Launch Lab Preschool Logo (Horizontal)

Welcome to the Launch Lab Preschool at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry! 

South Carolina’s only museum-based preschool

Launch Lab Preschool (LLP) at the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry (CML) offers a unique blend of hands-on, child-led, and holistic educational approaches, along with access to our interactive STEAM-learning exhibits, to prepare students academically, physically, and socially for kindergarten. And most importantly, we spark their innate curiosity, sense of play, and creativity, supporting them on their path to becoming confident, creative problem solvers and lifelong learners!

Joyful learning through STEAM-driven play!   

Launch Lab Preschool (LLP) offers a unique blend of hands-on, child-led learning that sparks its students' innate curiosity, sense of play, and creativity. And with a children’s museum as the daily backdrop of their preschool experience, our students don’t just learn – they discover, explore, and grow!

52502849113_56cd0dc0ff_o

A Unique Learning Environment

Can you imagine going to school every day in a children’s museum?  For our students, that is their reality! Preschoolers have access to all of CML’s STEAM exhibits, outdoor play areas, and a dedicated outdoor classroom just for the Preschool.  

Exclusive Museum Discovery Time

LLP takes over the museum each morning before it opens to the public. Each class has facilitated time with our trained museum experience team in the exhibit areas.

Outdoor Play Time

Outdoor play is a critical time of the day for children! Each class will spend time in our outdoor exhibit areas, weather permitting.  LLP has its own dedicated outdoor classroom, which features equipment and activities that encourage gross motor play while promoting exploration, social skill building, and calculated risk-taking.

Launch Lab Preschool Open House June 22, 4-5 pm

no RSVP or application needed to attend

52502301021_d4dc8daf4e_o

Our Educational Approach & Curriculum

LLP’s educational approach is rooted in our belief that play-based, hands-on; STEAM learning experiences are a powerful way for children to become confident, creative problem solvers and cultivate a lifelong love of learning.

Learning experiences at LLP are:

  • Child-led: Children are introduced to concepts as they show readiness, and all activities are designed with the child’s individual needs in mind.
  • Inquiry-rich: Curiosity is key to deep, engaging learning experiences. Educators and learners ask questions and seek answers together.
  • Socially-emotionally engaged: Experiences offer opportunities for self-reflection and regulation, acknowledging that learning is a social act.
  • Joyful: Play is fun. Learning experiences at LLP offer opportunities for surprise, silliness, and laughter.

Curriculum 

Through a multi-sensory, hands-on approach, children are introduced to language development, pre-reading concepts, early science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) concepts, developmentally appropriate social studies units, pre-writing and fine motor activities, large muscle activities, music, and social-emotional development.

The curriculum is designed by FrogStreet and provides intentional, age-appropriate instruction that is aligned to both federal and state standards. Its comprehensive, research-based programs integrate instruction across developmental domains and early learning disciplines. LLP’s educators take these learning objectives and tailor them to meet the needs and interests of each class.

Research by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago indicated that students using Frog Street showed statistically significant improvements in language, emergent literacy reading, and math from fall to spring. Frog Street+1JScholarship+1

Daily Schedule

A typical day at Launch Lab Preschool consists of:

  • 8:15-8:30 Drop-off
  • 8:30-8:45 Morning Meeting
  • 8:45-9:00 Mindful Movement
  • 9:00-9:15 Read Aloud/Literacy Skills
  • 9:15-9:30 Early Math Skills
  • 9:30-10:30 Museum Exhibit Play
  • 10:30-10:45 Snack (outdoors, if possible)
  • 10:45-11:15 Outdoor Play
  • 11:15-11:30 Storytime
  • 11:30-11:50 STEAM Exploration
  • 11:50-12:00 Closing Circle
  • 12:00-12:15 Dismissal
52502883953_01046e8c0a_o

Our Educators

Launch Lab Preschool works to provide a nurturing learning environment that not only prepares learners to succeed in kindergarten and beyond but puts them on the path to cultivating a lifelong love of learning. Our talented educators and administrative staff are the core of what makes that possible!  You can learn more about them here.

Join Our Community

With only two classrooms, Launch Lab Preschool offers a boutique learning experience in a close-knit community. Thank you for exploring how we can partner to nurture your child on their path to being a confident, creative thinker and lifelong learner!

Limited spots are available for the 2025–2026 school year. 

About Launch Lab Preschool  

  • Children must be 3 years old by September 1 of the current school year.
  • All children must be potty trained (no diapers or pull-ups).
  • All children must be up to date on their vaccines and undergo regular health screenings.
  • Classes are from 8:30 am to noon, Monday–Friday. Drop-off begins at 8:15 am. Pick-up begins at noon. Children must be picked up no later than 12:15 pm each day.
  • Students are expected to bring a nut-free snack and a reusable water bottle to school each day.  Additionally, students should have a change of clothing available.
  • Our preschool runs in two semester blocks and follows the CCDS school calendar:
    • Fall Semester begins Monday, August 18, 2025, and ends on Friday, December 19, 2025.
      • School will be closed on Monday, November 3, and Tuesday, November 4, as well as the week of Thanksgiving, from Monday, November 24, to Friday, November 28, 2025.
    • Spring Semester begins Monday, January 5, 2026, and ends Friday, May 29, 2026.
      • School will be closed Monday, January 19, Monday, February 16, Monday, March 16, and Monday, May 25, 2026. School will also be closed for Spring Break from Monday, April 6, to Friday, April 10, 2026.
  • Enrollment for both semesters will open on June 30, 2025, and will remain open until all spots are filled. Priority will be given to students enrolling for the full year. Each child must enroll for individual semesters, unless they choose the full-year option.

Admissions

Applying to LLP is as easy as 1,2,3! 

  1. Attend an open house at our school. The first one will be June 22, 2025, at 4-5 pm.
  2. Submit an application (you can start here if you don’t need a tour.)
  3. Once you receive an offer letter, you have 48 hours to accept and pay the enrollment fee to secure your student’s spot.

What happens after I accept my offer?  

Once you’ve accepted enrollment, we will send you a welcome email with the LLP handbook and required enrollment forms. We will periodically email you throughout the summer. Here is a breakdown of when and what to expect:

  • Mid-July: You will receive a newsletter with a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re doing to prepare for the new school year.
  • August: We will send out a second newsletter on what to expect in the coming weeks, an invitation to a parent coffee session, a meet-the-teacher session, a classroom tour, and a teacher wish list.

Waitlist 

Our preschool waitlist is open year-round, allowing families to register their student for any available openings that may arise. Waitlist registrants also have first-come, first-served access when new registration cycles begin.

52504279264_6df9050b1e_o

FAQs

Enrollment opens Monday, June 30, 2025 and will remain open until all spots for each semester are filled. Priority will be given to those students who enroll in the full-year option.

Launch Pad Preschool is designed to provide a nurturing, play-based learning environment for preschool-aged children who are able to participate safely and independently in a group setting. While we are committed to inclusion and support a range of learning styles and developmental levels, our staff is not specifically trained or equipped to support children with significant medical needs or severe developmental challenges that require specialized care.

 

If you have questions about whether our program is a good fit for your child, we encourage you to reach out to our staff to discuss your child’s individual needs prior to enrollment.

No. The academic-year tuition to the Preschool includes a yearlong CML Family Membership. Current members will have their membership extended for the duration of their child's time in school.

No documents are needed to apply. However, if your child is selected for enrollment, you will need to provide the following to register:   

  • Medical Report Form that includes a physician’s statement & signature  
  • Current Immunization Record that includes a physician’s signature & date 
  • Medical Insurance Information (if covered)  
  • Policy Acknowledgements  
  • Hold Harmless & Indemnity Agreement  
  • Confidential Information Form  
  • Release of Child Authorization 
  • Ointment/Sunscreen Authorization
  • Emergency Contact Information
  • Medical Release Form
  • Guidance & Discipline Policy Confirmation

Once offered a spot, you will have 48 hours to accept or decline the offer by processing a $160 nonrefundable enrollment fee to confirm the child’s spot in the school.   

After 48 hours, if payment is not received, your spot will go to the next student on the waitlist.

This means that your child is placed on the waitlist for the Preschool. Your child will move up as students accept and decline a spot on the offered list. If your child moves up to the offered list, Launch Lab Preschool will send you an acceptance message, and you will have 48 hours to accept or decline the offer by processing a $160 nonrefundable enrollment fee to confirm your child’s spot in the Preschool.

Yes. If a family is offered a spot and has more than one child that meets the criteria for enrollment, and there is a spot available, then all children within that family will be accepted into the program. (Note: “Sibling” means biological or legally adopted. Cousins, nieces, nephews, and unrelated children in the home are not considered siblings.

Once you’ve accepted your offer of enrollment, we will send you a welcome email with the required forms you need as well as our LLP handbook. To be fully enrolled, all families must submit completed documentation and must have paid the enrollment fee within 48 hours of acceptance.

Fall Semester tuition is due August 1, 2025.  Spring Semester tuition is due December 15, 2025. Payments can be made online (link coming soon) or in person at the museum during normal operating hours. We do not accept checks as a form of payment for Preschool tuition.

If you have a question regarding your bill or a financial matter, please contact the registrar at launchlab@explorecml.org

LLP has a 1:12 student-to-teacher ratio.

LLP lead teachers hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in education and are committed to ongoing professional development.  The team also has over 15 years of combined children's museum experience and more than 25 years of early childhood educational experience.

The curriculum is designed by FrogStreet and provides intentional, age-appropriate instruction that is aligned to both federal and state standards. Its comprehensive, research-based programs integrate instruction across developmental domains and early learning disciplines. Launch Pad Preschool’s educators take these learning objectives and tailor them to meet the needs and interests of each class. Uniquely positioned within the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry, our educators are specially trained to extend the FrogStreet curriculum through hands-on exploration of the museum’s interactive exhibits, turning every visit to the museum floor into an opportunity for dynamic, inquiry-based learning.

Outdoor play is a critical time of the day for children. In addition to music and movement activities indoors, as weather permits, each class will spend up to an hour in the morning during the regular day outdoors.

Occasionally, educators may use educational videos or digital apps that are aligned with lessons. Otherwise, screen time is not used at the Preschool, except on occasions of persistent and ongoing bad weather.

Educators are trained in the technique of Conscious Discipline to manage behavior. Children are encouraged to talk through their inappropriate behaviors with adult guidance and prompting. If children are unable to manage themselves during an activity or classroom center, teachers may remove them from that area and provide them with something else to do.   

Discipline is individualized and consistent for each child, appropriate to the child’s level of understanding, and directed toward teaching the child acceptable behavior and self-control. Educators may only use positive methods of discipline and guidance that encourage self-esteem, self-control, and self-direction.  

Positive discipline and guidance techniques utilized may include recognizing appropriate behavior instead of focusing on unacceptable behavior, reminding the child of behavior expectations by using clear, positive statements, redirecting behavior using positive statements, and using brief supervised separation from the group, when appropriate for the child’s age and development. Matters of discipline are ordinarily dealt with by the teacher and will be done in a close cooperative effort with the caregivers.  

Caregivers are responsible for sending a nutritious, nut-free snack and a reusable water container each day. 

Safety & Security FAQs

The safety and well-being of every child is our top priority. Launch Pad Preschool is located within the secure environment of the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry and is equipped with multiple layers of protection to give families peace of mind.

Yes. The preschool room is under continuous camera surveillance by the museum administration. This allows for additional oversight and ensures that safety protocols are followed at all times.

The classroom has two access points, both of which are secured. The exterior door is equipped with a magnetic lock that can only be released by an adult from inside the room. The hallway entrance to the classroom is protected by a password-controlled access panel. These measures ensure that only authorized individuals can enter.

The preschool classroom is fully self-contained with its own child-sized restroom, supply room, and kitchenette. This setup minimizes the need for children to leave the room during the school day. When children do leave the classroom—such as to explore the museum floor as part of a guided learning experience—they are always accompanied and supervised by Launch Pad Preschool educators.

No. The preschool area is not accessible to general museum visitors. It is a dedicated, secured space used exclusively for Launch Pad Preschool students and staff.

Only individuals authorized by the child’s parent or legal guardian will be allowed to pick up a student from Launch Pad Preschool. Photo identification will be required at pickup, and no child will be released to an unauthorized person under any circumstances.