South Orange Country Day School

South Orange Country Day School has taught young children since 1964. We build on Montessori practices and add outdoor exploration, gardening and art, and we teach children to calm themselves and settle conflicts with breath work, body scans and mindfulness.

Our five multi-age PreK classrooms mix younger and older four- and five-year-olds, with ten to fourteen children and two teachers in each room. Younger children stay with the same teacher for two years. Children must be at least three by December 31 to enroll. Our full-day kindergarten is small, usually twelve to fourteen students, and mostly self-directed, which lets us accept children near district age cut-offs.

Each day includes two hours of center work, yoga, stories, quiet time and at least three outdoor periods of 30 minutes on an acre and a half with three gardening areas and a large playground. Children have art in our studio every other day and gardening three times a week. Morning care starts at 7:30 a.m. and extended day enrichment runs until 5:30 p.m., and our nine-week summer camp follows the same routines.