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What
is the Balavihar?
In Balavihar, the rich cultural heritage of India, including its
teachings on moral values, is taught to children and youth at different
levels, using the medium of stories, drama, arts and crafts, and
discussion. Children are also taught popular Bhajans and Slokas. Chinmaya
Mission centers have become models for teaching India’s rich spiritual
heritage and the fundamentals of Vedanta to the next generation. The
Balavihars are organized into grades which match the grade of the child
in school. Each of the grades caters to the age group of the child. The
grades range from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. There is also a
'Toddler's class' (parent required).
The Central New Jersey Balavihar is conducted under the aegis of the
Chinmaya Mission Tri-state Center (CMTC). The CMTC maintains two ashrams,
"Kedar" at Langhorne, PA and "Vrindavan" at Cranbury,
NJ. Click here to go to the
Chinmaya Mission Kedar web site. Click here to go to
the Baskingridge/Bridgewater Balavihar website
Who
conducts the Balavihar classes and what is their background?
The
current teachers for Balavihar are volunteers who devote their time to
educate the children using a Mission-wide curriculum/syllabus that is
directed toward the ages of the members of the group.
In
addition to their children, the parents also have a choice of classes to
attend. Please remember that the Balavihars are not like childcare
centers where the parents drop off their children and leave. It is
expected that parents will also participate in one of the Adult study
groups.
Please
note that parents are not allowed to sit with their children in the
classes with the exception of the ‘Toddler’s class’ where the presence of
at least one parent (or responsible adult) is mandatory.
How
to register for the Balavihar
IIn
order for your children to participate in the Balavihar, you need to
register the required information with the Chinmaya Mission Balavihar
administration. There is an annual donation of $400 per family for
the Balavihar. This donation mainly goes towards the rent for the
Crossroads school and other expenses related to the running of the
Balavihar. The $400 donation also gives the family a subscription to the
monthly Balavihar magazine and the Chinmaya Mission West newsletter. Both
these magazines will be mailed to the family’s home. Generally the annual
session runs from September to June. If you wish to join in the middle
of the session, you will need to pay half the amount of the full annual
donation i.e. $200 per family. To register, please fill in the form
below as per the instructions and either give it to one of the volunteers
at the Balavihar venue or send it by post to the address give in the
form. Please enclose your check with the form
For
a PDF version of the form click here and
print the form from your browser. Note :
Before
submitting the form be sure to read the guidelines here
If you have any problem printing the form please ask for a hard copy from
any volunteer at the Balavihar class venue.
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