BRATTLEBORO — When education pioneer Friedrich Froebel invented the nurturing “garden of children” he coined as kindergarten in 1840, he couldn't have anticipated that rigid literacy training, minimal recess, and a controversial “Common Core” curriculum would one day bear its name.
Kindergarten just isn't what it used to be - many educators recommend starting at age 6 because the school day is so demanding - and some parents are seeking alternatives.
The Neighborhood Schoolhouse in Brattleboro says it is responding to that demand by reopening its half-day kindergarten for the 2014-15 school year; the program includes a pre-kindergarten curriculum for ages 4{1/2} to 5. Classes begin outdoors at 8:30 a.m. and end at 1 p.m., with optional after-school activities.
Prospective school families can learn more about kindergarten - as well as the school's preschool and elementary programs - at The Neighborhood Schoolhouse's annual open house, Thursday, Feb. 27, at the school.
A morning open house, from 9 a.m. to noon, will feature outdoor activities, so visitors should dress for the weather. The evening open house is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
“I want her to have the freedom to be 5 years old,” says school board member Bonnie Holmes of her daughter, whom she has enrolled in next year's kindergarten class. “This is such an important time in her life. I want her to go to a school where she will be nurtured as a whole person - where kids are treated as the unique, special little people that they are.”
Dot MacDonald has taught at the school for 25 years, more than 20 of them in the kindergarten program.
“Because we honor the child and still base our program on constructive and exploratory play, including an hour of recess every day, the children get to experience kindergarten with their whole selves instead of just their cognitive brains,” she says. “I've seen children be extremely successful using the methods we use. They are confident, they love school, and they're able to express themselves creatively.”