“For the sake of a single child, I would have founded the Society.” This deep respect for the child, as articulated by St. Sophie Barat, founder of the teaching order of Sisters of the Sacred Heart, lies at the heart of the mission of the Barat Center. First and foremost, the Barat Center is a response to the inherent worth, beauty and wonder of the child. The children are our teachers. Their natural wonder, their questions, are what inspire us. The children at Barat are free to explore the world around them. A nature walk through our beautiful campus may lead to counting and collecting leaves and sticks and rocks for a nature collage. A frog sighting may begin a learning journey into the world of amphibians. We embrace Project-Based Learning. We value the constructivist philosophy which believes children learn best and make meaning from real-life experiences. We are guided by the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria: faith, community, growth, intellect, and justice. We are a Reggio Emilia-inspired program, a faith-filled community, celebrating the infinite potential of every child. We hold dear the relationships we develop with families, encouraging and supporting them as partners in the first steps of their child’s school adventure.

Barat Center is a beautiful, vibrant community of learners. Our mission is to honor each child and their interests and developmental needs. Each year the curriculum unfolds based on the needs and wonders of that particular group of children, but is framed within the developmental learning domains: Social and Emotional, Physical, Language, Creative Arts, Mathematics, Science, Cognition, and Social Studies. We are a multi-aged classroom, which mirrors what children know: life in a family. 

Barat Center children are embraced as part of the larger Sacred Heart community.  They use the facilities and resources at the “big building,” such as the library, cafeteria, and pool, while still benefiting from the intimate learning environment completely devoted to their developmental needs in the Barat Center cottage.
 

The Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education are integral in the daily life of every student. At Barat Center, the core values of faith, community, growth, intellect, and justice are present everyday. We start our day in prayer. We take the time to appreciate one another and the beauty in all of God’s creations. We value each child and family as members of our school family. We hold dear the relationships we build with the greater Sacred Heart community, through time with our specialists, our daily lunches with our kindergarten friends, and participating in chapel and liturgies with the entire Sacred Heart family. We give children the tools and space to explore, ask questions, and grow. We lead with love because we listen, always asking how the children feel, and how they imagine their friends are feeling. 

Research has shown that, as young learners, boys and girls possess different strengths and skills that benefit each other in the early childhood classroom. In general, girls possess an early facility with language skills, which helps to create a language rich environment, to broaden vocabulary through formal and informal discussions, and facilitate socialization with one another. Boys, on the other hand, tend to be more analytical and systematic. They are effective problem solvers who model risk taking. In a coed early childhood classroom, boys and girls work as a team, as they learn from one another. This coed integration benefits both boys and girls, as they develop as learners and members of a school community. 

Research has shown that the benefits of a single-sex education truly begin at the kindergarten level, which is why Sacred Heart Greenwich has committed to all-girls in kindergarten through grade twelve.
 

At Barat Center, we follow a December 31 birthday deadline. Applicants must have turned three-years-old by December 31 to apply for their first year in Barat Center. Students must also be potty-trained to enter Barat Center. 

The number of years spent in Barat Center will depend on when the student is eligible to enter kindergarten. At Sacred Heart Greenwich, students must turn five-years-old by August 1 to enter kindergarten. If a child is not eligible for kindergarten after two years in Barat Center, they will have the benefit of spending a third year in the program, as a bridge to their kindergarten experience.
 

Upon leaving Barat Center, your child will be well prepared for kindergarten and beyond. Having laid the foundation for a life-long love of learning through cultivating the children’s natural wonder and joy, our students will confidently transition to their next learning experience. For the girls, graduation will bring them to the “big building” to begin kindergarten in Lower School at Sacred Heart Greenwich. For our boys, Barat Center faculty and administration will work with graduating families to find the best fit for your son’s kindergarten journey. Our ultimate goal is for your son or daughter to bring their love of learning, their confidence in questioning, and empathy to all of their future classrooms.

Children in Barat Center are introduced to three languages throughout the year: Chinese, French and Spanish.  World language specialists engage with our young learners, using games, songs and poems. They connect language study to the other learning that is taking place in Barat Center. 

Barat Center offers five half days or five full days. Our school day begins at 8:00 a.m. Half days run until 12:00 p.m. Full days run until 3:00 p.m.

Yes. Early morning coverage is available from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. 

Yes. Barat Center students may attend our extended-day coverage until 5:00 p.m.  We also offer “Enrichment Afters,” an exciting array of after-school programs, such as Critter Caravan, Tiger Cub Swim, or cooking from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The building of community is one of the Goals and Criteria of a Sacred Heart education.  Families are the child’s first teachers. We value our partnership with families and look forward to understanding their insights, goals, and hopes. We encourage parents to reach out and share questions or concerns. Communication is a key component of the Sacred Heart experience.

Barat Center parents are encouraged to become involved in any way they wish. Teachers welcome parent volunteers in the classroom for activities and on field trips as chaperones. Parents often visit on their child’s birthday to share a treasured story. Barat Center also hosts community events throughout the year to bring families together.

The Parents’ Association at Sacred Heart actively welcomes Barat Center families. Class Coffees, Pot-Luck Dinners, Fall Festival, and Book Fair are just a few examples of school-wide community events led by parent volunteers. 
 

8 a.m.: Arrival and Supported Transition Time

A smooth transition from home to school is vital for our early childhood students.  Our nurturing faculty offers Barat Center students purposeful support, as they arrive each day. The children unpack their bags and hang up their jackets.  They sign in by writing their name. They move their picture from “home” to “school.” They begin work time.

Strings

Children work in small groups with their Strings teachers.

8:55 a.m.: Snack

The children have time to enjoy snack and engage in conversation with friends.

9:15 a.m.: Morning Meeting

Meeting begins in prayer. The children greet one another by name. A child counts the boys, girls and the total number of children. We discuss the day, introduce new materials, and share thoughts about our long term project. 

9:40 a.m.: Specials, Math & Literacy, Long Term Project, Work Time

Specials: Art, Library, Music, Mustard Seeds, Physical Education, Wellness, World Language

Math & Literacy: Children work in small, flexible groups to target specific skills.

Long Term Project: Children work in large and small groups across the curriculum on a topic that has emerged based on careful listening and the children’s  interests.

Work Time: Writing, Investigation, Sensory, Blocks, Dramatic Play, Literacy, Math, Art, Light Table

Work areas are created with the children’s specific interests and goals for growth in mind. In the writing area, children encounter materials to inspire them: crayons, markers, pencils, paper, glue, tape, and scissors. They may be working on a drawing, labeling their picture, or making a book; it all depends on where they are in their learning journey.

In the investigation area, the children may discover an animal family in its habitat, created with natural materials and supported through books and pictures. The sensory table may include the components necessary to make leaf soup: leaves collected on a nature walk, water, pots, measuring cups, spoons, and ladles.

The block area has a variety of wooden blocks, people, trees, cars, and animals. There are clipboards and pencils for children to sketch their plans and ideas. There are books with illustrations and photographs of different types of buildings. 

The dramatic play area has a kitchen and babies because we understand that children play what they know, and what they know most intimately is family. There are scarves in many colors so the children can become whatever they imagine.

Literacy work may include a felt board and felt pieces from a story the children have heard. This is an opportunity for them to practice vocabulary and think about characters, and beginning, middle, and end. It may include a hunt for the letters in a child’s name and the names of their friends. Math work may include containers of rocks and sticks that the children collected on a nature walk. They may use these to explore number sense or patterns

The art area may include loose parts: wooden pieces, pipe cleaners, beads, and clay. The children may have been inspired by an animal they met in a story or on a nature walk and work to create one of their own. The light table is set with transparent materials for the children to explore. 

11:00 a.m.: Lunch

The children eat lunch in the “big building.” They eat with the kindergarten class to foster friendships and connections across age groups. Each day a small group of children will prepare the tables for lunch, setting them with tablecloths, napkins, and utensils. Lunch will include food grown in our garden. Half-day students depart after lunch.

11:30 a.m.: Recess

On the playground, the children interact with their friends, navigate social situations, and practice gross motor skills through running, jumping, and balancing.

12:00 p.m.: Storytime

The children gather on the rug and listen to a story. This is a time to cultivate a love of reading and to make and share connections to personal experiences and other stories.

12:15 p.m.: Rest

1:15 p.m.: Specials, Math & Literacy, Long Term Project, Work Time

2:30 p.m.: Snack, pack up & dismissal

All students transition to their cubbies and work with teachers on independently preparing to go home.  Teachers place students in parents’ vehicles with loving farewells.