New year, new school? If this sounds familiar the guide below will help aid in the decision-making process for your child. So whether you are searching for a preschool program or considering private high school for your teen, our guide covers all stages of education choices. We’re lucky to have so many great programs to chose from in addition to strong public schools. And as always, you can find open house dates on our calendar. 

The safe and nurturing Toddler environment at Fraser Woods Montessori School is specifically designed for children starting at 15 months until they are ready to transition into the Primary environment.

Toddlers are highly sensorial and learn about their world through self-directed, hands-on materials scaled perfectly for their size.  Capable of intense periods of concentration, toddlers absorb knowledge from everything they see and do.  The safe, gentle community environment builds trust and instills a love of learning.  To an adult, their “work” might look like play, but to the children, it is an extraordinary learning period requiring all of their concentration.

The blossoming development of language, math, cultural studies, social awareness, and fine/gross motor skills are met with internal pride at each accomplishment. Teachers and assistants support toddlers as they become more confident in all aspects of self-care, including independence in the bathroom, laying the foundation for self-awareness, and independence.  Playing outdoors is also part of their daily activities.

Our Primary environment for children ages 3 to 6 years of age is a three-year program dedicated to nurturing the children’s inherent curiosity by enabling them to explore and discover. At Fraser Woods Montessori School, children learn through touch and motion and by observing and doing.  Academics are introduced through manipulative materials, laying the groundwork for abstract thinking.  Classroom materials are joyfully presented and designed to stimulate the children’s senses as well as respond to their need for order and a sense of mastery within their world. Children at this level will experience intense periods of change, both cognitively and socially.  The teacher, always observant, responds with appropriate lessons to support each child’s individual growth and capabilities.

To learn more about an FWM experience for your child, visit: www.fraserwoods.com or call Alison Kistner, Director of Advancement at 203-426-3390 ext.305.

Wesley Learning Center is a NAEYC accredited preschool located right in the heart of Sandy Hook Village. Students at Wesley experience an integrated curriculum using “The Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards” and featuring “The Handwriting Without Tears Program”. A committed staff, treats children as individuals encouraging them to learn at their own pace. Bright, cheerful classrooms and a large playground help foster learning through play.

This September, Wesley Learning Center looks forward to welcoming students back into the classroom. Healthy & safety is a top priority at Wesley Learning Center. Therefore, the following COVID-19 precautions will be implemented for the 2020/2021 school year:

• Small, cohort classrooms
• Staggered start & end times
• Enhanced cleaning protocols
• Daily health checks for staff & students

For questions, please contact Diane Fuchs, Director by email at [email protected] or by phone at (203) 426-6149.

Additional Preschool programs:

Children’s Adventure Center, Sandy Hook

Prince of Peace, Brookfield

The Village Preschool, Bethel

Trinity Day School, Newtown

Easton Country Day School’s Preschool & Daycare is called Little Phoenix.

Little Phoenix offers a comprehensive early childhood program providing exceptional, affordable care to children aged 6 weeks through 6 years.  Our programming incorporates  CT Early Learning and Developmental Standards with an emphasis on modeling/teaching respect for self, the environment, and others.  We offer a curriculum rich with fun and exciting hands-on experiences. The atmosphere here is safe and caring; we nurture each child’s ability to learn through play with a variety of developmentally appropriate activities in and outside of the classroom.  Our goal is to encourage independence, individuality, creativity, and a positive self-image for every child in our care.

For more information, please call (203) 268-5073.

If you’re searching for childcare options, look no further than Brown Stair Montessori Daycare. This new micro-preschool, located right in Sandy Hook offers a small classroom setting for walkers to age 5. Instruction follows a traditional Montessori classroom with benefits including:

• Small classroom with individualized instruction
• Exposure to a variety of ages
• Children are given the freedom to explore and engage in what interests them
• Lessons are individually tailored to the student, based on his or her academic & developmental levels..

Brown Stair Montessori Daycare offers a 10% sibling discount. Contact Amy Mancusi today by emailing [email protected] or by calling (203) 837-7568. Brown Stair Montessori continues to remain open following all guidelines set forth by the Office of Early Childhood and is currently full for the upcoming school year. Health screenings, temperature checks, routine hand washing, and social distancing are all incorporated in response to COVID-19.  

Selecting a full day preschool program for your child is no easy task. Christine & Indra Sen can tell you that from first hand experience. As the new owners of The Learning Experience-Newtown, they strive to make that decision easier for parents by creating a community school where their son Kai and other children can learn, grow, and thrive.

• Safe and secure center. With security fob-required entry, nearly 100% of the staff CPR/First Aid certified, FingerSafe technology, and cameras in every classroom, parents continue to cite “safety” as the main reason they select The Learning Experience.

• Strong curriculum. With programs in literacy, mathematics, yoga, and even Mandarin Chinese, children have the opportunity to learn from day one. Due to a strong phonics program, a large portion of last year’s pre-k class has been placed in advanced literacy programs across local elementary schools.

• Experienced leadership and quality staff. Christine graduated from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and is a former kindergarten teacher; Indra previously led a 300+ student public school in Connecticut. The school’s knowledgeable, caring teachers have educated hundreds of Newtown children.

• A community school that cares about Newtown. Children are taught the importance of philanthropy and have raised money for the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Newtown Scholarship Association, and Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary. In addition, children of first responders receive a special discount on tuition.

• After School Care & Summer Camps. After school programs are available for older siblings with busing from local public schools conveniently provided. A pre-K summer camp is offered to aid in getting children ready for kindergarten.

The Learning Experience is conveniently located on Route 25 in Newtown. TLE is now offering two weeks FREE if you enroll by 2/15. 

If you are interested in learning more about The Learning Experience and setting up a tour, contact Indra by email [email protected] or by phone at (203) 417-9718.

Other locations with full day preschool programs:

Country Kids, Brookfield

Educational Playcare, Newtown

Merryhill Childcare Center, Newtown

Easton Country Day is a small, coed PreK – 12  private school which  is open full time this fall!  We are operating under all government standards for safety. ECDS uses its small size and a unique, individual educational approach to ensure each child not only achieves academic excellence in a safe and loving environment, but also learns those skills necessary to be a caring and responsible citizen.  We build a relationship with each child.  We promote excellence in individual academic achievement in the context of our motto “Responsibility, Integrity, Community – Praxis.”   This, and our innovative scheduling methods, gives us the flexibility to place children in classes that fit their academic and social needs and to respond rapidly to change and growth in each child.  ECDS offers rigorous academics shaped to the individual child in a familial environment that encourages accomplishment, responsibility and acceptance of diversity.  We offer programs for the highly gifted, and we emphasize the fine arts.  We teach children how to learn, preparing them for life beyond school.  

Our charming red clapboard-and-stone entrance belies our unique 42,000-square-foot learning facility. The school is built around an interior garden with 20-foot-high glass walls, which shed natural light into the classrooms, halls, library and MakerSpace lab. Hallways with artwork in museum-quality frames wind around our school’s classrooms, science labs, art and music studios and gymnasium. Our natural playground, playing field and hiking trails complete our beautiful 8 acre campus.

Montessori believes that children develop in planes, not in a linear sequence, and our classes are arranged to accommodate this. In mixed age classes, students and individual teachers may work together for up to three years.  This creates a bond which enables trust, mutual expectations, shared joy, and increased confidence.

At every level great care is taken at Fraser Woods Montessori to allot a large uninterrupted block of time—usually two to three hours—for work each day.  Students are given assignments with the freedom to pursue them in the order that best motivates them.  This affords the students time for individual help if needed or to delve into subjects that have caught their interest.  Students quickly learn to accept responsibility for their education and to revel in the process. 

The academically challenging Middle School Curriculum at Fraser Woods Montessori inspires creative thinking and academic skills.  A passionate team of departmental teachers create a sense of awe as they engage students in a variety of discussions about literature, historical origins, conflict and resolutions.  Students learn, practice, and master a variety of writing techniques as they find their own voice.  Math materials that began in the Primary level are now replaced with the use of textbooks to work with pre-algebra and algebra.  An engaging science curriculum provides students with investigations in both the laboratory and the field.

To learn more about an FWM experience for your child, visit: www.fraserwoods.com or call Alison Kistner, Director of Advancement at 203-426-3390 ext.305.

The classroom is a child’s first home away from home.  It is a place of warmth, order, and beauty. It is an environment that nourishes the senses and fosters reverence for nature and the material world.

At Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, each day follows a gentle rhythm which provides the children with a sense of security. The day begins with circle time, during which the children sing and recite verses. Finger plays and rhymes inspire a love of language and develop children’s fine and gross motor skills. Creative free play follows and offers an opportunity for children to exercise healthy fantasy.

Playthings are created from natural, simple materials such as wood, colorful silks, shells, and smooth stones. Mid-morning, children, and teachers prepare a wholesome, organic snack.  They eat at a table set with candles, real plates, silverware, and cloth napkins. Every day of the week includes an artistic activity such as watercolor painting, modeling with colored beeswax, drawing with crayons, or Eurythmy (a movement art). 

The primary focus on play, imagination, the development of the physical body, art, and social/emotional skills.  When children are given the time to master the skills appropriate to their developmental stage, an inner confidence is cultivated which follows them throughout their academic school years, and most often, propels them ahead later.

While the aim of our early childhood education curriculum is to awaken physical capacities and strengthen the will of the child, the goal of our elementary and middle school curriculum is to stimulate the feeling life of our students. Lessons are taught experientially, and the arts and storytelling are integral to all academic instruction. Students learn to find beauty in learning, in the world, and in each other.  For more information about our grade school visit:  https://www.waldorfct.org/grade-school/

Please contact Therese Lederer, Enrollment Director by emailing [email protected] or by calling (203) 364-1113 for additional information. Housatonic Valley Waldorf School recognizes the 2020/2021 school year will present its own set of challenges. As such, the HWVS COVID-19 Task Force has put together a comprehensive return to school plan aimed at supporting the healthy return of all students, faculty, and staff while meeting the individual needs of our families. For the Return to Campus plan please click here.

Additional Private Schools serving Pre-K through 8th:

Chase Collegiate*, Waterbury

Christian Life Academy, Brookfield

Emmanuel Lutheran, Danbury

Hudson County Montessori, Danbury

Wooster School*, Danbury

*Private schools that enroll up to grade 12.

St. Rose of Lima School, Newtown

St. Mary School, Bethel

St. Joseph, Danbury

St. Peter, Danbury

St. Gregory the Great, Danbury

Holy Infant Nursery School, New Milford

Come and see our small, friendly high school, where the academics fit your individual needs, from tutorial all the way to college credit courses! See how comfortable and personal high school can be!

Easton Country Day School, a coeducational Pre-K though 12, offers rigorous academics shaped to the individual child in a safe and caring environment that encourages accomplishment, responsibility and acceptance of diversity. We offer programs for the highly gifted, and we emphasize the fine arts. ECDS teaches children how to learn, preparing them for life beyond school. Our small, friendly high school encourages students to chart their own course though their 4 years, incorporating local colleges and internships into their program. Our high school academics are tailored to fit individual needs, from tutorial all the way to college credit courses.   Using educational techniques that include vertical integration, individualized programming, enhanced curriculum, and problem solving orientation, we can also provide exceptional learning for the very gifted and talented student. Students are often gifted in specific areas. We address their individual strengths, while allowing them to grow emotionally and socially at their appropriate age level. Our programs are tailored to individually accommodate each gifted child in all areas of study, as well as in the arts. The State of Connecticut (in an unsolicited endorsement) commended Easton Country Day School “for its warm and nurturing environment & its attention to individual needs through integrated studies and multi-age groupings.”   MEMBER: CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS & NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS & COLLEGES

Fusion Academy is a private accredited middle and high school for grades 6^th-12^th. We offer a personalized one-to-one education model where every course is individualized to the student in a positive social setting. Fusion offers both in-person and live virtual instruction for full-time enrollment, part-time courses for credit, or tutoring/mentoring sessions. Our school is open year-round and we enroll on a rolling basis.

Canterbury School, New Milford

Immaculate High School, Danbury

St. Joseph’s, Trumbull

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