Harley Cantrell
Director and lead teacher
Harley started Twig in the house where it still is, after teaching in other preschools. She works in the big room most mornings and answers the phone herself.
A play-based preschool for ages 2 to 5
Long mornings to read, build and wonder together
Twig is a small preschool in a converted house in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. Children read, build, pretend, make and go outside, and a teacher reads and plays on the rug beside them.
What play looks like
What play looks like here
A morning at Twig is mostly choosing. These are four things children choose, and what the teachers do while they do it.
Blocks and loose parts
Building
Wooden blocks, cardboard tubes and baskets of loose parts sit on low shelves. Children build towers, roads and houses, knock them down and start again. A teacher asks what they are making and carries blocks when asked.
Dress-up and the kitchen
Pretending
The play kitchen, the dress-up rack and a pile of scarves turn into a bakery, a bus or a vet's office. Children decide who is who. Teachers take a part when invited and step out when not.
Dough, paint and paper
Making
Playdough, paint, paper, glue and clay are out most mornings. Nothing is made to match a sample. Each piece is the child's own, and a teacher helps when asked for a hand.
Sand, mud and a playhouse
Going outside
Every morning has time in the fenced yard, with a sandpit, a wooden playhouse, a mud patch by the fence and a bin of buckets. We go out in light rain and come in when the weather turns.
The rooms
Inside the house
A converted house has more corners than a classroom, and the children use all of them.
Sample photos.
Programs
A room for each age, four ways to spend the week
| Ages | Adults to children | Group size | Two mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Tuesday and Thursday | Three mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Monday, Wednesday and Friday | Five mornings9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.Monday to Friday | Full day9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Monday to Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front room2-year-oldsA room of their own at the front of the house | 1 adult to 5 children | 10 | Offered | Offered | Offered | Not offered |
| Big room3-year-oldsThrees and fours share the big room | 1 adult to 10 children | 20 | Offered | Offered | Offered | OfferedLunch from home |
| Big room4-year-oldsThe oldest children in the room | 1 adult to 12 children | 20 | Offered | Offered | Offered | OfferedLunch from home |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Holds a place and covers the enrollment file.
- Supplies
- Covers art materials and the loose parts we replace through the year.
- Field trips
- Covers the bus on the spring outing to a farm.
Sample programs.
Safety and license
Who licenses us, and how we look after the rooms
License
Licensed by Pennsylvania DHS, OCDEL
Child care center license · PA License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 5 children
2-year-olds
Group size: 10
1 adult to 10 children
3-year-olds
Group size: 20
1 adult to 12 children
4-year-olds
Group size: 20
Group size
Up to 20 children
with 2 adults
Capacity
30
Ages 2 years to 5 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Mandated reporter training
Safety routines
Arrival and pickup
A teacher greets every child at the door and signs them in. At pickup a child goes only with the people on your list, and we ask for ID at the door until we know you.
Allergies and snacks
Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll. We ask families not to send nuts, and snack is set out in the room by the teachers.
When a child is ill
A child with a fever or a contagious illness stays home. If a child becomes ill at school, we call you right away and a teacher stays close until you arrive.
The yard and headcounts
The yard is fenced and the gate is latched. We count heads every time children move between the rooms and the yard, and a teacher is always outside with them.
Hands and cleaning
Children wash their hands when they arrive, before snack and after the yard. Teachers clean the tables and the toys at the end of each morning.
A teacher beside the play
Teachers sit at the children's level and join in when invited. They step in to keep play fair and gentle, and they call out hands, voices and feet in a calm voice.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
The team
Who is in the rooms each morning
Harley and Pia are in the rooms every day, with three assistant teachers.
Pia Gatchalian
Teacher, front room
Pia teaches the twos and keeps the art room stocked. She likes a messy table and a short cleanup song.
From families
What families say about the first weeks
“Drop-off is calm. Harley kneels down to say hello to each child, and we always know who to ask when we have a question.”
Dariah B.Parent of a three-year-old
“The weekly note tells us what the room played with, so we could set out the same things at home on the weekend.”
Niamh O.Parent of a two-year-old
“The tour was unhurried. We saw both rooms, sat on the little chairs and got to ask everything.”
Jaya P.Parent of a four-year-old
Sample reviews.
How to enroll
- 01
Step 1: Book a tour
Book a morning tour on our tour page. You see the rooms and the yard while children are playing, and you are welcome to bring your child.
- 02
Step 2: Apply
Applications open in February. The form asks about your family and the days you hope for. We ask for health and custody details privately, once you enroll.
- 03
Step 3: The first day
New children start with a short visit alongside a parent. Bring a water bottle, indoor shoes and a spare set of clothes in a labeled bag.
Come and see a morning of play
Book a tour and bring your questions about ages, days and the start of the school year.