M  I  S  S  I  O  N
"New Day School is a Neo-Humanist preschool: the essence of Neo-Humanism is a dedication to the holistic development of the mind, body, heart and spirit, through the cultivation of creative forces, intellectual faculties, ethical values and intuition of the individuals that practice in it; with the goal of respect & loving service to all beings."

Circle of Love-  Our preschool program starts the day with a morning circle that is based on a seasonal theme that incorporates  ethical values from Neo Humanism, such as Helping Hands, Nature Study, Service to others, Inner Light, cleanliness, benevolent truthfulness and  Kind Deeds.   Our children gather in a circle in their classroom, remove their outdoor shoes and settle in, for their teacher to use story telling, finger-plays & song as the basis for their lesson of the day.  Each story has an ethical value woven into it.    During this circle time the children also get to experience meditation, as well as yoga poses that relate to the stories.    The children enjoy visualizing & discussing the people & things in their circle of love, during circle time, as well as sharing this sentiment with their parents and other family members when they go home.      

Play based Curriculum -The morning circle is followed by a period of free play and a guided activity- bread baking, painting, finger knitting, cleaning & care of classroom materials and other focused hand work.

Materials- New Day school uses classroom materials that come from nature.  There is an emphasis on objects that have multiple uses, to stimulate imaginative play.  Small stones and shells, simple capes, and handmade dolls, are among the favorite play things. 

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Children having fun
keeping their toys clean!

Suzanne teaches the Waterlily children about nature in the garden.

Gardening & Nature Study
Once a week the children are led in gardening project by our organic gardener.    We are blessed with a large vegetable garden on our grounds, as well as a Children’s Garden right in the center of our play yard!  New Day children go out everyday, rain or shine!

The children are free to work and play in the garden and nibble on the bounty of our harvest year round!  Many visitors are delighted and surprised to hear our little three year olds say “I am going to pick some calendula!” or readily identify the plants around them.   Our garden is fed by our compost program, which utilizes the children’s table scraps, and nourishes our bin of red wiggler worms.  We have also recently put our table scraps to good use to help feed a rescued pig!  Through  these practical applications our children learn the value and interconnectedness between humans and the plant world.

In addition to our extraordinary outdoor play space  we have a beautiful  Cob sanctuary, that serves as a sweet little earthen outside classroom, as well as a meditation  & break space for teachers.     This project was completed by our teachers,  NDS children & volunteers from the greater community!

Meal Service
Our meal service is a point of pride! We offer wholesome vegan snacks and a hot lunch everyday. Our food is lovingly prepared in our school kitchen with an emphasis on whole foods. Our meals meet or exceed the USDA requirements. Lunches feature a bean, grain and two vegetables each day, snacks offer a grain/fruit or vegetable combinations.

Sample Menu for 1 day:

Morning snack- coconut milk oatmeal, raisins & apples

Lunch- citrus marinated tofu, brown rice, green beans, carrot stick

Pm Snack- Rice cakes with sunflower seed butter & celery sticks