Our Curriculum: TBC offers children a thoughtful blend of child-directed play and teacher-led experiences across a wide range of subjects, from STEM to performing arts. We learn through hands-on experiences that ignite children’s natural curiosity.
Bilingual Education: Our students are introduced to French at an age when they are naturally acquiring language, through stories, songs and language immersion activities.
An Emphasis on Nurture: Children are empowered to learn when they feel secure in a loving, cheerful and nurturing environment. We go to great lengths to create “a home away from home” for our children, where they feel connected to the community and run into school each morning eager to give their teacher a big hug!
A Bright, Pristine Environment: Children deserve to spend their days in sunlight-filled, clean spaces with direct access nature. Teddy Bear Club is renowned for its bright, beautiful facilities, natural play materials, and meticulously maintained outdoor areas.
Attention To Detail: Our school’s administration is characterized by professionalism and warmth. Parents have confidence that they are leaving their child in a safe environment, with a thoughtful and loving team that is focused on making sure every detail of your child’s day is engaging and nurturing.
Teddy Bear Club offers preschool programs for children ages 21 months through Kindergarten.
Our Lincoln campus has a half-day morning program, with an optional extended day program (for children 2.9 and older) that runs through the afternoon.
In Newton, we offer both half-day morning and afternoon sessions, as well as a full-day option for children 3.5 and older. Children in our two and three-year old classes have the option of attending two, three or five days per week while our four-year olds and kindergartners all attend school five days per week.
Both TBC campuses are tucked away in residential neighborhoods, in Newton and Lincoln, surrounded by trees. Sunlight-filled classrooms are meticulously maintained, with a thoughtful selection of learning materials that are regularly rotated to keep the children engaged and challenged.
We are offering virtual tours for families interested in enrolling their children for the 2023-24 school year or for the remainder of this academic year. Tours are conducted one-on-one over Zoom with a member of our admissions team. We will explain our philosophy and curriculum, take you on a photo tour of our campus, and share photos and videos of classroom activities. We will also be available to answer any questions you may have.
Bonjour!
I started The Teddy Bear Club in 1993 because I saw a need to combine the best elements of American preschool programs with some of the wonderful aspects of the French education I received growing up in Paris.
My experience as a young student in France differed greatly from my own son’s early childhood experience here in the United States. I highly value the focus American preschools place on the development of social skills, creativity and self-confidence. These social development-oriented goals should absolutely form the foundation for a child’s first school experience. However, I also saw an opportunity to further emphasize the more academically focused approach that typifies European education. The Teddy Bear Club was born out of this desire to layer a well-rounded academic curriculum over a socially focused preschool experience.
I also believe it is essential to introduce foreign languages to children while they are still at an age when language learning occurs completely naturally. I raised my son bilingually and yet I never cease to be amazed by how quickly and effortlessly young children can learn another language.
Finally, I genuinely feel that young children deserve to spend their first few years of school in an inviting and cheerful environment filled with fresh air and natural sunlight, surrounded by loving and caring teachers.
Laura d’Angosse Perlman, Founder and Head of School