The Active Learning Center

Welcome to TALES

Where Young Minds Grow, Learn, and Thrive

TALES a joyful and inclusive early childhood school committed to nurturing the whole child. We provide a warm, safe, and welcoming environment where students feel supported, families feel connected, and learning comes to life.

Our dedicated staff work in close partnership with families to build a strong foundation for acedemic success and social-emotional growth. Through innovative programs like Thinking Maps and Math in the City, we tailor our curriculum to meet the individual needs of every leasrner-especially our multilingual students-by integrating language development inot both academic and social expereinces.

🎨 Learning Through Play

We believe that pkay is esstential to early childhood development. Our classrooms are filled with hands-on-activites, exploration, and creativity-becasue when childre play, they build the skills they need to solve problems, express themselves, and connect with others.

🥗 Wellness at the Heart of Learning

TALES is proud to be a national leader in school wellness In 2012, we became the first public school in the country to adopt an all-vegetarian lunch menu, reflecting our deep commitment to student health and sustainability. We continue this work through partnerships with FAN4KIDS and The Coalition for Healthy School Food, bringing nutrition education and physical wellness into ecery child’s day.

🌟 Preparing for Tomorrow

At TALES, we prepare young minds to tackle the challenges of tomorrow with confidence, compassion, and curiosity. Our progressive academic approach, combined with a strong focus on health, equity, and family engagement, ensures that every child leaves our school ready to lead a healthy and purposeful life.

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Experience education like never before. Your journey starts here.

Whether you are a current TALES family or a prospective one, we welcome you to the first vegetarian public school in the country and two time National Blue Ribbon award winning school!

As we go into the 2025-26 school year, we are excited to have you with us! The first day of school is Thursday, September 4th and please know that the TALES family is here to support you throughout the summer and the new school year.

Sincerely,

Bob Groff

Principal and Co-founder, TALES

Why The Active Learning Elementary School?

Our mission is to support and equip students, teachers, and parents by providing amazing Pre-K through Grade 3 academic resources based upon TALES Mission, Vision, and Core Values.

TALES Mission Statement

The mission of The Active Learning Elementary School (TALES), a PreK - 3rd grade school, is to foster academic excellence in a safe and caring learning environment. Through a partnership of family, staff, and community, TALES strives to educate the whole child by meeting their academic, health and wellness, and social-emotional needs. We utilize a race equity lens to empower student to break up patterns of racism and become leaders in our world.
TALES Vision

The vision of the The Active Learning Elementary School (TALES), a PreK - 3rd Grade school, is to empower our students with the academic, social-emotional, and health and wellness skills necessary to become leaders who question the world around them and strive to end racism.
TALES Core Values

The Core Values serve as a guide to our daily lives at TALES and our lives beyond the classroom. The Core Values themselves and the terminology used to define them should become a part of the students' vocabulary and ultimately frame their way of thinking and living. Only by consistently modeling and discussing them will our students exemplify the following Core Values: Race Equity, Health/Nutrition, Respect, Leadership and Commitment.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

TALES is the first public school in the nation to implement a fully vegetarian lunch menu, promoting a healthy eating model. TALES success influenced New York City, leading to the expansion of bvegetarian lunch options, with all schools now offering meatless options on Mondays and Fridays.

Read how TALES made history as the first public school in the U.S. to serve an all-vegetarian menu—and inspired NYC’s citywide shift to meatless meals

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Children select food from a cafeteria serving line.

Two children smile while eating lunch at a school cafeteria.

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Two Time National Blue Ribbon School (2015 & 2023)

What is a National Blue Ribbon School ?

A U.S. National Blue Ribbon Schoool is a school recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for its overall academic excellence or its progress in closing achievement gaps, and must demonstrate this through student assessment data. Schools are selected from nominated candiates and must medet strict criteria, including high performance on state and national tests or significant advances in student achievement for diverse groups. The award recognizes schools that serve as models for innovation and effective practices, leading to an inspiring and high-quality learning environment for all students.

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RACIAL EQUITY

Now entering our 19th year, we are also well known for our work in Race Equity. TALES staff have created and tailored curriculum to support our students individually and ensure that their races and cultures are represented throughout the school.

- Mission Statement: TALES’s mission explicitly states the use of a “race equity lens to empower students to break up patterns of racism and become leaders in the world”.

- Curriculum: our school has created and tailered its curriculum to support students individually and ensure that their races and cultures are represented.

About Us