Great Pines First School
Learning Love Community Play Nature
Preschool in Burlington, MA
Great Pines First School is a small early education and childcare program in Burlington, Massachusetts serving children ages 1 to 5 years. Warm, relationship-centered approach in a group of six children and two expert educators. We offer nature-rich environment designed to support play, learning, and community.
Love is our foundation - it connects us all.
In community we grow together - children, families and teacher learning side by side.
Play is children's most powerful way of being.
Learning with nature is children's right. We need the fulness of experiences with natural rhythms, beauty and harmony.
We strive for learning to feel intimate, joyful, and meaningful.
A Place That Feels Like Home
Our program is designed for children and families who believe that learning should feel intimate, meaningful and joyful.
Great Pines First School is a small, home-based preschool in Burlington, Massachusetts serving children 1 to 5 years.
Our program combines play-based nature-rich learning and a small group size that allows each child to feel known, comfortable, and deeply engaged.
Children grow alongside peers of different ages — much like in a family — supported by adults who create a responsive, caring community around them.
We serve Burlington, Bedford, Lexington, Woburn, Wilmington, Billerica and nearby communities.
Together with families, we build relationships, share wisdom, and walk side-by-side through the unfolding story of childhood.
Preschool in Burlington, MA
Our Mission
Great Pines First School is a community grounded in nature, curiosity, and care.
Together with families, we create an environment where learning feels joyful,
relationships deepen, and wonder flourishes.
Our Values
We honor early childhood as a time of being and belonging.
We celebrate learning as a mosaic of curiosity, discovery, reflection, and collaboration —
unfolding naturally through experience.
Nature grounds our days, inviting children to move with its rhythms,
awakening awe and revealing the beauty of the world around them.
We take play seriously — as the heartbeat of learning, where imagination and thought grow side by side.
Community gives our work meaning; children, families, and teachers learn and flourish together.
And at the heart of it all islove — the trust, care, and joy that nurture every child’s unfolding story.
What People Are Saying
“We couldn’t have asked for a better daycare experience for our child. This daycare strikes a rare balance between nurturing essential early skills—like communication, independence, and problem-solving—while keeping learning joyful and engaging. What truly sets it apart is the emphasis on nature and creativity. The children spend meaningful time outdoors, exploring, observing, and connecting with the natural world, which has made a noticeable impact on our child’s curiosity and confidence. Inside, there’s a strong focus on imaginative play, art, and self-expression, allowing each child’s personality to shine. The teachers are warm, attentive, and deeply committed to each child’s growth. It’s clear they care not just about preparing kids academically, but about helping them become thoughtful, creative, and resilient individuals. Thank you so much Eliana and Lucy for all your efforts and dedication!”
— Jean-Marc Muller
“I am writing from the perspective of a recently retired Early Childhood Education professional, and in service of families who may be considering enrolling a young child at Great Pines First School. Lucy and Eliana, creators of the school, are extraordinary child care providers and educators.
During my years as the director of a high quality university early childhood center, and beyond, I have known Lucy and her remarkable work as a teacher of toddlers and preschool children, a mentor teacher of teachers of young children, and a director of child care centers. Over all the years, my profound respect and awe for Lucy’s talents, knowledge, experience, capabilities, passion, dedication, commitment, generosity, thoughtfulness, brilliance, creativity, warmth and belief in all possibilities has only grown deeper.
There is no question in my mind that, that with deep joy, delight, wisdom, nuance, skill and understanding, and in collaboration with enrolled children and families, Lucy and Eliana will ‘see’, care for and inspire every child enrolled at Great Pines First School. Along with their belief in the importance of nature, play and love in the life of every child, it will be a remarkable and very precious experience.”
— Polly Smith
“As a play-based center owner, I felt very inspired by Great Pine First School when my teacher and I attended a professional development there. It was a wonderful experience for all of us to visit such a unique place.
The school is thoughtfully set up with responsive materials that invite children into increasingly complex activities. The outdoor space is also very well planned, with plants and open-ended materials that encourage exploration, discovery, and meaningful play. It is easy to imagine children happily spending the whole day outside, fully engaged in learning.
It was also clear to see the passion that Luci and Eliana have for early childhood education. I could truly feel their love for teaching young minds, which made the experience both inspiring and meaningful.”
— Tree House Academy
Get in touch
1 Great Pines Ave, Burlington MA-01803
info@greatpinesfirstschool.com
+1 781-655- 1671
It all begins with a connection
FAQs
What is Great Pines First School?
1
Great Pines First School is a small, home-based early childhood program in Burlington, Massachusetts for children ages 1 to 5 years. We offer a warm and intimate learning environment where children grow through play, relationships, and exploration in nature.
Our approach is rooted in research on child development and guided by the belief that children learn best when they feel safe, curious, and connected to others.
Where is Great Pines First School located?
2
Great Pines First School is located in Burlington, Massachusetts on Great Pines Avenue. We serve families from Burlington and nearby communities including Lexington, Bedford, Woburn, Wilmington, and Winchester.
We welcome children from 1 through 5 years old, supporting them through the important developmental years from toddlerhood through preschool.
What ages do you serve?
3
What makes Great Pines different from other preschools?
4
Great Pines is intentionally small. This allows teachers to know each child deeply and respond thoughtfully to their curiosity, play, emotions, and ideas.
Our program emphasizes: close relationships between children and teachers; rich play experiences; time outdoors and connection with nature; thoughtful observation and responsive teaching;
We call this approach play-responsive education
What is play-responsive education?
5
Play-responsive education means that teachers pay close attention to the thinking unfolding inside children’s play.
Children experience our program as play while the educators ensure that children engage deeply in a broad variety of thoughtfully designed play invitations and activities (building, pretending, drawing, modelling with clay, or) storytelling. Teachers observe carefully and respond in ways that extend children’s ideas and support collaboration between children.
What is the difference between play-based and play-responsive learning?
6
In play-based programs, teachers prepare environments that allow children to explore freely.
Play-responsive teaching goes further. Teachers stay close to children’s play, noticing the ideas and relationships developing within it. They respond in ways that deepen children’s thinking and help children learn to play together as partners.
Do children learn academic skills in a play-based environment?
7
Yes. Young children learn academic skills (such as language, problem-solving, and early math and literacy) through meaningful experiences rather than worksheets. Most importantly, a play-responsive approach targets development of foundational skills which predict future school success (such as executive function, empathy, critical thinking and intrinsic motivation to learn). Research shows that these early experiences strongly support long-term learning.
How do teachers support children’s social development?
8
Learning to play together is one of the most important parts of early childhood.
Teachers help children: express their ideas; listen to others; negotiate shared stories and games; resolve conflicts respectfully. Over time, children move from playing near one another to becoming true partners in play.
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