The Fishtown School will be closed starting Thursday, December 25, 2025. We will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2026. We wish everyone a warm, safe, and happy holiday!
About Us
We may be small, yet we will have a big impact on your child’s life.
Choosing the right childcare center for your family is a crucial decision. We understand that you want nothing but the best for your little one. That's why The Fishtown School stands out with its unique full-time childcare program for children aged six weeks to 5 years. Our program not only creates a school-like atmosphere but also maintains a cozy, homey feel, a combination that allows your child to quickly progress through their critical early years in a nurturing environment.
Our team is passionate about creating a safe, welcoming, and enjoyable space for children. We have carefully designed an environment that promotes active learning and instills a curiosity for knowledge. At The Fishtown School, we value diversity and strive to cultivate relationships that promote respect, honesty, and empathy for all cultures and families. Our main goal is to help your child develop independence while nurturing a love for learning and building self-assurance.
Studies have shown that children learn best when they feel safe and secure. At the Fishtown School, we take this to heart. We maintain a low teacher-to-child ratio, ensuring your child receives individual attention in our secure and technologically advanced environment. Our team invests time in understanding your family and tailors activities to your child's unique needs and interests, providing you with peace of mind about your child's development and well-being.
At The Fishtown School, teachers are not just caregivers but highly trained and certified professionals who play a crucial role in your child's development. Our educators offer an educationally enriched curriculum promoting language development, social and emotional growth, and holistic development. We strive to teach our students how to learn, not just what to learn and encourage them to wonder, question, grow, and explore their world excitedly. Our programs introduce students to writing, math, language, cognitive, social, emotional skills, and physical activities through lessons that cater to your child. With our emphasis on professional qualifications, you can trust that your child is in good hands and will receive the best quality care and education at The Fishtown School.
Exciting news!
We are thrilled to share some wonderful news regarding our exciting expansion, "The Fishtown School Too!" located at 627 E. Girard Ave. After much anticipation, we are happy to report that we have passed the state inspection. We are eager to welcome all into our new space! Our expansion is not just about physical growth; it embodies our deep commitment to enriching the lives of our current families and embracing new families in the Fishtown Community. We passionately believe that every child deserves a nurturing environment where they are loved, can thrive, explore, and begin to build their foundational experiences during this essential phase of development.
Our Programs
The Fishtown School bases its teachings upon the Creative Curriculum strategies. Through this approach, our teachers set developmentally appropriate goals and objectives specific to each age group within four main categories: social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language. Our students develop and learn through personal interactions, theme-based play, and hands-on lessons geared to bring out creativity, confidence, and critical thinking skills.
Infants
Infants
Our infant room teachers meet each child's individual needs and provide a developmentally appropriate and stimulating environment. We encourage our students to use their senses to explore the world sound them.
Our goal in the infant room is to help each child achieve the following milestones:
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Recognition of different sounds and their name
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Exploration of food using whole hands
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Ability to differentiate between known people and strangers
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Ability to focus on and reach for objects
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Begin to stack toys
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Show interest in shapes, colors, and size recognition
Tweeners
Tweeners
Our tweener room teachers meet each child's individual needs and provide a developmentally appropriate and stimulating environment. We encourage our students to use their senses to explore the world sound them.
Our goal in the tweener room is to help each child achieve the following milestones:
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Recognition of different sounds and their name
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Show interest in shapes, colors, and size recognition
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Using their muscles to pull up to standing position
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Gaining confidence to cruise and holding onto furniture to help them
Toddlers
Toddlers
Our toddler room teachers understand that each child is full of wonder and curiosity. We engage our students in activities and play using words, numbers, pictures, and music. Children begin to learn self-help skills and age-appropriate independence. We focus on physical, emotional, social, and cognitive developmental areas while making learning fun for all.
Our focus in the toddler room is on helping each student achieve the following milestones:
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Increase in language skills including but not limited to the ability to name simple objects and sing simple songs
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The beginning of the ability to match shapes and to sort objects by color, size, or shape
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Begin to be aware of their feelings and how to communicate them
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Show curiosity in new things and ask “why” questions
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The ability to stack 3-5 blocks
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The ability to wash hands with assistance
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Demonstrate an increase in balance; and the ability to run and kick a ball.
Preschool/Pre-K
Preschool/Pre-K
Our preschool and pre-k children are preparing for the skills needed to succeed in moving on to kindergarten. The students are introduced to writing, math, language, reading, cognitive, social and emotional skills, and physical activities. We continue to work on self-esteem and independence, as well as learning about others and diversity. Children will begin to understand that the world is vast with many diverse cultures. Our teachers focus on strengthening interaction and communication with others through group activities, allowing each child to grow socially and academically with their peers.
Our focus in the Preschool/Pre-k room is to help each child achieve the following milestones:
Cognitive Skills:
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Recognize patterns, sort, count, and compare quantities
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Spell and print their name
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Identify and write letters and numbers
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Recall events and answer questions about stories
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Describe a picture using complete sentences
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Attempt to spell and read simple words.
Large Motor Skills:
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Kick, throw, bounce, and catch balls
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Hop on one foot
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Start and stop movements upon directions from a teacher
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Point to body parts when named.
Fine Motor Skills:
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Increased coordination using scissors, paintbrushes, pencils, markers, and crayons.
Meet Our Leadership Team
Lori Pallas
Founder
Lori fulfilled her lifelong dream by founding The Fishtown School. Raised by two educators, she has had a passion for early childhood education for as long as she can remember. As a teenager, Lori assisted in her mother’s fourth-grade classroom and regularly sat in on her father’s college psychology lectures. Summers were spent as a camp counselor, developing fun activities for children ages 4-12. It was during those summers that the idea for The Fishtown School was born. Lori dreamed to one day open a school where kids could learn and grow in the same warm, fun, and safe environment that she did. As you enter our school, we hope you feel the love and care that has gone into bringing Lori’s vision to life and we can’t wait to share it all with you and your children.
Center Director
Veronica has dedicated her life to childcare for over 35 years, starting as a preteen. Her mission is to spread love and care to people of all ages. She is committed to serving in any way possible until her last breath. When Ronnie meets people, she wants them to feel heard, respected, understood, and appreciated, regardless of the duration of the interaction. Ronnie aims to positively impact those around her and future generations by creating meaningful and lasting relationships. Pursuing her passion brings Ronnie immense joy, and she want to inspire others to do the same. Ronnie's love for what she does is palpable, and it drives her forward.
Veronica Mack
Rachel Liu
Assistant Director
Rachel has had the pleasure of working with children for over ten years. In each class that Rachel has taught in, 100% of the children has improved comparatively. She enjoys the challenge of teaching children academically but also helping them thrive socially. She is a believer of lifetime learning and that people will never stop learning, no matter how old. She loves watching their eyes light up and sharing her love of books and art with them.
Jennifer Monserrat
Assistant Director
Jenny's passion for early childhood learning was ignited years ago by her incredible aunt, a beloved preschool teacher. With over nine years of professional experience, and a CDA credential, Jenny is dedicated to nurturing a clarion that feels like a second home - a space that is wonderfully safe, joyful, and inclusive. Her greatest mission is to ensure that every child feels uniquely loved and respected every day. Jenny specializes in channeling that magnificent toddler energy into delightful and enriching activities, from vibrant creative arts, music, and movement to exciting nature explorations, all while cheering on every little milestone. She deeply values building a strong, open-door partnership with families to make these precious early years truly unforgettable.
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