Lexington Friends Preschool offers child-centered, hands-on exploration opportunities where children guide their learning experience. Inspired by the philosophy and curriculum of Dr. Maria Montessori, and through a thoughtful balance of academics and play, at LFP children naturally develop a life-long love of learning.

We believe in embracing children's curiosity and fostering their sense of wonder. With a strong focus on outdoor play, children have the opportunity to immerse themselves into their environment and cultivate an appreciation for the beauty of the natural world around them. We strive to create a nurturing and enriching school culture where all children are respected as members of their community

LFP was founded in 2015 by native Kentuckians and passionate early educators, Chapi Johnson and Emily Webb. Chapi and Emily wanted to incorporate imaginative play, outdoor exploration, environmental education, art, community involvement, and hands-on experience with nature into a Montessori-inspired curriculum.

After steadily growing the program through those first five years, the global COVID-19 pandemic shut down child care in Kentucky and beyond in 2020. LFP entered a different phase of program building as we found new ways to do preschool during those uncertain times. Once we came back to full-time programming under new leadership, LFP continued to be known for all weather play and creative classrooms, with most of our families joining our community by word-of-mouth from other families. We added younger toddlers in our Emerging Toddlers program. We offered Afterschool programming until 5:30pm. We created separate outdoor play areas for toddlers and preschoolers so everyone could be outdoors at the same time with their own spaces.

LFP celebrated our 10th birthday in 2025. In the last couple of years we have rearranged our indoor spaces and established a Gross Motor Room space indoors. We have started a raised bed outdoor garden with a grant from the Frances Dewing Foundation. We have had our garden space revitalized by a gorgeous hand-painted custom mural on the surrounding concrete walls. We currently serve students ages 1 to 5 in programs from 7:30am to 5:30pm. Our programming and LFP community continue to evolve to meet the needs of working families in the Lexington area.