Spring is quietly appearing on Orchard Valley's three campuses. The snow has gone, and along the fences the perennials are just beginning to poke their heads up after a long winter sleep. The quickening of the earth would match the quickening of the children's energy on the land in other, more usual times. While it's comparatively quiet, it’s far from silent! A small group of children along with a few teachers continue to bring laughter and play to Orchard Valley's Sweet Clover Nursery and Grace Farm campuses.
When the State of Vermont ordered schools and childcare centers to close to slow the spread of Covid-19, they also asked that programs that were able to stay open to do so to offer care for the children of Essential Personnel who have to leave home to work. OVWS felt a strong desire to continue to be of service to students that needed the warm care that we can offer during this uneasy time. After careful research and planning, we volunteered to be one of the few programs in the area offering this service.
After a week of rigorous organization and planning, Sweet Clover Nursery opened its doors to an Essential Classroom at the end of March. A week later we opened a second Essential Classroom at the Grace Farm campus.
Sweet Clover Nursery’s class opened with four children under the age of 5 and the Grace Farm class has five children from pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade. The teachers at Grace Farm work to offer support to the grades children that have schoolwork to complete, while also offering ample time for free play and enjoying the emerging spring on the sprawling 55 acres. A small group of teachers hold the two different classrooms, each covering half the day. The teachers follow meticulous health precautions and additional cleaning measures to ensure safety and ease during a time of high anxiety.
This careful attention to detail paired with our amazing teachers, the steadfast Waldorf pedagogy, and our beautiful campuses bring these children familiarity, stability, and a loving and caring environment to go to. The children’s stress and anxiety is palpable and we are grateful to be able to offer them this token of ease during this time. If they can’t be home with their family, there is no better place to be than OVWS! We are all grateful to have a way of thanking the Essential Workers who are working so hard to serve the greater community. While we hope that everyone can join us soon, for now those of us that venture to campus for various tasks are enjoying the energy and joyful noise these groups of children offer our spaces.
