Early Learning Academy · Irvine
A small, in-person academy for ages three to five.
3–5
Years old
14
Max class
1:1–1:7
Ratio
A day here
What a day actually looks like.
7:00–9:00
Arrival & one-on-one learning
Children arrive on their own schedule and start with individual time — the part of the day where a teacher can work with one child on exactly what that child needs next.
9:00–10:00
Language, literacy & brain activities
10:00–10:15
Morning snack
10:15–11:15
Free play
Child-led and social — where executive function and sociodramatic play do their work.
11:15–12:00
Mathematics & brain activities
12:00–1:00
Lunch & free play
1:00–3:00
Nap & quiet activities
Children who don't sleep move through calm, small-group activities instead.
3:00–5:30
Afternoon snack, art, free play & pick-up
A slow close to the day, with families picking up as their schedules allow.
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What we teach
Three strands, built together.
What we build
1
Focus and working memory
Holding a goal in mind and staying with it — developed through strategic and sociodramatic play.
2
Self-control
Waiting, taking turns, and choosing a response instead of reacting to the first impulse.
3
Naming feelings
Putting language to what's happening inside — and hearing that the feeling itself is normal and allowed. Naming it and normalizing it together are what make a big feeling manageable.
4
Regulating
Once a feeling is named, the child learns what to do with it. We teach concrete strategies — slow breathing, a calm-down space, asking for help, taking a break and returning — and practice them in calm moments so they are available in hard ones.
The reading foundation
1
Automatic decoding, by the science of reading
Explicit, systematic phonics until reading words is effortless — which is what frees the mind to think about meaning.
2
Prosodic reading
Phrase, rhythm, and expression — the elements that bring words to life and carry comprehension with them.
3
Structural comprehension
Meaning arrives as the child reads, not after — because they can see how a text is built.
The thinking architecture
4
Depth-and-complexity lens
Attention is aimed at one dimension of a text — pattern, rule, point of view — so open-ended thinking has a place to start.
5
Thinking map
A visual structure for the cognitive operation the lens activated. At this age, thinking has to be seen to be owned.
6
Academic language
Thinking made precise, communicable, and expandable — the words that let a child hold a bigger idea.
7
Genuine insight
A conclusion the child reached themselves — not recalled, not coached, but genuinely their own.
Bringing it outward
8
Generative making
The child brings their thinking into the world as something that didn't exist before — a different story ending, a novel defense of an opinion, a map of their own reasoning.
The sequence
1
Number foundations
Sets, number relations, the number system, and spatial reasoning — building number sense by several different routes at once.
2
Early number sense
Numbers perceived as related, flexible, and meaningful rather than fixed labels. This is the primary target at ages 3–5.
3
Relational fluency
Automaticity built out of understanding — which frees working memory for reasoning. Understanding always precedes practice.
4
Five habits of mind
Cultivated orientations toward mathematical situations — the operating layer of real reasoning.
5
Problem solving
The arena that calls all five habits into action at once — where the habits, and their absence, become visible.
The five habits of mind
Tap the center for the problem — then tap any habit
Start anywhere
One problem, five habits throughout
Across a single problem, these five habits surface in no fixed order — some at the start, some only once the child is stuck, some again at the end. Tap the center to see the problem, then tap a habit to see where it shows up.
Example problem
Ten crackers on the table. Three children want to share them equally. What do they do?
The habit in action
Math that makes sense. We build conceptual understanding before fluency, and treat effort and mistakes as the work itself — forming a positive math identity from the very start.
Our space
Where the day happens.
Excelementary is a home-based program in Irvine, with dedicated areas for instruction, play, meals, and rest. Our space and class size is small enough to support every child where they are at because every child is different.
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A ratio that moves with the activity
We run between 1:1, 1:4, and 1:7 depending on the activity, tightening the ratio for instruction and one-on-one work and opening it up for play — so support arrives where a child actually needs it. Class size is capped at 14 children.
Taught by the family who built the program
Excelementary is founded, led, and taught by our family business. The people who designed the curriculum are the people in the room with your child. Meet our team →
Enrollment
The practical details.
Hours
7:00 am – 5:30 pmMonday through Friday. Arrival and pick-up are flexible within these hours.
Ages
3 to 5 years old
Class size
Maximum 14 childrenEnforced by state licensing.
Ratio
1:1, 1:4, or 1:7Adjusted by activity to meet each child's needs.
Readiness
Potty-trained, or very close
Lunch
Provided from homeYou know what your child likes and the nutrition you want for them — so lunch comes from your kitchen. Morning and afternoon snacks are provided.
$1,750/mo
Five full days per week
School calendar
2026 holidays & breaks
Martin Luther King Jr. DayJan 19
Presidents’ DayFeb 16
Memorial DayMay 25
Early close, 3:00 pmMay 28
Summer breakMay 29 – Jun 5
JuneteenthJun 19
Independence DayJul 3
Labor DaySep 7
Indigenous Peoples’ DayOct 12
Veterans DayNov 11
ThanksgivingNov 26 – 27
Winter breakDec 21 – Jan 1
Licensed by the State of California · License #304311557
Families
What Excelementary families are saying.
"I can't be thankful enough that I found this school for my dear daughter. We loved it the very first time we came. The facility is great, the curriculum is very well invested and the teachers are wonderful."
— Hien T., Irvine
"They create an environment where children look forward to each day while building important educational foundations."
— Atsushi Adachi, Irvine
How this works
Your next steps
1
Come and watch
Come see our classroom and students.
2
Evaluate us while we evaluate fit
You're deciding if this is right for your child. We're looking for partners, not just enrollments — families who are aligned with our destination and the journey.
3
Begin the 
Enrollment opens a path built specifically for your child, starting exactly where they are. This is where the foundation begins.
Come see a morning in progress.
Book a Tour →