothing rhythm of a reading voice well before they understand the words.
Music runs through all of it. Jessyca Creasy-Lopez, the founder of our schools, says it simply: always, always music. Rhythm and familiar songs help a young ear prepare for speech.
Our babies will go outside every day the weather allows, visiting a covered porch, a covered turf playground, and a real grass playground. Infants explore the give and texture of the turf beneath their hands. Swings built for infants give even the smallest children a turn in the air, where a body begins to discover balance.
Homecoming is by noon. By then, pictures from the morning have arrived through the app, so you come in already connected to how the day went.
We believe a baby’s day should follow the baby, with care that responds to who they are and what they need. Ours does.
A tour begins on the inquiry page of our website. Freedom Hurter, the Lily’s director, speaks with each family before they visit and welcomes them from there.