Activities for Children / First Day School

The Meeting feels a special responsibility for the religious education of our children. For them we provide a regular First Day School. The purpose of First Day School and the larger religious education program is to help each child recognize and understand the Inner Light and to value this guidance as the essence of her or his spiritual and temporal life.

Religious Education tries to help the child appreciate certain fundamental Quaker experiences, beliefs, and concepts: that the Quaker way is the way of the seeker, always open to new light, from any source; that we seek that of God in every person; that God can be a personal and vital force in the child's daily life; and that there is a living silence that we seek and expect to experience through individual prayer and meditation as well as in meeting for worship.

Children are encouraged to worship with their families for the first 20 minutes of the meeting for worship and may stay the full hour if they desire. Nursery care, in the warm and cheerful west sunroom of Quaker House, is available for infants and toddlers for the full hour. The nursery is staffed by a rotation of mature adults from the Meeting and stocked with age-appropriate toys, a rocking chair, and a changing table. Parents are encouraged to accustom their child to the nursery so they will be comfortable being left with our care givers.

Classes are held for children from pre-school through high school and run from September through June. They are led by parents and other adult volunteers from the Meeting. (There is also a summer program for all ages.) Though the classes generally provide an ongoing curriculum, we welcome new or returning children at any time of the year.

Pre-schoolers meet in the basement classroom; early elementary children (kindergarten through second grade) meet in the Quaker House Living Room; later elementary children meet in the New Room; and teens meet in the Fireplace Room. If you have questions about where to find a child's class, please feel free to speak with the greeter in the lobby before meeting for worship. Also please feel free to contact the Meetinghouse or the Clerk if you have any questions about the religious education program; both will be able to provide contact information for a member of the Religious Education Committee.