Beacon Hill Nursery School was founded in 1955 and offers programs for toddlers up to Kindergarten and extended day care. For the last sixty years, the school has been offering high-quality early childhood education right in the middle of downtown Boston.
The school has state-of-the-art classrooms, two recently renovated on-site playgrounds, a gym, a lunchroom and kitchen, and the highest quality of classroom equipment and supplies.
The educational philosophy and curriculum of the school are strongly influenced by the Reggio Emilia concepts, which establish principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery. The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on the following set of major principles:
- Children must have some control over the direction of their learning;
- Children must be able to learn through experiences of touching, moving, listening, and observing;
- Children have a relationship with other children and with material items in the world that children must be allowed to explore;
- Children must have endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.
The school is divided into three groups: Toddlers, Nursery, and Kindergarten. In the Toddler program, children attend 2 or 3 morning or afternoon sessions each week. Each session takes place in small groups of 9 children. During these sessions, toddlers are allowed to discover various textures and develop motor skills by manipulating various objects. The day’s schedule includes free choice activities, a short group gathering, outdoor play, snack, story time, and nutrition sustenance.
In the Nursery school, the younger students are creating artworks and playing with play dough, water, sand, and other tactile and sensory materials. As the year progresses, both discussions and projects become more involved. Projects and study are driven by children’s interests and inquiry and may involve an entire class or a small group.
The school’s Kindergarten curriculum is designed to keep pace with children’s cognitive, social, and physical skills. Through daily discussions and in-depth study, the school tries to stimulate that growth while encouraging self-confidence, enthusiasm for learning, and respect for others.
According to the school, at the foundation of their practice is a very solid commitment to respect each child as an individual in temperament, interests, and skills. That respect, coupled with an expertise in child development, creates the school’s childhood educational experience.