Beacon Hill Nursery School (BHNS)

There are so many wonderful moments in a child's early development and to begin the cornerstone of a child's educational life at this moment enriches our School community as well as our professional expertise. Beacon Hill Nursery School was founded in 1955. Our primary mission: to nurture our students' innate curiosity and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning. We believe that children who develop strong selfconcepts and social and emotional skills are most successful both in School and later in life.our toddler program which includes four classes of 9 children is designed to provide an opportunity for toddlers to experience the same high quality early childhood educational experiences as preschoolers but addressing the very specific needs, challenges, and delights of this particular age group. Children must have turned two years old by the opening of School and will attend either 2 or 3 morning or afternoon sessions each week from 8:45am to 12:00pm or from 1:00pm to 4:15pm; morning classes include a lunch time with lunches brought from home and afternoon classes include snack time with snacks brought from home. The daily curriculum offers toddlers opportunities to explore the environment according to their capabilities, interests, and developmental needs. Our teachers design curricula and environments that support, nurture, and challenge the needs and issues of the children in their classes. Our toddler teachers have designed a classroom, curriculum, and outdoor space that address the very specific and important developmental characteristics of a two-year-old; they have specific training in "toddlerhood and attend national trainings and conferences on the subject of "toddling twos" throughout the year. The toddler classroom has a variety of creative centers: a sensory area such as tables filled with sand, water, or any other interesting substance for children to develop and explore with different senses; a manipulative area to build, snap, connect, twist, push, turn, and, thus, nurture budding fine motor skills; an art area to experiment with various materials, providing an opportunity for self-expression and creativity; a book area in a cozy corner to explore print and to share books with friends and teachers; a dramatic play area to coax the development of cooperative and imaginative play and; a space to sing, dance, listen to stories, and discover language. The day's schedule, while flexible, will include free choice activities, a short group gathering, outdoor play, snack, story time, and nutrition sustenance. Diapering will take place on an individual basis and children will be checked hourly as well. Our younger Nursery students, ages 2.9 to 3.11, enjoy having a space of their own where they can experience the joy of creating art works and playing with play dough, water, sand and other tactile and sensory materials. Initially, separation is a primary focus for many children others welcome the opportunity to explore a topic of interest in depth. As the year progresses, the children's attention spans lengthen, and both discussions and projects become more involved. The children's social skills also bloom as they learn about sharing, taking turns, and the value of cooperative play. They discover that they are part of a larger world, and that the rewards of friendship are plentiful. Older Nursery four- and five-year-olds are becoming skilled organizers and untiring negotiators who appreciate fairness, reason and logic. Much time is spent exploring their wonderful ideas and making sense of the world around them. Projects and study are driven by children's interests and inquiry, and may involve an entire class or a small group. The curriculum is designed to allow children to express their increasing confidence and independence, while meeting the challenge of their noisy curiosity, energy, and endless enthusiasm. The junior kindergarten curriculum is designed to keep pace with children's cognitive, social, and physical skills which are developing at a tremendous rate. Through daily discussions and indepth study, we nurture and stimulate that growth, while encouraging self-confidence, enthusiasm for learning, and a respect for others. Topics of interest arise from children's interests and inquiry, and projects may last a week, a month, or a season. Projects incorporate all domains of development as well as more "academic" content. Literacy: junior kindergartners are introduced to and encouraged to read a variety of short, predictable books and poems that enable them to experience the joy of being fluent readers; they supplement classroom reading with library books they take home. Notably, each week junior kindergartners also write their own books, developing a tangible appreciation for the power of the written word. Mathematics: junior kindergartners explore math manipulatives through independent and guided activities, learning basic concepts such as patterns, sorting classifying, and counting. Science: junior kindergartners are encouraged to make guesses, test hypotheses, experiment, and explore in their detailed project work, as well as throughout their days. Social development: as the oldest students, junior kindergartens enjoy privileges, such as checking books out of the library. They have individual responsibilities, such as taking School attendance. Most importantly, they are mentors to the younger children, even reading to them. This distinctive position is a source of tremendous pride and a foundation for self-assurance that will accompany them to their next School experience. Kaleidoscope: room kaleidoscope is a mixed-age group experience for children from the morning preschool and the junior kindergarten rooms. The extended day begins with a wonderfully social lunch (brought from home), eaten in our lunchroom, then a short story time, followed by a 45 minute rest period. The curriculum for this class follows the practice of the chronologically constructed classes, building learning experiences from children's interests and involving both small and large groups of children in investigation and exploration. Past curriculum projects and themes have included, "the authors and illustrators among us, and "mind, body, and soul self portraits." The social learning is somewhat unique due to the mixture of ages, abilities, and interests and those social dynamics offer children valuable challenges and opportunities. Kaleidoscope begins at noon and ends at 3:30pm. Rainbow room: working families have the option to extend their children's days to match their own working hours rainbow begins at noon and ends at 5:45pm. Rainbow room is a mixed age group with all the benefits described above. In addition, the additional hours provide even more opportunities for long-term projects and studies. In past years, the curriculum has included such projects and themes as "boston the city of me! ", a child's restaurant review, and photography in the city. The longer day also offers more opportunities for field trips that support children's questions and interests. Vacation classes: bhns offers half day vacation camps, pending enrollment, during february and april School vacation. Tuition is additional.