Families new to Uptown Manhattan Bala Vihar frequently ask the questions below. If you don’t find the answers you need please reach out to [email protected] and a Bala Vihar sevak will connect with you.

Q: How often do sessions run?
Sessions run on Saturdays during the academic year (Sept – June). There are on average 28 sessions during this period. We do not have sessions on the Saturdays of major school holidays (Thanksgiving, Winter break, Memorial Day etc).

Q: Is this a drop-off program?
Bala Vihar is not a drop-off program for three reasons:

• Children need to see that spiritual growth is important to their parents and that their parents are learning while they are.
• Bala Vihar is a volunteer driven program. There are no employees running the program. We need to ensure that in case of any emergency that each child has a parent on site.
• The Shishu Vihar class is a parent-child class.

 

Q: Can I send a caregiver with my child enrolled in Shishu Vihar?
Sending a caregiver with your Shishu child is permitted if a parent is not available. Please note, this should only be exercised on a one off basis. 

Q: What do the parents do when the kids are in classes?
While kids are in class, parents attend Satsang. At the beginning of the academic year, a vedantic text will be distributed. Parents read and discuss the text as a group.

Q: What are the annual fees?
The annual fees for Manhattan Uptown Bala Vihar are $1150 per family (up to three kids). We do not charge per child. 

Q: My child has a competing commitment  in the Fall, can we join in the spring?
Unfortunately not. Bala Vihar is a year long program and registration for Uptown Bala Vihar closes in August. 

Q: What happens if we miss a session?
We understand that it may not be possible to attend every session. We ask that you aim to attend at least 75% of the sessions. Anything less will be disruptive to your child’s learning. Our teachers do send class summaries in case you miss a session. 

Q: Who teaches the classes?
Classes are taught by parents and curriculum books and lesson plans from prior teachers are made available to them.

Q: Will my child fit in if they did not attend Bala Vihar from the beginning?
There is no wrong time to start Bala Vihar. Spirituality is a path and can start at any time.

Q: How does my child catch up if they did not start in the program from the beginning?
Teachers do not reference learning from previous years so children do not feel like they missed content. If parents would like to review content from previous years, our textbooks are available online and we also have books available on our Chinmaya Mission Publications website. 

Q: If I have another child at home that is not eligible for the program but needs to accompany me is that ok?
Bala Vihar is a family program and we understand that there might be a need to bring a younger child. We do request that you please understand if we ask that you move to another space if the child becomes disruptive during the program.

Q: Can I bring a grandparent/aunt/uncle etc to the program?
We welcome guests to attend and love to meet the extended families!

Q: How do I register for Bala Vihar?
If you are interested in registering for/or learning more about Bala Vihar please send an email to [email protected]. A Bala Vihar sevak will respond with next steps.

Q: How can I volunteer/help?
We welcome volunteers and are always looking for additional participation in a number of areas. Please indicate your area of interest during the registration process and you will be contacted by the Bala Vihar team. Alternatively, please talk with one of the existing volunteers/leaders of the team about your interests and they will work with you.

Q: What happens after enrollment?
You should receive a confirmation email with the enrollment details; please contact the Uptown Bala Vihar team  if you haven’t received confirmation. For any inaccuracies or questions, please contact the team immediately. Additional emails providing details on commencement of the session will be sent closer to the start of the academic year.

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