Our Goal

Our goal is to build confidence and create a love for learning.We believe in a self-paced learning environment for children where they are encouraged to take risks, think outside the box, and have fun! There is no push for assessments or to meet standard milestones. With a simplistic approach to learning, kids will focus on foundational skills that they need for growth that they can apply to everyday life.

What is Rhythm?

Rhythm is our loosely structured one day a week Hybrid program where families come and learn together. These days are designed for ages 3-10.

What is a Session?

Our Hybrid program runs 3 months on and 1 month off. This helps support year-round learning. This is also why we have families commit to an entire session, not just on a monthly basis. This gives your child adequate time to acclimate to a new environment, friends, and rhythm. This process can take a few weeks (especially if you are only with us 1 day a week) Don't worry! This is perfectly normal, and we are here to help your kiddo feel comfortable and adjust. 

When and Where?

We offer Rhythm on either Tuesday and/or Thursday from 10am-1pm at our Washington, NJ location. On these days we tie in Math and Language Arts through hands-on exploration, STEM activities, and play.

Parent Participation

Parents are not responsible for actively participating, however, we may ask for parent participation if the activity we are doing may require a few more adult hands. We encourage moms to enjoy the space; make a coffee in our kitchen, relax in our "moms" room, or even go run some errands if you need to! We are here to support YOU too, which is why we intentionally designed our space the way we did!

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This is also an opportunity for you to learn alongside your little one and be a part of their learning experience while they are here, too!

Siblings

Siblings who are not participating in Rhythm are absolutely welcome to come! We ask that you keep them separate from the structured learning time. Siblings are then welcomed to interact and play during free play times and of course lunch!

What is the Cost?

Each three-month Rhythm session includes a $75 Family Resource Fee (upfront deposit, per child), which helps cover the hands-on materials and supplies used for the activities, projects, STEM and science activities, take-home materials, and experiences. This also helps keep the space stocked with everyday amenities for families. This includes things like learning resources, diapers and wipes, coffee, light snacks, cleaning supplies and facility upkeep, and other shared comforts that help Homegrown feel like a second home for your family!

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The remaining session fee covers your family's Rhythm experience and is calculated based on the total number of Rhythm days in the full three-month session. When broken down, it averages just $15.63 per hour—or less than $50 per day. Your $75 resource fee is a one time payment and acts as your deposit for your child's spot. This is a non-refundable deposit per child.

Can we sign up for just one month?

Our monthly payments are a payment plan, not a month-to-month enrollment. When you register, you're reserving your child's spot for the full three-month session. The total session cost is calculated based on the total number of Rhythm days in that session and then divided into three equal payments for your convenience.

Are there any other perks to signing up for Rhythm days?

You betcha! Current Rhythm day families are able to come to our Connections Club for FREE and they also get discounts for other select events as well! On top of that, we offer homeschool resources for take home learning, provide session portfolios, as well as other fun little perks! 

Closures, Weather & Family Absences

If Homegrown Learning Community needs to close on a scheduled Rhythm day due to inclement weather or any other unforeseen circumstance, we will notify families as soon as possible. Whenever possible, the missed day(s) will be added to the end of the current session calendar. If we are unable to schedule make-up day(s), families will receive a prorated refund for the canceled day(s).
 

We understand that families may occasionally miss Rhythm due to vacations, illness, appointments, family commitments, or personal decisions—including choosing not to travel during inclement weather. While we completely respect these decisions, we plan each Rhythm day with our enrolled families in mind, including activities, supplies, and facilitator support. For that reason, we aren't able to offer make-up days, credits, or refunds for individual absences.

What our day looks like

Our Rhythm day is loosely structured, but we use the following flow:​

10:00 - 10:20 AM - Families come in and get set for the day. Morning warm-up!

10:25 - 10:40 AM - Pledge of Allegiance, Morning circle, Calendar time

10:40 - 11:05 AM - Block 1 (by group or mixed)

11:10 - 11:30 AM - Lunch 

11:30 - 12:00 PM - Outdoor Exploration

12:05 - 12:20 PM - Afternoon circle & read aloud

12:20 - 12:45 PM - Block 2 (by group or mixed)

12:45 - 1:00 PM - Clean up, closing circle, & dismissal

When we work together

Most of the time the children will be in their own group focusing on activities tailored to their skill level, however, we love bringing all the kids together to work alongside one another. This gives some children the opportunity and confidence to help lead others and in turn, also learn from their peers. They build friendships across all ages, learn from each other, and overall just helps build a much stronger community.

Why we have different groups

​We all know that children develop and learn at different rates and age does not always reflect what your kiddo is ready for developmentally. We want your child to be in the correct group to help them be appropriately challenged and successful!

Foundations

Our Foundations group focuses on building the basic and extremely important foundational skills needed to prepare kids for future academic learning. 

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Focuses include:

1. Fine motor, gross motor, and sensory skills

2. Prewriting skills: grip strength, finger isolation, finger strength, hand-eye coordination

3. Early literacy: letter recognition, phonological awareness, vocabulary

4. Early math: number recognition, sorting, matching, patterns, counting, comparing

5. Following multi step directions and projects - perseverance and patience!

6. Social and emotional skills, cooperative play, and problem solving 

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While it will look like simple activities, play, or crafts, there is so much deep learning happening behind scenes! Activities are designed to develop and strengthen essential foundational skills. They are planned to be purposeful, intentional, and prepare your child for next steps in their homeschool journey! (Imagine training for a sport, the simple exercises, stretches, and drills are what prepare you to win the game!)

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Remember, early education is designed to look like play and connection. Children should be painting, drawing, lacing, glueing, scooping, cutting, playing creatively, moving, building, and exploring their senses. This helps kids naturally develop the vital cognitive, motor, language, and executive functioning skills they need to thrive!

Framework

Our Framework group is designed to build upon the foundational skills already learned while working on new academic concepts. 

Focuses include:

1. Strengthening fine motor, gross motor, and sensory skills

2. Writing skills: Sentence structure, spelling, composition, mechanics, grammar

3. Reading/Literacy: Phonemic awareness, comprehension, vocabulary

4. Math: Number sense, operations, measurement, geometry

5. Following multi step directions for experiments and projects - perseverance and patience!

6. Social and emotional skills, problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration with peers

Children will continue strengthening core foundational skills while growing in confidence and independence. Every child develops at their own pace, so activities are self paced, abilities based, and tailored to meet your child where they are. We want to give kids challenges, encourage growth, and keep them excited about learning without causing frustration. 

Remember, activities are meant to supplement your home education, not replace it. We are not recreating a traditional public school classroom. Instead, this is a space for kids to explore new ideas, learn, and grow together as a community. 

What group will my child be in?

Our goal is to place each child in the group where they will experience the greatest success, confidence, and growth. Groups are based on developmental readiness, not simply age, because every child learns and develops at their own pace. It is important for children to build and strengthen the foundational skills that support lifelong learning and sets them up for future success. 

At Homegrown, there are no formal assessments to determine placement. Instead, we get to know each child through observation, play, conversations, and activities. We also discuss with you your child’s strengths, interests, and abilities.