Mission & Values

Since its founding in 1952 as a parent cooperative, The Raleigh School has been a model for excellence in early childhood education. Our mission and abiding values drive our actions and have kept our community strong over the years.

Mission

The Raleigh School is a cooperative community of children, parents, and teachers that fosters a love of learning in an atmosphere of challenge, inquiry, and respect.

Abiding Values

• We believe a child-centered and developmentally appropriate approach to teaching enables children to become competent, confident, and intellectually curious lifelong learners.
• Learning is active, cooperative, hands-on, and play-based.
• We challenge and encourage children to think critically, creatively, collaboratively, and conceptually.
• We connect the curriculum to children’s lives to emphasize the interdependence of ideas and help children form connections in learning.
• We engage children, foster their intrinsic motivation, and instill a love of learning through exploration, discovery, and inquiry.
• We cherish the time that children spend in nature and emphasize outdoor play and environmental stewardship.

• We know and nurture each child as an individual with unique interests, skills, and abilities, helping develop confidence and self-awareness.
• Our teachers actively model, coach, and help children develop social and emotional skills, including kindness, self-control, leadership, and conflict resolution.
• Our teachers help children gradually develop empathy, compassion, and social responsibility for their classmates, the school community, and the world at large.
• Our teachers create supportive classroom environments where children are free to take risks and learning is characterized by curiosity, enthusiasm, humor, and joy.

• We have an inherent trust in and respect for children’s growth and development.
• Parents’ presence on campus, contribution of time, and dedication to the cooperative community is a hallmark of our school’s identity and culture.
• We honor all students and families with a broad view of diversity as we seek to help children appreciate their own and others’ uniqueness.
• Our teachers help children see the world from varied perspectives, allowing children to develop awareness of themselves as well as a deeper understanding of the richness of cultures and ideas across the globe.