About Us
Sounds and Colors is a pioneering early childhood education community rooted in the Reggio Emilia philosophy and Spanish Immersion. Founded in 2011, we have grown into a village of schools that honor children as capable, curious, and full of potential.
Our mission is to create intentional spaces and meaningful relationships where children, families, and educators learn together through play, inquiry, and connection. We believe in celebrating diversity, embracing beauty, and listening deeply to the voices of children.
At the heart of our work is a profound respect for the early years as a unique and powerful stage of life. Our schools are places where joy, reflection, and discovery live side by side—where every experience is an opportunity to grow, contribute, and belong.
Our Story
Sounds and Colors was born from a shared dream—one that began around kitchen tables, between story time and evening walks, as Dan and Martha envisioned a place where childhood would be honored with the dignity and depth it deserves. In 2010, they left their executive careers to build something radically human: a school where children are seen as protagonists, where Spanish immersion and the Reggio Emilia philosophy could live side by side, and where families would feel they truly belong.
Their daughter, Isabel, and her childhood friend Nico were among the first to imagine Sounds and Colors through children’s eyes, sketching early drawings that became the inspiration for the school’s original logo. From the very beginning, children’s voices were not just heard—they shaped the identity of the school.
The journey began in a small, wooded church lot just outside town. The road to the school was quiet and winding—off the beaten path—yet families came. They came because they believed in something different: in classrooms that reflected children’s ideas, in documentation that made learning visible, in a village built on mutual respect, inclusion, and joy. Professors, artists, recent immigrants, and long-time locals walked through the same doors, bringing diverse perspectives into one shared community.
Sounds and Colors became a place where learning is co-constructed, language is celebrated, and every interaction carries the possibility of transformation. Artists created pieces alongside children that now hang as icons of our history. Open houses became gatherings, gatherings became traditions, and traditions became our foundation.
What began as a dream has grown into a community of four schools committed to joyful, meaningful, and inclusive early childhood education. Our story continues—shaped every day by the voices, drawings, and dreams of the children and families we serve.
Founders
Sounds and Colors was founded in 2011 by Martha and Dan Rockaway—two visionary leaders who share a commitment to joyful, high-quality, and inclusive early childhood education.
Martha Rockaway is a seasoned educator, teacher trainer, and published advocate for children’s right to play. Born and raised in Medellín, Colombia, she brings more than 30 years of experience in education and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Education, a Master’s in Latin American Literature, and a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Education from the University of Colorado in partnership with Boulder Journey School. As Pedagogista of Sounds and Colors, Martha guides the educational vision of the organization, supporting the program in cultivating Reggio-inspired, bilingual environments that reflect children’s agency, cultural identity, and capacity for deep learning. Her publication in Exchange Magazine—a leading early childhood journal—highlights her commitment to advocating for playful learning as a powerful and inclusive pedagogical tool.
Dan Rockaway, MBA, brings three decades of executive leadership across education and business. A graduate of Penn State (B.S. in Accounting) and Elon University (MBA), Dan combines strategic thinking with a passion for advocacy. He co-founded Sounds and Colors with the belief that early childhood programs can be both pedagogically rich and operationally sound. As President of the North Carolina Licensed Child Care Association and a gubernatorial appointee to the NC Task Force on Child Care and Early Education, Dan plays a key role in shaping statewide policy to support children, families, and early educators.
Together, Martha and Dan envisioned Sounds and Colors as more than a school—it is a community, a philosophy, and a movement to honor childhood, empower educators, and build bridges across language, culture, and learning.
Our Educational Approach
At Sounds and Colors, education is a living, relational experience—a co-constructed journey between children, educators, families, and the world.
Our educational philosophy is inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, which sees children as capable, curious protagonists of their own learning. We believe that learning is not transmitted but actively constructed through meaningful relationships, intelligent materials, and thoughtful environments. Our approach is grounded in the pedagogy of listening—honoring children’s voices, questions, emotions, and theories about the world.
As a Spanish Immersion school, we offer children not only the gift of language but a bridge between cultures. Language becomes a vehicle for connection, empathy, and global citizenship. Through rich, natural exposure to Spanish, children develop fluency while experiencing the joy of multilingual identity and intercultural understanding.
Play is at the heart of everything we do. It is not a break from learning—it is learning. We advocate for the child’s fundamental right to play as a way of engaging in inquiry, problem-solving, imagination, and communication. We value play as a serious, complex language through which children make sense of the world
Our curriculum emerges from the children themselves. Projects are not pre-designed, but born from children’s ideas, interests, and questions. Educators engage alongside children as researchers and co-learners, observing, documenting, and expanding learning through provocations and cycles of inquiry. Intelligent materials—open-ended, sensory-rich, and culturally meaningful—support children’s expression in “a hundred languages,” from scientific and mathematical thinking to storytelling, artistic creation, and embodied play.
Emotional wellbeing and social connection are never secondary. We believe learning is only possible in environments where children feel safe, seen, and valued. That’s why our educational approach integrates Social Emotional Learning not as an add-on, but as an integral, ongoing process that transcends prescribed content.
At Sounds and Colors, education is not about preparing children for the future—it is about honoring who they are right now. We cultivate wonder, agency, and joy—so that every child can grow into themselves with courage, curiosity, and confidence.
Contextual Curriculum
Leadership Team
Dan Rockaway
Bringing more vision to Sounds and Colors:
Joining in January 2026
Martha Rockaway
Voices of Our Community
