Our School
We are a not-for-profit, independent school in Toronto for children from pre-school to Grade 6. We are committed to respecting and fostering each child’s own natural genius and nurturing the development of individual talents and strengths:
- by integrating the development of age-specific, universal human values and skills with the necessary Ontario Academic learning requirements in engaging, active, and practical ways.
- by providing an intimate, warm and encouraging school environment in a neighbourhood house; the safe school ecology is carefully considered with the development and needs of the child in mind.
- by teachers interacting closely with parents; we feel that a strong parent-teacher partnership enhances the child’s learning experience and potential.
There are many ways to learn about our school and our enhanced Ontario curriculum whether you are considering an alternative education for your child or you want to find out more about our value-based approach to education.
Our Approach
The B.E.N. offers a unique educational approach and curriculum. At the core of our curriculum there are 28 age-specific vitamins also known as values and qualities which enhance and assist in the progression of the natural stages of growth and development. These universal human values are carefully selected for each developmental stage and grade and are seeded as useful, natural life lessons that help children mature and become independent-minded teenagers and adults.
The vitamins are worked hand-in-hand with our academic program based on the Ontario Curriculum. They offer a strong foundation for a child to develop their self-confidence, self-awareness and self-worth which provides the platform from which academic learning comes naturally.
Amongst the 28 vitamins or universal human qualities, some examples include Observation, Adaptability, Manners, Honour, Expression, and Standards to name a few.
Our Methods
One of our main aims at the B.E.N. is for each child to fall in love with learning, so that the “channels of learning” stay open. To do this, we apply two methods: Generating Options™, which is designed to provide a variety of experiences for the children to learn through and Lump-Learning™ which involves immersion in a subject and engages all senses.
