Sandy Spring Friends School expands preschool with year-round options

Sandy Spring Friends School will launch a year-round Preschool at Sandy Spring program in Fall 2026 for 3- and 4-year-olds, adding more flexible scheduling, extended care and summer programming. The move gives families more early-childhood options while keeping the school’s outdoor, play-based approach in place.

Why it matters: - Sandy Spring Friends School is adding more scheduling flexibility for families with young children in Fall 2026. - The expanded preschool gives 3- and 4-year-olds access to year-round enrollment, which can better match work schedules and care needs. - The program keeps the school’s nature-based model while extending access to more families.

What happened: - Sandy Spring Friends School is launching an expanded Preschool at Sandy Spring program for 3- and 4-year-olds beginning in Fall 2026. - Families will be able to choose full-day, half-day, extended care, partial-week, 10-month and year-round enrollment. - The school plans an Open House on Wednesday, June 24, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at 16923 Norwood Road in Sandy Spring, Maryland. - Additional preschool information sessions and tours will be offered on Wednesdays throughout the summer. - More information and RSVP details are available on the school website at school website.

The details: - The preschool includes a nutritious hot lunch and healthy snacks. - The program is built around play-based learning, outdoor exploration, discovery and community. - SSFS sits on a 140-acre campus in Montgomery County. - The campus includes an on-site educational farm, raised garden beds, a pond, woods, streams, nature trails and a dedicated preschool playground with a mud kitchen and climbing structures. - Children will take part in seasonal, hands-on learning led by experienced educators. - Activities include planting and harvesting vegetables, observing insects and wildlife, studying frog life cycles at the pond, exploring winter weather and ice formations, and collecting and identifying leaves and other natural materials. - The curriculum also includes art, music, STEM, Spanish language instruction, collaborative projects and imaginative play. - The program is designed to build social-emotional skills, literacy and math foundations for kindergarten and beyond.

Between the lines: - The year-round model signals a push to make early-childhood offerings more competitive and more usable for working families. - SSFS is keeping its Quaker identity central, tying the preschool experience to values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship. - The school is also using older students as part of the experience through Senior Buddies and other shared activities, which can deepen belonging across grade levels. - Fall 2026 is the first year the preschool will operate year-round for both 3- and 4-year-olds, even though SSFS added 3-year-olds to the program in 2016. - The preschool will run on its own calendar, separate from the K–12 academic calendar.

What's next: - Families can visit the school, attend summer information sessions and schedule tours before Fall 2026 enrollment. - SSFS is expected to finalize interest and enrollment around the new year-round format ahead of launch.

The bottom line: - Sandy Spring Friends School is broadening its preschool into a year-round option that pairs flexibility for families with an outdoor, values-based early learning program.