The Abigail Lundquist Botstein Nursery School and Children's Center is a campus early childhood program serving the Bard community and beyond.
Our program mirrors Bard's value on progressive education for our youngest citizens.
Our Program and Philosophy
Early childhood is a unique period of life and young children learn differently than school-aged-children.
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The campus early childhood program mirrors Bard's value on progressive education for our youngest citizens. The Nursery School and Children's Center operate as one unified program. Our early childhood campus includes two buildings (next door to one another) designed for full day education & care, with adjacent playgrounds and nature scapes for outdoor play every day in all seasons and all weather.
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Our PhilosophyOur developmental approach to teaching and learning is grounded in play, movement, interaction and hands-on experiences. At Bard children have large blocks of time for play and children play deeply. Child initiated play is the foundation for intellectual development and academic success. Play fosters symbolic & abstract thinking and sets the stage for success in communication, reading and writing. Social make believe play is critical to developing cooperation, empathy, impulse control and social-emotional health. -
Our PedagogyOur practice is guided by a deep respect for children and a view of children as intelligent, capable and strong. We take a constructivist approach to education, believing that children learn best through relationships, active play and direct experience. Our pedagogy is steeped in knowledge of child development. Our tools are the materials of child expression; imaginary play, construction, blocks, art, sand, water, clay, story, authorship, songs, poetry, movement, dance, cooking, nature, and outdoor play every day in all seasons.
The Pedagogy of Listening
Listening to children is like opening a curtain or driving away a blanket of fog. I encourage you to listen to what we often do not have time or patience to listen to; namely the extraordinary laboratory of experiments that constitutes the child standing by our side.
—Loris Malaguzzi