Welcome

There is nothing more hopeful than planting a seed! Your donation to Sow Well Tots is a seed that will grow with us, shoring up our resilience, and Inclusion Scholarship Program. We hope you will follow our journey as we “sow the seeds for well beings” through holistic education, land stewardship, farm-to-table foods, and an Afro-folk perspective on artful living and purposeful work. We can’t do it alone! You can donate online or avoid Paypal fees by mailing a check through our fiscal sponsor, Vermont Wilderness School, to: VWS, PO Box 2582, Brattleboro, VT 05303 with “Sow Well Tots” in the memo. 100% of your donation will go to SWT.

Sow Well Tots is on a mission to sow the seeds of well beings through nurturing, nature-based early childhood education for children of all backgrounds, ensuring that our school is a place where the cultural wholeness of children is seen and embraced. 

Sow Well Tots is an intimate, home-based, alternative, early childhood program in Bernardston, Massachusetts. Our regular school year runs from Sept.-June. Our hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. We serve wholesome, organic, home-cooked, vegetarian meals (morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack) and offer natural, open-ended toys, and provide infants with plenty of floor time for self-initiated development.

Sow Well Tots provides high quality care in a safe, nurturing environment with a child-driven rhythm. This means we will never interrupt the natural imaginative flow in order to force our own agenda. We tailor our daily routine to fit the developmental needs of all the children. We believe a well nurtured child will be better able to thrive as a student when the time for structured learning presents itself. The SWT home-based program offers a holistic rhythm with a nurturing, seasonal curriculum that includes daily outdoor play in the forest and garden, handwork and crafts, songs, finger plays, stories and puppetry.

Please note: if you are looking for a highly academic-driven curriculum for your child Sow Well Tots is not the place for you and your family. Our focus will be to prolong a vivid, imaginary, child-like way of being.

About

About the Director: Sow Well Tots provides high-quality care in a safe, nurturing environment with a child-driven rhythm. This means we will never interrupt the natural imaginative flow in order to force our own agenda. We tailor our daily routine to fit the developmental needs of all the children. We believe a well-nurtured child will… Continue reading About

Enrollment

Sow Well Tots is accepting inquiries for new students at our forested location in Bernardston, Ma., just a few minutes from exit 28 on I-91, for the 2023-24 school year. To inquire about our openings and program offerings contact us at sowwelltots@gmail.com. Enrollment Process: A detailed Program Handbook and enrollment forms will be provided to… Continue reading Enrollment

Contact

Please contact us for more information about enrolling your child in Sow Well Tots. Email: sowwelltots@gmail.com

I wanted you and any potential Sow Well Tots families to know what a difference you made in the life of Thomas. Thomas was 18 months old when he came to you. He had never spent more than a few hours away from me and my going back to work was going to be a BIG transition for him. From the very first day he trusted that you would take care of him. You rocked him and sang to him and showed so much love and care of him. He loved coming to “Bessie’s House.” It was a second home to him. You taught him to share, to use gentle hands, and to self-regulate. The projects he did were authentic and beautiful. He was always so proud of them. Today, he is a happy, curious, lively and awesome five year old. And we thank you for giving him such a wonderful foundation at Sow Well Tots.

Margaret Betts and Raymond Neal

I am so thankful that both of my children got to benefit from Sow Well Tots. I cannot imagine a better place for them. Bessie creates a peaceful, reflective, honoring, creative, loving space. She knows how to bring out the best in kids: their empathy, their responsibility, their curiosity, their mindfulness, their sense of humor. They serve home cooked nutritious food. They make beautiful, simple art projects. They foster curiosity in nature. They engage children in sensory activities that calm and engage. As teachers, they are constantly taking classes, learning new methods and techniques, reflecting on their practices, and taking social justice issues into consideration. As director of the school, Bessie consistently communicates with clarity, compassion and integrity. I am a child therapist and I have been humbled by how much I have learned from Bessie’s astute, nonjudgmental observations of our children and her modeling. I have never encountered a daycare/preschool that I could recommend more. I give my highest possible recommendation. And lots of gratitude.

Laurel Carangelo