Our programs are founded on the belief that our most exuberant creativity and fruitful
learning spring from a place of emotional and physical well-being and a deep connection to a caring
and respectful community. The social dynamic of our program is one in which students, teachers
and parents are all learning and growing together and where each child's unique voice and interests
are valued. We celebrate intellectual risk-taking, collaboration, authenticity and empathy, and
consider these qualities to be as important as the conventional measures of academic achievement.
We design both our curriculum and our environment with the goal of nurturing the innate sense
of curiosity and wonder that children bring into our program. Our classrooms are dynamic and
engaging spaces that facilitate robust exploration, personal expression, group collaboration, open
communication and active play. We encourage children to shape and transform their environment
by experimenting with light, sound, and unique materials. We immerse children in a rich variety of
artistic disciplines such as visual arts, music, movement, and drama and provide opportunities for
expression and exploration using media arts and technology. Documentation of children's works-in-
progress is prominently displayed in each classroom, making the experience of learning visible, and
further reflecting our respect for children's natural ability to create and develop ideas.
We also encourage students to learn from the world outside their classrooms and to take
advantage New York's vibrant cultural landscape. In addition to participating in class field trips
and regular neighborhood explorations, children and teachers design research missions that
relate to their project work. Children also have opportunities to work in Blue Man Group's
recording studio and sound stage facilities.
The teachers at The Blue School bring the tenets of progressive education alive
in the classrooms through a deep knowledge of developmental theory and cutting-edge educational
practices. Our approach is aligned with constructivist theory, which holds that children learn best
by 'constructing' their own knowledge in a playful and intellectually rich social environment. Our teachers guide and mentor this process of inquiry and then artfully integrate core subject
matter into it. As students develop skills and broaden their knowledge, our teachers add new
challenges that continuously propel children into that special zone where optimal learning takes
place. Our teachers also provide the kind of 'scaffolding' that helps children grow in new directions.
Equally important are the moments when teachers pull away and let the children enjoy the
satisfaction and self-confidence that comes from autonomous mastery. We believe that these
inquiry-based teaching methods are unsurpassed in their ability to fuel deep and powerful learning.
Perhaps even more importantly, we believe these practices ignite in our students an intrinsic
passion for education and growth that will last a lifetime.
We are committed to supporting the needs of the whole child and we believe in finding the
learning style that suits each child best. We teach our students to reflect upon their own
experiences as well as those of others so that they can gain the combination of self-awareness
and social insight that will empower them to engage the world with confidence and compassion.
Our program cultivates healthy, capable and open-minded inquirers who seek out different points
of view to enhance their own perspectives. We believe that the knowledge, skills and creative
abilities that our students develop will prepare them to meet the challenges of the 21st century
and become powerful and positive forces in the world.