Early Childhood Program

Nursery through Pre – Kindergarten

The Early Childhood Program at High Meadow School offers a warm and stimulating environment that seeks to balance the growth of the individual child with his/her dawning awareness of membership in a group.  We offer two Programs:

Parent & Child Program

The Parent & Child Program offers a young child the chance to experience being part of a community of peers, while still having the close support of a caregiver.  A safe, nurturing environment provides opportunities for the child and caregiver to share experiences with music, art and play materials.  The child is encouraged to explore, practice social independence and to develop new relationships.

As the year progresses and the group evolves, it may become appropriate for some children to begin a gentle separation process.  Parent and teacher will work together to determine what will be most beneficial for each individual child.  This class is dedicated to the positive and joyful support of a child’s early social development.

Three & Four Year Old’s Program

The High Meadow Three & Four Year Old’s Program is designed to promote the development of the whole child by using current research and best practice standards.  The foundation of the program is respect for a child’s natural capacity for learning and constructing his or her own knowledge.  Each child’s unique development and capabilities are recognized and incorporated to encourage social, emotional and cognitive growth. Carefully chosen materials and rich experiences provide the children opportunities for exploration, creativity and co-operation.  The predictable rhythms and routines of the classroom give the children a sense of security. This security allows them to develop the competence to master the classroom environment and beyond.  Through extended periods of play, arts enrichment programs and participation in meaningful, community activities the child learns about her/himself and the larger world.

The Pre-School experience at High Meadow honors the complex needs of a child.  We consider play a critical part of a child’s developmental work.  Our program supports children moving through the three developmental stages of play which are:  Fantasy (alone), Parallel and finally Interactive.

Extended periods of play are intermingled with more structured group learning experiences in literature, science, dance, math, music and the visual arts.  Throughout the day, teachers take the opportunity to work and play with children individually.

Young children are engaged in important work: they are rapidly making connections that will shape their views of the world and themselves, they are becoming their own person, and they are developing the skills necessary to form healthy relationships. Because High Meadow is a Nursery through Eighth Grade school, young children form meaningful bonds with children of all ages.

Admissions Process for Early Childhood Program

Admissions Phase 1:  Contacting the School (845) 687-4855

Nursery – Pre-K: For questions or to set-up an appointment, please contact Doris Gonzalez- Easton by calling the school or sending an e-mail to doris@highmeadowschool.org.

Admissions Phase 2:  The Parent Interview for Pre-K

At the parent interview you will meet with the Lower School Coordinator, Doris Gonzalez-Easton. At this meeting, you will discuss your child, hear about the school and receive:

• Application materials
• A tour
• An appointment for your Family Visit for Nursery,  or your Student Visit for Pre-K

Admissions Phase 3:  The Family/Student Visit

Previous to, or at the time of your visit, you must submit the application and $35.00 fee. Please alert us to any allergies your child has, or any medications they take on the day of the visit. Please note that the Nursery and the Pre-K visits both take place in the Nursery classroom.

The purpose of the visit is so that teachers can observe your child and his/her interactions with the world. The visit for Nursery typically lasts thirty minutes and the visit for Pre-K typically lasts forty-five minutes.

Admissions Phase 4:  The Decision  Process

The teachers bring their observations to the weekly admissions meeting, where a decision for admittance will be made. At this time we may have more questions and will contact you for more information about your child or to request an additional visit. We base our acceptance or rejection decisions on the following considerations, not all necessarily in order of importance:

• Developmental Readiness
• The total number of students we can admit at that time
• The number of students in each class
• The match between the visiting student and the class to which she/he would be admitted.  This is based on social/emotional observations and data collected.

You will hear from the school in no more than two weeks from the visit. We ask that you not attempt to contact teachers directly about your child’s visit or the admissions process.

Early Childhood Program Admissions Forms

Early Childhood Program Admissions Packet Cover Letter

Early Childhood Program Admissions Process Acknowledgment Form

Early Childhood Program Application Form

2011-2012 Early Childhood Program Tuition, Fees and Payment Plans