PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS

Housed in three adjacent townhouses on East 91st Street, the First Program provides a homelike, protective, and nurturing environment for children.

The Dalton Plan in the First Program

At every age level within the First Program, an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning is coupled with special consideration for each child’s individual interests as well as the importance of community responsibility. The positive feedback given to the children - based on their own efforts, ideas, and accomplishments, as well as the developmental understanding on the part of the educators about each child’s social and emotional needs - helps all First Program youngsters to meet challenges with the persistence and optimism necessary for developing competence, confidence, and self-esteem.

House

The First Program views House, the first component of the Dalton Plan, as the basic organizational unit for all children, a gathering place that serves as each student’s home base. Following the guidelines established by Helen Parkhurst, the school’s founder, and articulated in Dalton’s K-3 Curriculum Guide, the House Advisor and Associate Teacher in each House create a stimulating, academically rigorous curriculum in the language arts, mathematics, and social studies disciplines, in conjunction with specialists in Spanish, chess, dance/theater, science, music, art, physical education, and library. In addition, reading and math specialists work with students individually or in small groups to provide support and enrichment. While the academic work is paramount, the purpose of House is to provide a safe, secure, learning environment that encourages risk-taking and promotes community building. House at the First Program is comprised of students in the same grade. The House Advisor and Associate Teacher in each First Program classroom maintain close, ongoing contact with parents, informing them as to the social, emotional, and academic growth of the students throughout the year. They also meet formally with parents on designated conference days in the fall and winter terms.

Assignment

The Assignment is the second component of the Dalton Plan and offers children a range of choices for exploring and learning concepts, activities, and skills within a subject area. Students learn to structure and plan their work time, and they receive frequent feedback from their teachers. The Assignment provides practice of foundational skills and allows students to pursue lines of inquiry of their own design.

Lab

The word “Laboratory” best describes the educational atmosphere that Dalton strives to create, which combines study, research and collaboration. “Lab” refers to the one-to-one and small group sessions between students and teachers, which augment the classroom experiences. At the First Program, children are presented with opportunities to make educational choices about their learning and in the process discover how to identify their interests and take responsibility for pursuing them. Over the years, Dalton students learn how to budget their time, seek out faculty and take responsibility for their own education.

Within a defined but flexible curriculum, the First Program faculty crafts lessons that are accessible for children at different levels of development.

First Program Curriculum

Teachers vary the pace of instruction in the basic skills, enabling each child to achieve both personal and academic success. In small groups, as part of whole class activities, and in one-to-one sessions with teachers, opportunities are provided to encourage children to become active and independent learners. Unique learning experiences enrich the curriculum, such as the Archaeology Program for third grade students, a hands-on unit of study developed by Dalton’s own Archaeologist-in-Residence. Investigative digs, designed in conjunction with the Social Studies cultural themes, lead young children into new areas of discovery. This interdisciplinary study is coordinated by the archaeologist, museum liaisons, technology coordinators, and the House Advisors. The First Program curriculum is also enhanced by the study of Chess. Dalton’s Chess Program provides instruction to all kindergarten, first, and second grade students. In addition to being fun, chess is a useful tool for developing young students’ problem-solving skills, focus, and logical thinking. The curriculum at the First Program is extended through numerous field trips that utilize the many resources of the city, as well as through Dalton’s liaisons with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Natural History, and other institutions. These trips are an integral part of the children’s educational experience. A full day nature study trip for third graders is a highlight of the program.

“Real social living is more than contact; it is co-operation and interaction. A school cannot reflect the social experience which is the fruit of community life unless all its parts, or groups, develop those intimate relations one with the other and that interdependence which, outside school, binds men and nations together.” -Helen Parkhurst, 1922