Benefits of P.L.A.Y. Based Learning
P.L.A.Y at Sierra Nevada Academy Charter School(SNACS) is POWERFUL! Promoting Learning and Accountability in Youth, also known as P.L.A.Y. is the academic model that sets us apart from the rest. Through play, we teach the whole child and prepare our students for a lifetime of learning and success. SNACS takes personalized expeditionary learning to a whole new level.
Learning through play is based on the science of learning and child development theory. Play also brings the fun of learning to education. Did you know that learning through play promotes brain development and increases student engagement and achievement? Students who are engaged in learning through play increase their understanding of key concepts as they apply what they are learning in real time with real-world problem-solving skills. Are you ready to unleash the power of play at our tuition-free Charter School?
What is P.L.A.Y.
P.L.A.Y. stands for Promoting Learning and Accountability in Youth. We believe in the power of P.L.A.Y. so much that it’s even included in our mission statement: “SNACS leads education innovation through personalized learning via PLAY, choice, and exploration within our small school community.”
Our groundbreaking charter school curriculum is filled with choices—innovative and engaging ways for students to discover new passions, acquire critical skills, and find their own way forward to a more successful future. The SNACS model does not ask students to conform to an educational vision. P.L.A.Y. asks them to create their own and helps them achieve their goals.
Even though our campus starts with children as young as nine months, our play model isn’t just for little children. Our curriculum starts at the preschool level and is provided all the way through 8th grade, on one campus for one community providing continuity of care.
Want to know one of our favorite parts of the P.L.A.Y. model? It was developed by Dr. Kimberly Regan, our passionate and forward-thinking SNACS Founder and Chief Executive Officer, (who is the longest-serving charter school administrator in the state of Nevada).
Why P.L.A.Y.?
As the first K-8 charter school in Nevada, SNACS was founded on the simple, powerful insight that students of all ages learn best when they can do what they love. After 25 years as a staple in the Reno community, we have learned firsthand how the P.L.A.Y. model changes students’ lives.
“It all starts with giving them that freedom and giving them that choice. Adults have to make these decisions. I think we’re creating very mature kids who will make very good decisions when they are older.” – SNACS Teacher
Hands-on expeditionary learning can take you anywhere in life. At SNACS, we travel together. SNACS Teachers empower students to be the best citizens and leaders they can be.
Why SNACS?
- Personalized Learning Plans for Individualized & Differentiated Instruction
- Innovative Instruction using Choice & Play
- Small Group Instruction & Hands-On Learning
- Dedicated Teachers & Staff
- Tuition-Free Kindergarten to 8th Grade
- Preschool Options (Including Tuition-Free)
Check out our new campus and enroll today for the 2024-25 school year.
About SNACS
Sierra Nevada Academy Charter School (SNACS) is a Tuition-Free Public K-8 Charter School with free preschool options. As Nevada’s first charter school, we have served our community for 25 years as a standout school of choice and personalized learning. We nurture self-directed learners through choice, prioritizing expeditionary learning and offering a unique, proprietary, hands-on P.L.A.Y. model (Promoting Learning and Accountability in Youth). Now in a new location, 10 miles north of Reno, SNACS brings the small school experience back to the neighborhood. Education – with a choice! We’re enrolling for Fall 2024-2025.