About
Our Story
Mary Anne Duffus founded Brooksfield School, and with the first five children, opened its doors on November 2, 1987. Three decades later, we teach over 100 children.
Our dream was to open a Montessori-based school for a diverse group of children. We wanted to provide a safe place for children to creatively express themselves while being introduced to a dynamic, exciting, and challenging academic curriculum. Our mission is to promote Montessori as the basic philosophy of instruction while also allowing for a more creative and nature-oriented approach to education.
Brooksfield School was founded on the principles of excellence in education, shared discovery, and a joy for life and learning. We continue to employ outstanding staff who encourage, nurture, and value your child’s own distinct voice and perspective.
We also strive to maintain meaningful relationships with current and former students, families and faculty members and are thrilled to have so many alumni involved in the community at Brooksfield.
How We’re Unique
In the Montessori classroom, you will find us absorbed with tracing the sounds of the sandpaper letters, skip counting with glass beads, or building the map of Africa. We also learn with eyes and hearts wide open, soaking in the wonder of floating bubbles, dancing shoes, uprooted potatoes, fallen leaves, and swirled paint. Each child is given daily lessons based on the Montessori curriculum.
Our focus on the arts, nature, and mindfulness is a part of what sets us apart from traditional schools. Every child’s creative spirit and voice needs to be expressed and developed. When a child is free to investigate, study, and observe, the world opens up with new possibilities.
Our highly trained specialist teachers bring talent and expertise in art, dance, music, Spanish and organic gardening that guide your child in artistic exploration.
We recognize there is no straight path with creative learning. It’s an exciting journey with twists and turns of guided discovery. It’s an adventure where a child can hold a reassuring hand and choose to let go and safely explore.
Our organic gardening program provides opportunities for our children to develop skills in understanding their relationship with the earth. The experience in planting seeds, watering gardens, harvesting bounty, and preparing meals fosters this stewardship.
“If we want children to flourish, become truly empowered, let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.”
– David Sobel
Our mindfulness meditation activities teach lifelong skills for a child to take a moment in our hectic and busy world to pause and breathe. Scientific evidence supports the benefits of meditation and positive effects on the prefrontal cortex. It increases executive functioning skills, aiding the child in self regulation. Brooksfield was a part of a research study on mindfulness and values incorporating it within its curriculum.
Brooksfield truly is a special community that we cherish. Graduates return as summer camp counselors to work at a camp they attended as 3 year olds themselves. We’re about building friendships that last a lifetime. Once a dragonfly, always a dragonfly.
