Fiore

About

Fiore Playgroup is a mixed-age, half-day Preschool in the heart of Ballard. We offer both AM and PM Preschool classes and are excited to roll-out a new Spanish Immersion program beginning Fall 2025, as well as the addition of music classes as part of our preschool enrichment.

While we don’t strictly adhere to any one educational approach, we believe that children learn best through play and hands-on discovery, as we gently guide them towards Kindergarten readiness. We pull inspiration from the teachings of Dr. Maria Montessori, and guidelines of Reggio Emilia. Our mission is to provide an engaging early learning environment where everyone is welcomed and students feel safe to question and explore. We are committed to constant improvement and continued education as teachers as we support our students in social-emotional skills, speech and language development, and early literacy.

We follow the “Experience” Curriculum, which meets the NAEYC Early Learning Accreditation Standards in all 50 states. This curriculum grows with the child’s developmental needs, starting as young as 2.5 years, and continuing through Pre-Kindergarten. Experience Curriculum weaves 35 research backed skills into playful games and projects each day. Your child will build upon skills and concepts such as Visual Arts, Attention & Persistence, Reading Comprehension, and Geography throughout the course of the year. While our curriculum is robust, most learning takes place in circle time, through crafts, games, or large movement, and while exploring the world around us. Each week we play at the Ballard Locks Park, and visit the Library. Our students learn independence and gain confidence through tasks such as serving their own food at snack, cleaning up after themselves, and helping their friends with classroom jobs.

At Fiore, we only employ teachers who are passionate about Early Childhood Education, background check cleared, and First Aid/CPR certified. We utilize an app called Brightwheel for electronic attendance, and real-time updates. Leaving your child in a new environment can be scary, and we want you to feel confident that they are in the best hands.

In creating Fiore Playgroup we wanted to streamline the process of accessing great childcare for parents. The drop-in model, and playgroups such as “Parent’s Night Out”, and enrichment classes are things we knew local families were looking for, but could rarely find. We are proud to offer these services in addition to our daily preschool schedule.

“As a mom who worked full time outside of the home, it was important to find childcare that worked for me. Fiore Playgroup was created in my own search for great childcare. Leaving my 10+ year career in the Dental industry to go back to school for Early Childhood Education was a leap to be sure. My desire was to create an upscale and welcoming space where children would want to come, and processes that streamlined and simplified their parent’s lives. If I can take just one thing off your plate, if I can make a parent’s job 1% easier, that’s what I started this for. I set out to create the childcare program that I wanted my daughter to attend…and now she does!” -Taylor, Founder / Director