Sunflower Garden Early Childhood Programs
Mountain Laurel is delighted to welcome our youngest community members into the warmth and wonder of Waldorf education. Our Sunflower Garden programs offer a gentle, unhurried entry into school life — where rhythm, beauty, and play form the foundation of every day. Whether you are a parent seeking connection and support, or a toddler ready to take your first steps into the wider world, there is a place for you here.
For more information or to register for our Parent & Child Program or our Sprouts Program, please email admissions@mountainlaurel.org or call 845-255-0033.
Parent & Child Program
Toddlers: Mondays 9–11 am
Infants: Fridays 9–11 am
Our Parent & Child program supports families in creating nurturing, rhythmical environments for their youngest children. In a warm early childhood classroom, parents are welcomed with tea and handwork while babies and toddlers enjoy free play, climbing, crawling, and socializing. Each morning unfolds with bread baking, singing, puppetry, a warm organic snack, and outdoor play.
Through quiet observation and weekly conversation with other parents and a facilitating teacher, families deepen their own intuitive knowledge — exploring questions of sleep, health, nutrition, and the care of the senses in a spirit of inquiry and mutual respect.
Our Parent & Child Program is run by Ariah Moon, who has been part of the Early Childhood faculty at Mountain Laurel Waldorf School since 2020. She completed her Waldorf Early Childhood training at the Alkion Center in Ghent, NY, and holds a BA in Cultural Studies with a concentration in English from SUNY Empire State University. While completing her degree, she also pursued Independent Studies in Waldorf Education. Ariah is the mother of two young children, both of whom have been part of the Mountain Laurel community from an early age. As the Parent-Child teacher, she enjoys creating warm, welcoming spaces where children and their parents can slow down, connect, and experience the magic and beauty of the simple rhythms of early childhood.
For more information or to register, email admissions@mountainlaurel.org or call 845-255-0033.
Sprouts
For children ages 18 months to 3 years
Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, 8:30–11:30 am
Sprouts is a gentle introduction to school life for our youngest learners. In a warm, unhurried classroom, toddlers are invited into the rhythms and routines that form the foundation of a healthy early childhood — free play, outdoor exploration, bread baking, singing, puppetry, and a nourishing organic snack. Simple, predictable days allow children to settle in, grow confident, and begin to find their place in the world.
Through close attention to each child’s unfolding interests, motor development, and social readiness, our teacher creates an environment where every child is met with care, warmth, and joy.
Our Sprouts Program is run by Carly Fridlich who earned her B.A. in Psychology from SUNY New Paltz and began working with young children professionally in 2006. While living in Colorado, she discovered Waldorf education and began teaching at a Waldorf school in 2007. She completed her Early Childhood Waldorf teacher training at Sunbridge College in 2010 and has continued to deepen her studies since then. Her experience includes working with children ages 2 to 7 in both private and public Waldorf schools, as well as running her own Waldorf-inspired home program, Dandelion Playgarden. Along the way, she has spent several years raising and homeschooling her own two children.
For more information or to register, email admissions@mountainlaurel.org or call 845-255-0033.
