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Child’s Garden Classes

Preschool (3½ to 5 years) at the Child’s Garden

  • Monday through Friday, 8:30am – noon
  • 5-day program (Monday through Friday), 3-day (Monday through Wednesday) and 2-day (Thursday/Friday)
  • Maximum enrollment is 15 children
  • Community partner with the Montpelier School District, 3-STARS

The Preschool class is led by an Early Childhood teacher and an assistant. Children may enroll in the morning program for 2, 3 or 5 days per week. Many children remain in this class for 2-3 years until they are intellectually, emotionally and socially prepared to enter Elementary School. Each day follows a predictable, gentle, seasonal rhythm. Our daily artistic activities include drawing, painting, beeswax modeling, seasonal crafts, storytelling and puppet plays. Our practical tasks include bread-baking, snack preparation, simple handwork projects, cleaning and gardening. During our daily circle time, children are taught cooperative games, respectful boundaries and following directions. Regardless of the weather, every day we will spend time outside— running, climbing, digging in the sandbox, hiking and engaging in imaginative play—so seasonal outdoor clothing is essential. We engage in storytelling daily as this enhances a child’s capacity to listen and encourages a love of language, while finger plays and rhymes develop motor skills and improve coordination, which later will enhance their ability to write. A group snack, often prepared by the children that day, is served at a long, child-sized banquet table. Knowing that children of this age learn best through imitation, our teachers strive with every purpose, word and deed to be worthy of imitation.

Apple Blossom Nursery (2½ to 3½ years) at the Child’s Garden

  • Monday through Thursday, 8:45am – noon
  • 4-day program (Monday through Thursday), 2-day options (Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday)
  • Maximum enrollment is 5 children per day
  • Community partner with the Montpelier School District, 3-STARS

Childhood is a time for learning through activity, for experiencing the wonders of nature, for growing socially, for playing creatively, and imaginatively, for singing, talking, quarreling and crying, for running, and for laughing. Play is the child’s “work” and the way that they learn about life. One of the premises of the Apple Blossom program is that children’s play is the most important part of their morning. In creative free play children are left free to play in order to learn about sharing, taking risks, role modeling for each other and resolving conflicts. The small size of the Apple Blossom class allows the Early Childhood educator to create daily and weekly rhythms that meet the developmental needs of the children attending the program. Imagination is nurtured through stories and nursery rhymes. During circle time, the language arts part of the program, children become more confident and comfortable participating in group activities as they sing, move, and recite verses together. Clapping and jumping games not only aid with language and pre-reading skills but also help children develop the ability to sit still and listen. Outdoor play and indoor playthings with a connection to the natural world also nurtures and protects the children’s healthy development. Morning walks in the meadow help foster a connection to nature and its seasonal changes. The children eat a hearty snack of whole grains together at a beautifully set table. There also is an emphasis on bodily care – dressing, potty training, hand washing – and care for the things in our room – folding cloth, sweeping, dusting, polishing wood. Parent evenings will focus discussions on the healthy development of the young child and will be held regularly throughout the school year.

Afternoon Program

The Afternoon Program (3-STARS) is led by the Afternoon teacher and is available from noon to 3:00pm or 5:30pm (Monday through Friday) for children enrolled in the Preschool and the Apple Blossom Nursery classes. Enrollment is available in the afternoons for those children enrolled in the morning program of the same day for one to five days per week.