Bark Returns to The Country School: Preparing Students for a Digital World
Children are online earlier than ever. They game, they text, they watch videos, and more and more, they talk to AI. The question for parents is not whether their child will enter the digital world. It is whether that child will be ready.
At The Country School, a PreS-8 independent school in Madison, Connecticut, we believe readiness is taught. That is why Bark’s Connected Communities program returns to campus November 4-6.
A Program That Started Here
Connected Communities is a three-day, in-person program that brings students, teachers, and parents together around one goal: helping children build safe, healthy habits online. The program has grown quickly on the national stage. It found its start at Country School and a handful of other forward-looking schools willing to address online safety early, before problems take root.
That early start reflects who we are: a proactive school community that adopted a no-phone policy long before restrictions were discussed at the state level.
What Students Will Learn
Adam Brooks, an online safety expert with Bark, returns to work directly with students in Grades 3 through 5. His lessons are age-appropriate and practical. Students will practice digital etiquette, learn to manage their emotions online, spot misinformation, and use AI responsibly. Topics include group texting, social media, cyberbullying, and healthy screen habits.
Why Grades 3-5?
Late elementary school is when many children first gain independent access to devices, games, and group chats. It is also when habits form. From a child development perspective, this is the right window. Nine-, ten-, and eleven-year-olds are building judgment and still open to guidance from the adults around them. Lessons delivered at this age take hold in ways that lessons delivered in high school often do not.
Parents Are Part of the Lesson
Online safety lessons do not end at the classroom door. Much of a child’s screen time happens at home. That is why Connected Communities includes families from the start.
- Community Online Safety Discussion, Thursday, November 5, 6 p.m. A private school with a public purpose, Country School welcomes parents from across the shoreline, including Madison, Guilford, Clinton, and Branford, to join our families for a panel discussion with Adam Brooks, Bark Community Partner expert; Scott Cochran, Director of Madison Youth and Family Services; and Joseph LaMacchia, Country School Director of Technology, Security, and Safety. Adam holds Masters Degrees in both Special Education and Leadership Development. Adam trains families, schools, and corporations on leadership, conflict, and communication skills. Scott is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and brings an affirming perspective from a long career with a wide range of personal and professional experiences. Joseph has over 20 years of experience in technology and security in private school environments. Register here.
- Parent Information Session, Friday, November 6, 8:30 a.m. Following First Friday Share, Country School parents are invited to learn what children face online, which warning signs to watch for, and how to keep conversations open at home.
- Bark Phone Option for Fifth Grade Families. Fifth Grade parents may take home a Bark Phone, a secured device designed to guide families through a child’s first smartphone. A sign-up form is coming soon.
Why This Matters
We build a world for students so they can take on the (digital) world. That includes preparing children to move through it with judgment and kindness alongside everything else we teach: public speaking, leadership, outdoor education, global citizenship, and STEAM.
“We don't just give our teenagers the keys to a car and send them on their way. We teach them how to drive with multiple checkpoints and hurdles to independence. Smartphones and social media hold enormous power to change children's lives, and it is no less important that we educate them about what safety looks like on those platforms before they venture into the digital world,” said Ben Taylor, Assistant Head of School and Dean of Academics.
Small class sizes mean our teachers know each child well. They notice when something is off. Pairing that attention with expert instruction from Bark gives students a strong foundation and gives parents a partner.
Learn More
Watch this brief program overview to see Connected Communities in action.
Considering The Country School for your family? Contact our Admission Office to schedule a visit and see how we prepare PreK-8 students to take on the world, online and off.