AppleTree

AppleTree is a pre-K education provider that has been serving the Washington, DC community since 2005. It offers free, high-quality education exclusively to three- and four-year-old children through the largest public preschool program in the city. AppleTree operates 13 campuses located in the NE, NW, SW, and SE quadrants of Washington, DC, covering Wards 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8. The organization uses the Every Child Ready instructional approach, which emphasizes social-emotional learning, language, literacy, and STEM. This approach includes a nationally acclaimed, play-based curriculum designed to prepare children for kindergarten readiness. AppleTree ensures personalized attention with small class sizes and provides specialized instruction for students with special needs as determined by their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). Additional services include before and after care programs, free breakfast for all students, and a bilingual education program. AppleTree participates in the My School DC common application and lottery for enrollment. The organization partners with LENA Grow to enhance language and cognitive growth, collaborates with the Medstar Georgetown Center for Wellbeing in School Environments for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (ECMHC), and works with Nick Jr.’s Noggin and Sparkler Learning to offer educational media and family engagement activities. AppleTree also engages in strategic evidence planning with Project Evident to support its instructional model and offers a two-year teacher residency program for novice teachers. Furthermore, it provides a professional development program with 75 hours of learning centered on the Every Child Ready instructional model.