Two to three: the year before preschool

Anita takes children up to three years old, so this stage has an end date, and the end date is preschool. Everything here is aimed at getting your child there comfortably.

Being the oldest of three

In an age-sorted room, a two-year-old is in the middle of twelve two-year-olds. Here they are the eldest — the one who can already do the thing, who gets asked to help, who is trusted near the baby. Very little else builds a small child's sense of themselves that quickly.

Routine without a classroom

Preschool asks a three-year-old to manage a shape of day: arrive, settle, activity, snack, outside, quiet. A day at GaGa's House already has that shape — stories, crafts, fresh air, meals at the table, downtime — it simply isn't run by a bell. By the time they start, the rhythm is familiar even though the building is new.

Crafts and stories, from someone who likes them

Two of the four things Anita names when she describes herself are reading stories and doing crafts. This is the age that gets the most out of both, and they happen because she enjoys them rather than because a curriculum requires a literacy block.

• Sharing and taking turns, practiced daily with two other children.
• Meals at a table, provided — breakfast, lunch and snacks.
• Homemade cookies, which is not a developmental milestone and is entirely the point.