Bala Vihar

Please read this before registering: Chinmaya Bala Vihar 2023-24 FAQs

BALA VIHAR 2023-24

Important Information for 2023-24

1. All classes will be in-person for the full year. Class locations will be available at Bala Vihar Transaction Summary after Labor Day weekend.
2. All Sunday San Jose classes will be conducted at Abraham Lincoln High School, 555 Dana Ave, San Jose. All Saturday San Jose classes will continue at Chinmaya Sandeepany Ashram, 10160 Clayton Rd, San Jose.
3. Please check the class schedule by clicking on the links below:

Locations

Day / Location	San Jose	Fremont	San Ramon	San Mateo	Berkeley	Mountain House
Friday	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	JEI Learning Center
Saturday	CMSJ Ashram	Washington High School	California High School	N/A	Berkeley Adult School	N/A
Sunday	Lincon High School	N/A	N/A	Aragon High School	N/A	N/A

1. It is possible to take a Bala Vihar class offered from one location-schedule along with optional classes from other schedules.
2. Once you have determined the schedule of the classes, please proceed to the registration process
3. Bala Vihar textbooks can be ordered online for pickup at https://bookstore.cmsj.org/collections/bala-vihar-textbooks. Note that Hindi textbooks can only be purchased in person at the class location.
4. Only parents or legal guardians can register a child e.g. you cannot register your niece or nephew or a family friend. You may be asked to provide documentation in case there are questions about registration. Refer to Chinmaya Mission San Jose Bala Vihar Terms and Conditions for more details.
5. Please note that Chinmaya Bala Vihar is a required prerequisite for all classes, including languages and Swaranjali, Geeta Chanting , Yoga etc.
6. The change fee of $35 per change is waived till Oct 31st, 2023.
7. Following local guidelines, we strongly encourage (but do not require) everyone participating in any of our activities to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and to wear masks.
8. Changes in 2023-24:
  - Mountain House – new location Bala Vihar classes
  - Berkeley added a new class – Indian folk dance
  - San Ramon added Shishu Vihar level 1 for Infants and children up to 3 years
  - San Jose
    - Added 10th grade to Saturday schedule
    - All Cognitive Math classes are offered ONLY on SATURDAY
    - Sanskrit (beginner level) class will be offered at both sessions of BV on Sunday, based on the grade level.
    - Adults will attend chanting classes separately
    - Vedic chanting classes will be offered for students in third grade and above

The 2023-24 calendar below applies to all locations.

Please note that the schedule is subject to change.

Month	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Sep 2023	8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th	9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th	10th, 17th, 24th
Oct 2023	6th, 13th, 20th, 27th	7th, 14th, 21st, 28th	1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th
Nov 2023	3rd, 17th 10th closed for Diwali; 24th closed for Thanksgiving	4th, 18th 11th closed for Diwali; 25th closed for Thanksgiving	5th, 19th12th closed for Diwali; 26th closed for Thanksgiving
Dec 2023	1st, 8th, 15th 22nd & 29th closed for Winter break	2nd, 9th, 16th 23rd & 30th closed for Winter break	3rd, 10th, 17th 25th closed for Winter break
Jan 2024	5th, 12th, 19th, 26th	6th, 13th, 20th, 27th	7th, 14th, 21st, 28th 1st closed for Winter break
Feb 2024	2nd, 9th, 23rd 16th closed for President’s Day	3rd, 10th, 24th 17th closed for President’s Day	4th, 11th, 25th 18th closed for President’s Day
Mar 2024	1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th	2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th	3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st
Apr 2024	5th, 12th, 19th, 26th	6th, 13th, 20th, 27th	7th, 14th, 21st, 28th
May 2024	3rd, 10th 10th Bala Utsav	4th, 11th 11th Bala Utsav	5th, 12th, 19th 19th Bala Utsav

CMSJ’s Chinmaya Bala Vihar – the Cultural School – operates at six locations: Berkeley, Fremont, San Jose, San Mateo, San Ramon and Mountain House.

Bala Vihar in the Bay Area was started in 1981 by our dear Uma Auntie under the guidance of Pujya Gurudev. It has grown from a humble beginning of 6 children to over 2150 students spread across five locations today.

The classes are arranged according to the school system – Kindergarten through High School (K-12). We do not place children in class by age. The grade in which the child is enrolled in school is the consideration for admission to Chinmaya Bala Vihar/Yuva Kendra.

About Shishu Vihar (Bala Vihar for Children under 5 years)

Shishu Vihar is a parent-and-toddler style class. Infants and toddlers up to 3 years will attend Shishu Vihar Level 1 and 3-5 year olds will attend Shishu Vihar Level 2. Children attend with their parents and get familiar with basic concepts in Hinduism (gods and their characteristics, names of holidays) in a fun and engaging way through song, stories, arts and crafts appropriate to their age and development.

Swamini Supriyananda (a child psychologist before she turned to the Vedantic path) conceptualized Shishu Vihar and first implemented it in Hong Kong years ago. She has trained all of CMSJ’s Shishu Vihar teachers in the style and reviewed preparatory materials for this class. If you have any further questions, please reach out to the co-ordinator of the location nearest to you.

Languages

Several Indian languages are also taught as part of this program.

Please note, however, that registration to just language classes is not supported. Students have to be enrolled in and attend Chinmaya Bala Vihar/Yuva Kendra classes to be eligible for language class. In other words, to register for language classes, students must first register in Chinmaya Bala Vihar/Yuva Kendra classes and attend them.

1. - San Mateo: Hindi
  - San Jose: Hindi, Malayalam, Samskritam, Tamil and Telugu
  - Fremont: Hindi, Malayalam, Samskritam and Telugu
  - San Ramon: Samskritam, Hindi, and Telugu

Note: The languages and levels offered may change from year to year.