Bala Vihar classes started on Sep 11th/12th and will be online for 2021-22.
Please read the information below first before registering your child(ren).
Registration links are in the FAQ and after important information below.
Only a parent or legal guardian may register a child.
Important Information for 2021-22
- All classes will be online for this year. Please read this update from the CMSJ Board: Update on Classes CMSJ has standardized on Webex as the platform to conduct all classes. Please read this to get ready for classes: Webex Information. Class links will be available at Bala Vihar Transaction Summary a few days before the first class.
- A Berkeley class schedule is being offered again this year.
- The schedule is still listed by location for administrative purposes. However, students from any location, can choose any Bala Vihar schedule that works best for them.
- A global class schedule across all locations is published here: Bala Vihar Class Schedule. Please consult this to determine the set of classes that works best for your children. It is possible to take a Bala Vihar class offered from one location-schedule along with optional classes from other schedules.
- Once you have determined the schedule/”location” of the virtual classes, please proceed to the registration process
- Bala Vihar textbooks and Hindi language books can be ordered online at https://bookstore.cmsj.org/collections/bala-vihar-text-books-1.
- In consideration of economic hardships related to COVID-19, we are continuing with the reduced annual membership fee of $450 for 2021-22. Our community has always supported us well, and we are supporting our community in this situation. The annual fee for a class e.g. Bala Vihar or Hindi, stays at $35 per child per class for the entire year. We expect we will increase our fees again next year, provided economic conditions improve. Please reach out privately to the Bala Vihar coordinator of the location closest to you if you have any circumstances that need financial accommodation.
- 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 the Chinmaya Mission San Jose Bala Vihar Terms and Conditions for more details.
- The change fee of $35 per change is waived till Oct 31st, 2021.
- These classes are no longer offered in 2021-22:
- Malayalam language classes under the Fremont schedule
- Please send an email to helpdesk@cmsj.org if you have any questions regarding Bala Vihar and other children’s classes.
- Live discourses for adults: We are blessed to have a resident spiritual teacher at CMSJ, Brahmachari Soham Chaitanya. Soham ji will conduct live discourses for adults at these times:
- Saturday 11am to 12 noon including 15 minutes of Q&A
- Sunday 11am to 12 noon including 15 minutes of Q&A
As always adult classes are free and open to all. See Discourses for more details.
The registration process and how to change existing registrations is documented here: Bala Vihar 2021-22 FAQs
A printable class schedule is here: Class Schedule
Note that classes have capacity limits – register early to ensure you get your choice of classes.
CMSJ Bala Vihar Calendar 2021-22
The 2021-22 calendar below applies to all schedules.
Please note that the schedule is subject to change.
| Month | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | 11th, 18th, 25th | 12th, 19th, 26th |
| Oct 2021 | 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th | 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st |
| Nov 2021 | 6th, 13th, 20th 27th closed for Thanksgiving | 7th, 14th, 21st 28th closed for Thanksgiving |
| Dec 2021 | 4th, 11th, 18th 25th closed for Winter break | 5th, 12th, 19th 26th closed for Winter break |
| Jan 2022 | 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th 1st closed for Winter break | 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th 2nd closed for Winter break |
| Feb 2022 | 5th, 12th, 26th 19th closed for President’s Day | 6th, 13th, 27th 20th closed for President’s Day |
| Mar 2022 | 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th | 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th |
| Apr 2022 | 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th | 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th. Om Run TBD |
| May 2022 | 7th, 14th 21st Bala Utsav | 1st, 8th, 15th 22nd Bala Utsav |
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 PreKG)
Shishu Vihar is a parent-and-toddler style class for 3 and 4 year olds. 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 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.
- San Mateo: Hindi
- San Jose: Hindi, Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu
- Fremont: Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Sanskrit and Telugu
- San Ramon: Sanskrit, Hindi, Malayalam and Telugu
Note: The languages offered may change from year to year.
