Everything families
need to begin.
Choosing a preschool means thinking about far more than hours and tuition. Here is what families most want to understand about care, safety, relationships, learning, daily life, and the path to enrollment.
Choosing TIF
Is TIF a daycare or a preschool?
TIF is a private preschool for children from infancy through age four. Loving care is essential at this age; here it is joined to The Imagination Effect, five complementary Workshops, and Playrooms designed to support the whole child.
What ages do you serve?
Five Playrooms welcome children at different stages: Beginners (under 1), Travelers (1), Explorers (2), Creators (3), and Thinkers (4). Age is the starting point; we also consider the whole child when planning a transition.
What makes The Imagination Effect different?
Imagination begins a cycle of inquiry. Children imagine possibilities, examine them, test them through play and relationship, and discover what the world gives back. Participation across five complementary Workshops gives that process range and purpose, while facilitators offer questions and challenge without taking over the discovery. Explore the method →
Are children learning if they are not doing conventional lessons?
Yes—through language, mathematical reasoning, scientific thinking, movement, self-regulation, creativity, autonomy, and collaboration. The difference is that children meet these ideas inside meaningful experiences, where they can act, test, represent, talk, revise, and try again.
Will my child be ready for elementary school?
We prepare the learner who will enter elementary school: a child who can listen, wonder, communicate, persist, collaborate, represent an idea, and approach something unfamiliar with confidence. These capacities support future academic learning without turning preschool into rehearsal for the next grade.
Is TIF licensed? Is the method accredited?
TIF operates under Florida DCF child care facility licensing requirements. The Imagination Effect is TIF's proprietary educational method, developed through three generations of practice; it is not a separate accrediting organization or an off-the-shelf curriculum.
Do you offer VPK?
No. TIF does not participate in VPK. Families enroll privately in an Experience built around The Imagination Effect. We are glad to explain the practical and educational differences so you can decide what fits your child and family.
Care, Safety, and Relationships
How do you keep arrival and pickup secure?
Brightwheel supports secure check-in and pickup and records who brought and collected each child. Children are released only to adults authorized by the family; the school confirms identity when needed.
How do you guide behavior and conflict?
We treat behavior as communication and conflict as part of development. Adults hold clear, caring limits, help children express what they need, protect safety, and support repair. The goal is not compliance without understanding—it is growing the capacity to participate in a community.
How will you help my child separate and settle in?
We begin by learning your child's rhythms, comforts, interests, and ways of communicating. A familiar Playroom, predictable routines, and a warm handoff help trust grow. Because children respond differently, the transition plan is shaped with each family rather than forced into one script.
How will the teachers really know my child?
Each child belongs to a named Playroom with a consistent community and facilitators who observe closely across the day. Brightwheel carries practical records and selected moments home, while the child's interests, questions, relationships, and changing capacities shape what facilitators prepare next.
What are the class sizes and adult-to-child ratios?
Group size and staffing depend on the child's age, Playroom, and current enrollment, and always operate within Florida licensing requirements. On a tour, we can show you the actual Playroom your child would join and explain its current group and staffing—not only quote a general maximum.
Do children use screens?
Children do not handle or use phones, tablets, or other personal devices. Facilitators may occasionally use brief audiovisual resources to support a specific activity, always intentionally and sparingly. We want children present and engaged with materials, movement, relationships, and play.
The Daily Experience
What are your hours and schedule options?
TIF is open Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:30 pm. Discovery ends at noon, Imagination at 3:00, and Wonder at 4:30. Wonder families may add the 4:30–5:30 Beyond block, and the standalone Beyond Experience runs 3:30–5:30 for children not enrolled in another Experience. Compare the Experiences →
What happens during a typical morning?
Children arrive into their Playrooms, come together as a group in a Get Together, rotate through the Workshops prepared for that day, and help restore the space. They participate across all five Workshops as part of their Experience, but they do not necessarily complete all five in one morning. The rhythm stays recognizable enough for children to feel secure and open enough for their ideas to matter.
Do children nap or rest?
Every Playroom rests after lunch. TIF provides the beds; families purchase bedding with the beginning-of-year uniform order, bring it Monday, and take it home Friday to wash.
Are meals included? What about allergies or food from home?
Nutrispa prepares fresh meals following USDA guidelines. Lunch is included for Travelers in Discovery; lunch and an afternoon snack are included in Imagination and Wonder. Children staying for Beyond receive another snack after 4:30. Families may send food from home, and we supervise with allergies in mind in a peanut-aware school. Tell us about every allergy or dietary restriction during enrollment so the care plan is clear before the first day.
Is the school bilingual?
Yes. English and Spanish live naturally in daily conversation, songs, stories, and relationships. Children encounter both languages as part of belonging to the community—not as a separate language period.
How do you communicate with families?
Brightwheel is the official channel for messages, schedules, billing, forms, daily care records, and selected photos and videos. It keeps the practical day in one place so pickup can begin with connection instead of reconstructing every detail.
Enrollment and Practical Information
How do I learn about tuition and current availability?
Book a tour to receive current information while seeing the school in person, or submit the Request Information form and we will send the digital package. Tuition varies by Playroom and Experience, and availability changes as children enroll.
Do I need to tour before applying?
A tour is strongly encouraged because the best way to understand TIF is to see the Playrooms, Workshops, relationships, and rhythm in motion. If you cannot visit first, request the digital information and tell us what your family needs.
Which Experience is right for our family?
Begin with the hours your family needs, then consider what you want the later part of the day to hold. Discovery, Imagination, and Wonder all include participation across the five Workshops. Imagination adds lunch, wind-down, rest, snack, and a special activity; Wonder adds rotating sports, dance, visual arts, and music; Beyond adds another snack and a gentler final hour. We can walk through the fit with you.
How does Summer Adventure work?
Summer is selected by the week, and each week opens a different theme. It includes experiences that belong especially to summer—such as water days, larger outdoor projects, sensory play, movement, and special visitors. Registration for 2027 opens in spring. Explore Summer Adventure →
Still wondering? Ask us directly.
A conversation answers what a webpage can't — and helps both of us understand whether the fit feels right.