About
Playgarden Prep Online offers daily lessons that include activities such as Art, Music, Dance, Storytime, Spelling Bee, Worksheet Review, Story Sharing, Movement, and teacher-led Playdates with small student groups. The program also incorporates DIY educational materials, educational toys, Do-It-Together (DIT) activities, art projects, educational games, crafts, and sensory play as part of its online preschool experience at home. Families can use a comprehensive online preschool program for children learning at home all week or a Play and Learn program to complement education received at school or daycare.
• Ages: 1–7 years old
• Schedule: 27 weeks of daily lessons, with repetition and typical school year breaks extending the program to a full 9-month school year
Playgarden Prep Online is based on a private preschool curriculum developed in NYC private preschools and offers lessons with certified teachers, hands-on learning tools, and a daily learning schedule. The online preschool teachers are the same teachers who teach in the NYC locations, and the program includes UNLIMITED live Zoom classes, teacher-led Playdates with small student groups, and nationwide socializing. The well-being platform includes thousands of learning videos in subjects such as science, math, language, and other key skills, and the curriculum that relates to wellbeing covers Social and Emotional Development, Physical Health, Nutrition, and Sleep. True to its online Montessori preschool origins, children can choose their own learning path in the Play & Learn program, and Learning Kits follow an online Montessori preschool methodology. The program can be started anytime, anywhere, and includes a 100% success rate for graduates meeting or surpassing their Kindergarten Readiness Standards, as well as a 100% Satisfaction Money-Back Guarantee. Playgarden Prep Online uses an award-winning curriculum and has helped thousands of families over the last 15 years.
Playgarden’s mission centers on whole child development and making its wellbeing-related curriculum available online in addition to its various programs. The organization states that it is striving to become the premier provider of early education programs for children ages 12 months to 5 years by developing innovative programs tailored to different educational stages of childhood. At the core of the Playgarden community is a belief in and support of equity and inclusion, and the team states that they will take care of children as if they were their own, instilling them with confidence and a love of learning.
The leadership team for Playgarden Prep and Playgarden Prep Online includes Elizabeth Gilliard (Head of Schools and Lead Pre-K Teacher), Emma Basel (Lead Teacher and Educational Director), Carlos Corona (CEO - Playgarden Online and Co-Founder of Playgarden Prep), and Amanda Vierheller (COO - Playgarden Online and Co-Founder of Playgarden Prep). Elizabeth Gilliard holds a BA in Psychology with a focus on Child Development, a Minor in Anthropology, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education (Birth to 2nd Grade), and NYS Teaching Certification (Birth through 2nd Grade). Emma Basel holds a Master of Arts in Developmental Disabilities, a BA in Early Childhood Education with a Minor in Disabilities Studies and Human Development & Family Sciences, and NYS Teaching Certification (Birth through 2nd Grade). Carlos Corona holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Amanda Vierheller has over 20 years of experience leading multidisciplinary groups of early learning specialists, 10 years of experience as a Director and Franchise Development Specialist with leading children’s centers, and decades of experience in curriculum development.
Playgarden was founded in 2007 by Carlos, his wife Valeska, and co-founder Amanda, and opened a new location in the Upper East Side in 2017. In 2019, Playgarden started working on providing access to its early education programs online, which were made available to families in the fall of 2020. Over the last 15 years, Playgarden has helped thousands of families.
Parents describe Playgarden Prep Online as providing structure for homeschool schedules, with self-paced daily lessons, live workshops, and written worksheets that can be spread throughout the day. Testimonials from parents report children learning letters, numbers, continents, and planets before age 3, and some parents share that their children were considered advanced at kindergarten registration. Parents also note that their children enjoy the Playgarden songs, want to watch the program every day, and that the teachers and songs have become part of their family routines. Multiple parents describe being impressed with the curriculum, the amount of care placed into the online content, and the range of subjects introduced by the teachers.
Last updated May 29, 2026.
• Ages: 1–7 years old
• Schedule: 27 weeks of daily lessons, with repetition and typical school year breaks extending the program to a full 9-month school year
Playgarden Prep Online is based on a private preschool curriculum developed in NYC private preschools and offers lessons with certified teachers, hands-on learning tools, and a daily learning schedule. The online preschool teachers are the same teachers who teach in the NYC locations, and the program includes UNLIMITED live Zoom classes, teacher-led Playdates with small student groups, and nationwide socializing. The well-being platform includes thousands of learning videos in subjects such as science, math, language, and other key skills, and the curriculum that relates to wellbeing covers Social and Emotional Development, Physical Health, Nutrition, and Sleep. True to its online Montessori preschool origins, children can choose their own learning path in the Play & Learn program, and Learning Kits follow an online Montessori preschool methodology. The program can be started anytime, anywhere, and includes a 100% success rate for graduates meeting or surpassing their Kindergarten Readiness Standards, as well as a 100% Satisfaction Money-Back Guarantee. Playgarden Prep Online uses an award-winning curriculum and has helped thousands of families over the last 15 years.
Playgarden’s mission centers on whole child development and making its wellbeing-related curriculum available online in addition to its various programs. The organization states that it is striving to become the premier provider of early education programs for children ages 12 months to 5 years by developing innovative programs tailored to different educational stages of childhood. At the core of the Playgarden community is a belief in and support of equity and inclusion, and the team states that they will take care of children as if they were their own, instilling them with confidence and a love of learning.
The leadership team for Playgarden Prep and Playgarden Prep Online includes Elizabeth Gilliard (Head of Schools and Lead Pre-K Teacher), Emma Basel (Lead Teacher and Educational Director), Carlos Corona (CEO - Playgarden Online and Co-Founder of Playgarden Prep), and Amanda Vierheller (COO - Playgarden Online and Co-Founder of Playgarden Prep). Elizabeth Gilliard holds a BA in Psychology with a focus on Child Development, a Minor in Anthropology, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education (Birth to 2nd Grade), and NYS Teaching Certification (Birth through 2nd Grade). Emma Basel holds a Master of Arts in Developmental Disabilities, a BA in Early Childhood Education with a Minor in Disabilities Studies and Human Development & Family Sciences, and NYS Teaching Certification (Birth through 2nd Grade). Carlos Corona holds a BS in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). Amanda Vierheller has over 20 years of experience leading multidisciplinary groups of early learning specialists, 10 years of experience as a Director and Franchise Development Specialist with leading children’s centers, and decades of experience in curriculum development.
Playgarden was founded in 2007 by Carlos, his wife Valeska, and co-founder Amanda, and opened a new location in the Upper East Side in 2017. In 2019, Playgarden started working on providing access to its early education programs online, which were made available to families in the fall of 2020. Over the last 15 years, Playgarden has helped thousands of families.
Parents describe Playgarden Prep Online as providing structure for homeschool schedules, with self-paced daily lessons, live workshops, and written worksheets that can be spread throughout the day. Testimonials from parents report children learning letters, numbers, continents, and planets before age 3, and some parents share that their children were considered advanced at kindergarten registration. Parents also note that their children enjoy the Playgarden songs, want to watch the program every day, and that the teachers and songs have become part of their family routines. Multiple parents describe being impressed with the curriculum, the amount of care placed into the online content, and the range of subjects introduced by the teachers.
Last updated May 29, 2026.
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