Children who live in an atmosphere
of love and warmth,
and who have around them
truly good examples to imitate,
are living in their element.”
 

– Rudolf Steiner

Early Childhood

Worthy of Imitation

At Hartsbrook, we value children’s play. Our Early Childhood program facilitates and supports healthy movement, conscious social interactions, and a strong connection to the natural world. We offer rhythm and balance in daily and weekly activities. Through purposeful work, rich movement opportunities, seasonal celebration, storytelling and song, our programs support the development of creative thinking, awareness of self and others, and a joy for life.  The classes build healthy foundations empowering young children to succeed in their later school experiences.

Young children imitate and absorb their surroundings deeply. At Hartsbrook great consideration is given to the children’s play environment, which is created to be beautiful, healthy and natural.

Offering parent-child classes, mixed-aged kindergartens and outdoor forest kindergarten

Parent Child Program - Cricket on the Hearth

for children birth through 2.9 and their caregivers

During the first years of life, children build a foundation of health that stays with them throughout their entire lives.  The Hartsbrook School’s Cricket on the Hearth program offers Parent-Baby and Parent-Child classes that provide a safe and caring environment that deepens our intuitive parenting capacities and nourishes our children during these formative years.

Kindergarten

age 2.9 through age 6

In our Early Childhood classrooms, we provide rich exposure to language and culture through stories, songs and verses. Children experience social interactions through play and practical activity. Teachers provide a healthy mixture of active pursuits, such as nature walks and visits to the farm animals, along with quiet activities, such as coloring, painting, beeswax modeling and baking.

– Full and half day options are available

Forest Kindergarten

ages 2.9 through age 6

The Hartsbrook School’s Forest Kindergarten offers a sanctuary for childhood, tucked into the banks of a brook at the foot of the Seven Sisters Range.  Here, the natural world provides a unique environment for the education of the whole child.

Daily explorations of woods, streams, and fields engage children’s natural curiosity. Children’s development is nurtured through joyful movement, purposeful work, creative sensory activity, play, story, song and loving care amidst the beauty and peace of the forest.  Children develop courage, confidence and a deep connection to the natural world that they carry with them for the rest of their life.

– Full and half day options are available

What is Waldorf Early Childhood Education?

Waldorf pedagogy is based on the educational insights of scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner. He created a teaching framework that considers the whole being of a child and adolescent as they develop through the many phases of growth and maturity. He brought the view that human beings are in need of an education that nurtures thinking, naturally, but also nurtures “feeling” and “willing,” as necessary to build capacities for each individual to come into their full humanity, one who is sensitive to the world in subtle ways, and who strives for a meaningful life that embraces others. Over time, Steiner’s methods and insights have given birth to practical holistic innovations in many fields besides education, including medicine, psychology, the arts, and biodynamic agriculture.

More Information and Registration

For more information, please contact Enrollment:

(413) 586-1908, ext. 116
email: admissions@hartsbrook.org

Schedule and Fees

Kindergarten applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Familes may apply at any time. Classes are typically formed in the summer, carefully balancing the make up of each class. Openings however, may become available throughout the year!

Call us to register for parent child classes