Our Community

Supporting Student Success

At Bank Street, our educators get to know each child’s strengths and needs, which informs how we shape our curriculum to support and challenge every student. Although Bank Street is not an inclusion program, specialized school, or school that typically works with SEITs or shadow teachers, our specialists work with teachers to provide a range of instructional approaches that create opportunities for students to grasp new understandings, meet and exceed academic goals, and achieve success in school and beyond.

Bank Street educators build meaningful relationships with children and design instruction to meet students where they are intellectually, emotionally, and socially. In addition to classroom teachers, the School for Children offers dedicated teams of experts that provide specialized support to students in a number of areas. This includes Learning Specialists, Math Specialists, Literacy Specialists, and a Mental Health Team who, together with our school leaders, make up our Student Support Team. 

Information gathered by these teams, in close partnership with classroom teachers, helps faculty and staff in each division or grade coordinate plans of support for social-emotional learning and the development of executive functioning, organizational, and academic skills. 

Early Learning Profiles

In Kindergarten (5/6s), the Lower School Learning Specialist partners with teachers and staff to develop a learning profile for each child. These learning profiles help identify children’s strengths, areas for growth, and the type of instruction that benefits them most. Ultimately, these profiles are one piece of the multi-faceted approach to how we discover who each child is as a learner and how we can best support them as they grow.

Learning, Math, and Literacy Specialists 

Learning, Math, and Literacy Specialists support curriculum alignment, assessment, and instruction. This work is done in collaboration with teachers and leaders, in consideration of child development at each age level.

Mental Health Team 

The members of the Mental Health Team seek to support the well-being of each individual student as well as the entire School for Children community. Our Mental Health Team works closely with division heads, faculty, and families to support students at Bank Street. A resource for students and parents, the Mental Health Team facilitates communication and collaboration between school and home and acts as a liaison to outside mental health providers as appropriate. During the school day, the Mental Health Team—including counselors, consultants, and teachers—is available for classroom observations, problem-solving, and any additional support as needed.

Masks made by students

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At the center of the Bank Street approach is our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion work, which supports both our students and the larger community. In age-appropriate ways, our program supports positive identity development for all students as they discover the humanity within themselves and others. Through this work, children develop an ability to understand multiple perspectives and what it takes to be part of an inclusive community.
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