Children and Youth

All children and youth are welcome to join in educational activities or remain with their parents in meeting for the full hour of silent worship. These educational activities are known as First Day School, the Quaker equivalent of Sunday School. The term First Day comes from the Quaker tradition of using the numbers of days and months instead of the English names for days and months.

There are several groupings for First Day School at Germantown Meeting:

1. Childcare for children under age five, which extends for all of meeting for worship and during adult classes. Childcare is held in one of the Germantown Friends School Kindergarten buildings across the west driveway from the Meetinghouse (to the left as you face the Meetinghouse from Coulter St.), where the children play with the toys and blocks and listen to stories read aloud.

2. First Day School classes for children grouped by grade levels (usually K-2, 3-5, and 6-8).

3. Young Friends is for teens in grades 9-12. Young Friends gather twice a month at Germantown Friends School in the front hall at the Senior Table, and off-campus for social and educational events.