There are kindergarten teachers.

And then there are Tools kindergarten teachers.

Teachers, we know you’re the real difference-makers. You’re in a unique position to help shape children’s long-term school and life success. We recognize kindergarten children’s developmental need to play and the pressure you face to develop academic skills. Tools kindergarten achieves both.

There’s kindergarten.
And then there’s Tools kindergarten.

When you walk into a Tools kindergarten, you see curious explorers becoming independent, self-regulated learners. Tools kindergarteners master the skills they need to be successful in school and life. And they do this in the most age-appropriate way, through exploring ecosystems around the world.

Tools kindergarten helps children:

  • Build academic and self-regulation skills in every activity
  • Develop foundational literacy, math, science and social studies skills
  • Activate and amplify their innate, intrinsic motivation to learn 
  • Practice writing daily with Tools unique Scaffolded Writing 
  • Receive individual reading instruction from the teacher and support from peer partners
  • Learn, grow and thrive regardless of their unique abilities

What Tools teachers say

Tools focuses on more than standards. It also teaches children how to learn. It allows children to feel successful at their own pace while continuing to work toward grade level standards and expectations. Tools of the Mind is a powerful curriculum that allows children to learn and succeed in all areas through the joy of play-based learning.

Michelle Beekman
Kindergarten Teacher
·
Neptune, NJ

I am so grateful to Tools for creating a kindergarten curriculum carefully based on the developmental ways children learn, and not based solely on what we WANT them to learn.

Judy Sucheki
Kindergarten Teacher
·
Orleans, MA

Tools allows us to use play as a way for children to learn. It encourages teachers to keep the whole child at the forefront of education. As teachers we're so quick to jump in and help instead of allowing children to make mistakes and solve problems. After five years teaching Tools, I've learned to give children real think time and a chance to solve problems without me.

Erin Tieuli
Kindergarten Teacher
·
Arlington, MA

My students love to come to school every day. I have never seen kids become such brave writers. They learn the writing process and just go for it! They say their message, make a line for each word and add sounds, then more sounds and word patterns. It truly amazes me each year to see how far my students come from the first to the last day of school.

Debra Regal
Kindergarten Teacher
·
Gillet, WI

The focus on self-regulation is what makes Tools of the Mind unique. Self-regulation is embedded throughout every component of the day. Students leave the program not only proficient in all the academic content, but more importantly with skills that enable them to be good learners!

Christin Connell
Kindergarten Teacher
·
Spring Lake Heights, NJ

Tools levels the playing field by providing equitable learning opportunities. Our pilot classrooms had great results with all but a few students making end-of-year benchmarks. These results were considerably higher than our other classrooms. We knew the impact was bigger than just reading scores, we were providing students with background knowledge and self-regulation skills to last a lifetime.

Rhoda Wood
Reading Specialist
·
Pulaski, WI

Today’s kindergarten teachers face more pressure than ever

Kindergarten teachers, you’re in a unique situation. You have a classroom full of children who need and want to play. And you have the pressure to incorporate the academic rigor that will prepare them for first grade. You need a comprehensive curriculum that honors both needs, while empowering you to enable each learner to reach their full potential.

Tools empowers
teachers to...

Support each child’s development in a classroom with a wider range of skills than ever before

Cultivate a regulated, inclusive classroom culture that enables teachers to work 1:1 with each child

Be proactive in supporting self-regulation development to enable every child to better manage their emotions and behaviors while learning how to learn

Build standards-aligned academic foundations in literacy, math and science to support success in first grade and beyond

Sustain meaningful relationships with families, creating a partnership to support each child's development

Provide equitable access to learning for all children, no matter what their unique needs may be

A day in the life of Tools kindergarten

Tools kindergarten evolves as children grow throughout the year. We scaffold every activity so all children can learn, grow and thrive. Check out these videos from our kindergarten classrooms and see the power of Tools in action.

Making a
measurable impact

What happens when teachers are empowered to empower their students? The impact is measurable. Check out the results of this groundbreaking education research that followed Tools in action. You’ll see forever-lasting benefits for both teachers and children. 

What will I get when I partner with Tools?

Teachers, we know what you need because teachers helped us make Tools what it is today! Our comprehensive program includes a teacher-approved blend of curriculum, professional development and materials – everything you need to bring Tools to your classroom.

CLASSROOM MATERIALS

Manual, plan book + kit

You’ll get a manual full of activities and a plan book designed to empower your teaching. This gives you a running start, then offers you the support and freedom to plan your own classroom activities and challenge levels. A kit full of kindergarten materials is also available so you can easily launch Tools activities and to set up your environment.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

Actionable digital portal

Every classroom gets access to digital resources, including a Tools 'coach in your pocket.’ Plus you’ll get our app with video of activities, quick start guides and Interactive Read Alouds for each ecosystem and additional theme-related resources. You’ll also get our apps to track writing and reading development and support your individualized scaffolding of each child.

PERSONALIZED SUPPORT

Ongoing individualized coaching

Teachers, here’s where it all comes together. As a Tools teacher, you’ll get a dedicated Tools partner to offer personalized, judgment-free coaching. We’ll meet with you and your colleagues to answer questions, talk about your unique classrooms and empower you to support your children’s development based on where they are.

Tools fits every teacher
and every child

Because we’re based on neuroscience and Vygotskian theory, Tools is designed to meet every child where they are, no matter what their unique abilities.

Tools empowers kindergarten teachers to support:
Dual language learners and English language learners
Children with special needs (including on the autism spectrum)
Children who enter school without verbal skills
Children who have experienced adversity and stress
Children with challenging behaviors
Children of all skill and ability levels
Tools works with all programs including:
Full day and half-day programs
Programs that run from 2 to 5 days/week
Substantially separate special needs classrooms
Integrated special needs classrooms
Spanish immersion and bilingual classrooms (instruction in Spanish)
Public schools, charter schools, Head Start programs, community-based PreK and more

Tools empowers every teacher and every child

Tools invites kindergarteners into a science adventure through ecosystems around the world to build the self-regulation and academic skills they’ll need for school and life. Through high-interest, age-appropriate learning themes, children are intrinsically motivated to learn, grow and thrive. This closes the achievement gap and makes learning accessible to all, no matter what. Here’s an overview of the foundations that Tools kindergarten is building.

Learning

  • Preserving and building every child's intrinsic motivation to learn
  • Becoming self-directed learners
  • Planning and following plans
  • Learning how to learn
  • Developing a toolbox of learning skills and strategies 
  • Learning how to reflect on work and think about thinking
  • Learning to set goals and monitor progress toward them

Literacy

  • Writing to plan, think, remember and create
  • Building vocabulary
  • Building comprehension
  • Dramatizing stories
  • Learning to read
  • Building fluency in foundational literacy skills
  • Developing phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, sight word recognition and more

Math

  • Composing and decomposing numbers in different ways
  • Learning about numbers up to 100 and skip counting by 2s, 3s, 5s and 10s
  • Developing the foundations of addition and subtraction
  • Solving word problems
  • Learning and creating with two and three-dimensional shapes 
  • Understanding the concept of 10 and place value
  • Describing and comparing a range of measurable attributes

Science

  • Building intrinsic motivation to learn by tapping into children’s interests
  • Exploring different ecosystems, climates and habitats
  • Learning how people, animals and plants adapt to different ecosystems
  • Learning about form and function of animal skins, fur, foot, mouth and beak designs
  • Building vocabulary 
  • Building foundational science concepts that inspire the desire to read to learn more

Ready to bring the power of Tools to your school?

Tools is the comprehensive early childhood program that develops every child’s self-regulation in every activity. Research shows that self-regulation is the biggest predictor of success in school and life.

Book a chat
We’d love to hear more about your program