Bethlehem Children’s School offers year-round progressive education programs for children ages 3 through Kindergarten. Our school year runs from September through June, and our Summer Camps run for 10 weeks. We have flexible scheduling options, with part-time, full-time and extended-day schedules available. During the school year, we provide after school programming open to our students.
Our students spend ample time outdoors: hiking on our trails, playing on our playground, and learning in our gardens. We incorporate kindness and mindfulness curriculum into all of our classrooms. Throughout the year, we work on service projects with our students. Our vision is to inspire a life-long love of learning while building a deep connection to self, others, and the world.
Our classroom spaces and activities are designed to support a child’s whole development and learning, including early literacy, science, mathematics, art, dramatic play, fine and gross motor skills, and music. Teachers are constantly interacting with and observing the students to construct the next phase of the classroom curriculum. Children are encouraged to learn through active, open-ended exploration. Students initiate learning by making their own choices throughout the day, while still having the opportunity to participate in whole group and school-wide activities.
All of our programs are driven by our mission to provide experiential, child-led, multi-age education for the whole child, emphasizing nature, wisdom, and wellness. Discover today why Bethlehem Children’s School is a special place to learn and grow!
Sprouts (3s/4s)
The Sprouts programs focus on our youngest of learners. Students work on forming peer relationships and becoming part of a community outside of the home. In our safe and supportive environment, we help to build self-confidence and develop school skills as we guide them toward autonomy.
Saplings (4s/5s)
The Sapling classroom’s educational program is designed to provide an environment in which children are encouraged to develop individual interests through exploration and personal choice within the safe boundaries of a small school. Students are exposed to an academic curriculum in a hands-on, relaxed classroom within a whole-school environment. They learn about sustainability while exploring nature on the school’s trails and in the gardens. Sapling children are immersed each day in an environment rich in literacy, mathematics, science, and the arts—all of which ensures successful cognitive and emotional development and provides for a positive transition to the elementary years.
Kindergarten
In the Kindergarten class, children work together to accomplish group and individual academic and social goals. The Kindergarten curriculum is built upon the Next Generation of NYS Learning Standards, as well as inquiry-based learning. Students come to class eager to learn and ask questions and we work together to answer those questions through research, group work and individualized instruction. After their time at BCS Kindergarten, students go on to attend their local elementary school or other area independent schools, entering either Kindergarten or first grade. Our small and personalized classroom offers a supportive environment for students as they transition between preschool and elementary school.
Enrichment Classes
Throughout the week, all students at BCS experience a variety of enrichment classes from our electives staff.
Art: Saplings and Kindergarten
Bodies in Motion (physical activities and games): Sprouts, Saplings, and Kindergarten
STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math): Sprouts, Saplings, and Kindergarten
Growing (gardening and nature education and exploration): Sprouts, Saplings, and Kindergarten
Music: Sprouts, Saplings, and Kindergarten
Library: Sprouts, Saplings, and Kindergarten