Little Folks School

What Little Folks School does

Little Folks School is an independent nonprofit preschool operating from a single historic 1908 building at 3247 Q Street NW in Georgetown, Washington DC. Founded in 1973, the school serves approximately 68 children aged 18 months through 5 years each academic year, organized into a Tiny Folks program (~12 students, 18 months to 2.5 years) and a Mixed Age Preschool program (~56 students, 2.5 to 5 years). The school holds NAEYC accreditation and maintains long-standing curricular partnerships, most notably with the Wolf Trap Institute for arts-in-education programming since 2000 and with Martha's Table for community service through the Sandwich Patrol program.

The school's revenue model is tuition-driven, with 2026-2027 annual tuition set at $27,707 for the Morning Only program and $33,434 for the Full Day program. Ancillary revenue is generated through before/aftercare, a Transitional Kindergarten program, an Outdoor Adventure Camp, and a Swimming Folks add-on, supplemented by donor contributions and fundraising events such as the December 2024 52nd Anniversary Gala. There is no disclosed technology platform; operations are conducted through a 20-person staff in a single physical site, with admissions driven by word of mouth and Open House events rather than paid marketing.

Geographically, the school draws the majority of its families from the Georgetown neighborhood, with reported Georgetown-resident family shares in the 50-67% range. Governance is provided by a volunteer board, currently chaired by Azali Kassum for the 2025-2026 term. The combined effect of a supply-constrained single building, multi-generational alumni reputation, and NAEYC accreditation supports sustained pricing power and stable enrollment, while simultaneously capping the addressable growth ceiling without physical expansion.

Name

Little Folks School

Legal name

Little Folks School

Website

https://littlefolks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Little Folks School is an independent nonprofit NAEYC-accredited preschool in Georgetown, Washington DC, serving approximately 68 children ages 18 months to 5 years at a single historic 1908 building on Q Street NW, with tuition-based revenue and supplementary camps and donor fundraising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education (Independent Preschool)

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic/School-Readiness Preschools (EDACABAB), Infant & Toddler Classrooms within Childcare Centers (EDACAGAC)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Preschool programs
• Toddler daycare
• Summer camp programs
• Before aftercare

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Preschool Tuition: Primary revenue stream from tuition for the academic year. Two program options: Morning Only ($27,707) and Full Day ($33,434) for the 2026-2027 school year. Programs include Tiny Folks Toddler Program (18 months-2.5 years) and Mixed Age Preschool Program (2.5-5 years).
2. Summer Camp Programs: Summer camp revenue for children ages 18 months to 6 years. Single session full day pricing ranges from $1,570-$1,675; morning only from $1,110-$1,230. Full summer packages available at $6,165 (full day) and $4,445 (morning only). Optional add-ons include swimming ($125) and aftercare.
3. Before and Aftercare Services: Extended day care services including Before Care (7:45-8:45am) and Aftercare (2:45-3:45pm or 2:45-4:45pm). Full year pricing: Before Care $3,145, Aftercare 1 hour $3,145, Aftercare 2 hours $5,145.
4. Application Fees: Non-refundable application fee of $50 for new student applications.
5. Merchandise/Swag Sales: LFS branded merchandise including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bags, and children's items sold through the school's swag store.
6. Donations and Fundraising: Annual giving program supported by current and past parents. Donation options include Annual Gala Sponsorship, Gala Donations, and specific scholarship funds including the Jeremiah Burch Walker Summer Scholarship Fund and Gay Cioffi Scholarship Endowment Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Little Folks School is an independent, NAEYC-accredited preschool in Georgetown, Washington DC that delivers play-based early childhood education for children ages 18 months to 5 years. Its core academic programs are the Tiny Folks Toddler Program (18 months-2.5 years, 12 students in the Orange Room with 3 teachers) and the Mixed Age Preschool Program (2.5-5 years, four classrooms of 12-17 students each). The school supplements academics with Transitional Kindergarten, before/aftercare, and seasonal summer camp programs.

Product overview

Little Folks School offers a unified early childhood education program with two core programs (Tiny Folks Toddler Program for ages 18 months-2.5 years and Mixed Age Preschool Program for ages 2.5-5 years) supplemented by optional add-on modules including Transitional Kindergarten (TK), before/aftercare services, and summer camp programs (Toddler Camp, Signature Summer Camp, Outdoor Adventure Camp, and Swimming Folks). The school is accredited by NAEYC and operates from a permanent home at 3247 Q Street NW in Georgetown, Washington DC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tiny Folks Toddler Program
• Mixed Age Preschool Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Children prepared and ready for kindergarten after leaving LFS, with majority attending area independent schools
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2000, Little Folks School has collaborated with the Education Department of the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Foundation. A professional Wolf Trap Teaching Artist partners with classroom teachers to plan and teach arts-integrated experiences designed to support children's achievement and classroom curriculum goals. During residencies, children participate in arts-integrated lessons supporting developmentally appropriate learning, creative expression, problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Teachers also learn new creative ways to deliver curriculum content. Wolf Trap Institute is recognized as a national model for arts integration in early childhood.
• Martha's TablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrough the 'Sandwich Patrol' program, children make sandwiches and trail mix bags for Martha's Table to distribute to people who are food insecure. Every other month, LFS families provide ingredients to make almost 200 sandwiches and trail mix. Children and adults put together food items in the morning before drop-off, with classes visiting throughout the morning to participate. This service learning initiative teaches children about helping their greater community.
• Capital Area Food BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual November food drive collects non-perishable items for the Capital Area Food Bank. Children participate hands-on by selecting food, carrying it to school, and placing it in collection baskets. Last year contributed over 200 cans of food.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Georgetown Day School: DC independent school serving early childhood through 12th grade with a progressive, play-based philosophy in the same affluent Georgetown/northwest DC corridor. Comparable on demographic, mission, and progressive-pedagogy dimensions.
• Washington Episcopal School: Independent school in Bethesda serving preschool through 8th grade with a play-based, developmental approach. Comparable on pedagogy and target demographic.
• Norwood School: Independent school in Bethesda, MD serving early childhood through 8th grade. Comparable as a premium DC-metro independent preschool serving the same demographic of two-income professional families.
• St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School: Northwest DC independent school offering early childhood through 4th grade with a play- and arts-based curriculum. Direct competitor for preschool-aged families in the same catchment area as Little Folks School.
• French International School of Washington (Lycée Français): DC international school with an early childhood program serving francophone and bilingual families in the same affluent demographic as Little Folks School.
• Sheridan School: Northwest DC independent school (K-8) with a progressive, child-centered philosophy. Comparable as a competitor for families seeking developmental, non-traditional preschool pathways.
• British School of Washington: DC international school offering early years through secondary education, drawing from the same embassy/expat and affluent professional families as Little Folks School.

Regional players

• Capitol Hill Day School: Independent progressive school on Capitol Hill with early childhood program. Comparable mission and pedagogy, but serves a different DC neighborhood catchment.

Broad incumbents

• National Cathedral School: DC-area independent school (4th-12th grade) with feeder relationships into the same elite independent school pipeline that LFS prepares families for; serves as a broader incumbent in the upper end of the DC preschool-to-independent-school ecosystem.
• The Lab School of Washington: DC independent school with a broader special focus on learning differences; draws from the same affluent DC demographic seeking individualized early childhood education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheLittleFolksSchool
• Instagramlittlefolks.org/instagram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/little-folks-school-dc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Little Folks School