young children flourish with gentle guidance and the freedom to work at their own pace.

What We Offer

Our Early Childhood Campus has five classrooms.

Our Caterpillar classroom houses our twos program, serving children who are 24 months old at the start of the school year. Our three mixed-age classrooms: Cedar, Magnolia, and Live Oak, serve children from 2 years 7 months to 5 years old. Our Mariposa classroom is home to our transitional kindergarten classroom for children who turn 5 in the first months of the school year.

Our Early Childhood program is based on the premise that young children flourish with gentle guidance and the freedom to work at their own pace. Our classrooms blend Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and other educational methods to support childrens’ emerging independence and social learning.

Classroom Configuration

Our Early Childhood Campus (ECC) features a small 2 year old classroom, and three multi-age classrooms each led by one head teacher and two associate teachers. Our Transitional Kindergarten has a lead teacher and an associate teacher. Our early childhood faculty understand Montessori practices deeply. Reggio Emilia ideas, which encompass artistic expression, emergent interests, home/school connection, and documentation, further inform each day’s learning activities.

Each child plays the roles of teacher and learner, progressing socially, emotionally, and intellectually on a path to kindergarten readiness.

Program Hours

Our standard program hours are 8:30 am – 3:00 pm. Our Extended Day program is available to those children who are 2 years 7 months or older, and runs from 3:00 – 5:30 pm and is available every day with a final pick up time of 5:30. This can be an add on to our standard day contract or utilized on a drop-in basis.

Our early childhood program operates on a school year schedule, from September until June. We offer camps and childcare during conferences, many school vacations and over the summer. We hold two 4 week summer sessions, 1st session from Mid June to Mid July and 2nd session from Mid July to Mid August. 

OUR CURRICULUM

Language

Children at this age learn approximately fifty words a day, not just through our language curriculum, but by being immersed in a rich environment that promotes personal stories, daily read alouds, sound games, alphabet stamps, social problem solving, and negotiation. Language lesson happen all day, everyday. Structured and spontaneous lessons build vocabulary, writing skills and beginning composition.

Science

Our beautiful outdoor learning environment allows children to explore nature and begin to compare and contrast living and non-living things. Initiated by the children’s curiosity, teachers follow their lead to develop curriculum that explains the wonders of nature and how they as individuals can interact with it to promote and preserve all living organisms.

Math

The Montessori curriculum provides many concrete manipulatives that build the foundation of a student’s understanding including number sense, geometry, and sequence. Basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are routinely explored. More complex lessons involve discovery of odd and even numbers, number recognition through 1000, skip counting and visual comparisons of large and small numbers.

Art

As one of many languages that children explore, art at the ECC is always available and encouraged. Through drawing, painting, sculpture and architecture, children are provided many modalities to express themselves and their thinking. Teachers acknowledge student’s work and encourage further explorations by soliciting ideas to connect their art to other subject areas.

Cultural Studies

The Berkeley School introduces cultural studies by exposing children to land and water forms, as well as the continents and their individual characteristics. By using maps, puzzles and globes, children begin to see the connection between themselves and the larger world.

Music & Movement

Music and movement at the ECC provide a rich sensory experience for students. We believe that music enriches each child’s life in many positive ways. Each day, classroom teachers lead students in songs and rhythmic exercises to help the children be aware of a transition, to reinforce a conceptual understanding, to celebrate a special day, or just to have fun. Students also enjoy a special music class once a week from a trained teaching musician. They are exposed to a variety of percussion and string instruments to begin their understanding of pitch, tempo, rhythm, and melody.

students are engaged in activities that foster independence, self-confidence and self-control.
Knowing they can act and interact confidently with everyday materials moves each child toward independence.

Students have opportunities to play all day long in both structured and unstructured environments. 

Play is actually a language where children learn how to… 

 

 

Problem solve
build language skills
set boundaries
learn sequences
develop reltationships
appreciate consequences
 
increase attention span
have fun!!

The Berkeley School welcomes students of any race, color, religion, gender identity or expressionsexual orientation, ability, and national or ethnic origin and accords them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally made available to students at The Berkeley School. TBS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ability, and national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, employment policies, scholarship programs, and athletic or other school administered programs. 

Our Mission

Ignite Curious Minds
Awaken Generous Hearts
Engage a Changing World

K - 8 Campus

1310 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 665-8800

Early Childhood Campus

2030 Francisco Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 849-8340

The Berkeley School welcomes students of any race, color, religion, gender identity or expressionsexual orientation, ability, and national or ethnic origin and accords them all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally made available to students at The Berkeley School. TBS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, ability, and national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, employment policies, scholarship programs, and athletic or other school administered programs. 

Ignite Curious Minds
Awaken Generous Hearts
Engage a Changing World

K - 8 Campus

1310 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 665-8800

Early Childhood Campus

2030 Francisco Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
(510) 849-8340

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