Infants through Kindergarten:

Staffed with a professional childcare provider, and assisted by a parent volunteer, very young children explore concepts of self-esteem, learning, friendship, family, holidays, community, recycling and nature. Our preschool draws from published UU curricula including “We are Many, We are One”, “Chalice Children” and “Celebrating Family.” Concepts are explicitly tied to our UU principles. Morning activities include story time, free play, arts and crafts and snack. Drop off (transition time) begins at 9:45 to give children time to separate comfortably before the upstairs service begins.

Grades K-6

Our K-6th program teaches our UU principles through study and hands on activities. Using the curricula found on the UUA Tapestry of Faith website, and other UU sources, children develop “open minds, loving hearts and helping hands.” The group is split: ages K – 3 (younger group), and 4th – 6th (older group). A professional teacher leads each program, with assistance from a parent volunteer. Each class includes a service in which a chalice is lit, and children express their joys and concerns.

There are many opportunities for the entire K – 6th grade group to be together in celebration, study, and through community service. Intergenerational services, holiday parties, and church fundraising events have children participating together with the adult congregation. People from other faith communities visit to teach us about their religions. Throughout the curriculum there is a Faith in Action component. Along with a team of parent volunteers, the RE staff helps children learn about social action through a particular topic chosen for that year. Often this includes visiting the community service project we are supporting, for example Nuestras Raices Farm in Holyoke, MA. Additionally, few times a year we schedule walking field trips, called Quests, in which we have worship outdoors.

Grades 7-9

Neighboring Faiths (NF) is part of a 2-year program, delves more deeply into Unitarian Universalism and introduces youth to a variety of faiths. To understand other religions and compare them with UU, teens talk with guest speakers, visit faith communities, discuss their impressions, and participate in structured classroom activities. Neighboring Faiths may include Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Pagan, Humanist, Native (American), Baha’i, and Quaker (Friends). Parents help organize faith “modules” by arranging for guests and visits, chaperoning, and carpooling to sites.

This course ties into the Coming of Age (COA) program in which students learn more about UU history, philosophy, and worship. They also explore their own identities, religious thinking and convictions. With the help of teachers, our minister and individual mentors, teens wrestle with the “big questions” of life, as they develop a deep sense of Unitarian Universalism. COA culminates in the Affirmation ceremony, an important UU milestone, in which students express to the larger congregation their ideas about religion and adulthood. This ceremony is a “snapshot” in their lives as UUs.

Youth Group (YRUU) Grades 9-12

We work with older children on a more individual basis. They are welcomed among the adult congregants upstairs in our weekly services. We encourage participation in activities and programs offered through our Clara Barton district, such as youth leadership-training workshops, and most recently, a New England based program called Peace Jam where youth are inspired by Nobel Laureates to work together to promote change in the world.