Eureka!

New York City is notorious for its competitive and complicated school selection process. The market is flooded with over 2,000 options, from public, private, charter, and parochial with an expansive range of educational philosophies. There are books, education consultants, and organizations dedicated to helping families sort through the myriad of options. Parents need a checklist to navigate how to find the right kindergarten for their child and their family. 

We have listed in this blog some of the must-check topics when looking at kindergarten. Review this checklist and see how the Early Learning Program at BASIS Independent Manhattan checks all the boxes. 

Teachers

Even with our advanced milestones, teachers find a way to use the curriculum in engaging and exciting ways. The rewarding result is students simply having fun and not even realizing how much they are learning. 

In the kindergarten classroom, our teachers create specific and tailored experiences during a 50-minute period called Enrichment. A sample activity could include a pumpkin discovery project where multiple disciplines are combined. Students use scientific skills to hypothesize if the pumpkin will sink or float, math to count the seeds by 10s, and art to paint a watercolor pumpkin. That's the sweet spot -- joyful learning!

Social-Emotional Learning

BASIS Independent Manhattan believes that academic excellence is equally as important as the whole child's development. Therefore, we weave in a social-emotional learning and character development curriculum.

PurposeFull People (by Character Strong) uses creative and original content to develop soft skills, executive functioning, and emotion regulation for our PreK-grade 5 students. To deliver these lessons, we have a Student Affairs team who are dedicated to helping students transition through the peaks and valleys of these years while also guiding parents throughout their child's academic journey. 

Daily Physical Activity

We cater to the age and stage of children while providing them with what they need -- physical activity and outdoor play. They have periods of study and focus, which are broken up with three 20-minute recesses during the school day. The daily schedule keeps our kindergarteners even more active with P.E. every day, plus they have the option to participate in a variety of after-school clubs. Sample offerings include soccer, tennis, and golf, as well as other arts, STEM, and leisure activities.

Talk to Parents

Nowadays, more and more families scour the internet for school recommendations to find the perfect fit. Sites like Niche.com use anonymous reviews and rankings to provide "the good, the bad, and the honest."

Here are a few excerpts from recent BASIS Independent Manhattan reviews written by our current families:

• • • "A great school which balances out an academic focus with play and creative time for the kids."
    • A hidden gem in NYC, that's for sure."
    • "A great choice for families seeking a rigorous academic program with amazing support."
    • "Academics are second-to-none, teachers are caring and helpful, kids are challenged and happy."
    • "I would recommend attending an info session. If it doesn’t seem right for your kid, you will know it. If it does, apply, you won’t regret it!"

Take a Tour!

The best assurance you can get is witnessing it for yourself to give you "the real feel" of what student life is like on campus. See first-hand how our teachers engage and interact with our students. Our knowledgeable admissions team will walk you through the curriculum and answer any questions you might have. Schedule an in-person campus tour.

Even better, we have Open Houses in person at both of our campuses! Families can experience our school building coming to life by speaking with current parents, attending interactive lessons, and talking with our expert teachers. 

Open Houses | 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lower School: Saturday, Nov. 12
Upper School: Sunday, Nov. 13