Ethics for Youth

Ethics for Children is now ETHICS FOR YOUTH!!!

Service and community projects, games, field trips, special guests, art, theater, and ethics in action.

That’s right—Ethics!

Ethics for Youth

The Ethics for Youth program is a fun, safe, interactive learning environment for kids and teens to investigate important topics that affect their lives and to deepen their understanding of their roles in their personal and broader communities. Our program fosters empathy, a deeper understanding of self and others, and empowers students to make a difference in their world.

How do we do it? Each of our weekly classes features a lesson drawn from our 5 core principles: Caring for Self, Family, Community, Society (our world community), and the Earth. Our lessons utilize participatory learning through art, theatre, games, music, discussion, reflection, and most importantly – action, through service projects and collaborative work with a diversity of communities and organizations.

Our lessons and service projects are influenced by student passions and interests. Our program does not impose a fixed set of values or beliefs. Rather, our goal is to provide experiences that can broaden their perspectives and a space where students can identify their own values, expand their knowledge, and gain skills essential to developing and following their own moral compass and voice. All of our classes participate in the service projects, field trips, and welcome special guests throughout the year. Families are not expected to participate but are welcome to do so if they wish to join us.

Want to see our curriculum for the 2026-2027 year? CLICK HERE!

Growing Ethics (Ages 5–8 yo)

Empathy, Connection, & Creative Play

Children at this age are natural philosophers and eager explorers. Through games, art, music, and cooperative games, our youngest participants explore their connection to the world, themselves, their families, communities, and their environment.

Register Here

Evolving Ethics – (ages 9 – 12 yo)

Emerging Voices, Big Questions, & Meaningful Play

We honor this time of transition by encouraging them to explore the issues that genuinely capture their imagination. Through hands-on, student-driven projects, thoughtful dialogue, and games, we provide a safe harbor for them to wrestle with big ideas, shape their own values, and recognize the power of their unique voices.

Register Here

Community Coming-of-Age (Ages 13+)

A New Milestone for Tweens & Teens – Living Ethics

As students grow, so does their impact. We are thrilled to introduce our new Community Coming-of-Age Program. This immersive, year-long, project-based journey is designed specifically for teens and tweens to take the lead. Backed by the mentorship of the broader Brooklyn Ethical community, older students tackle big questions through collaborative community projects and celebrate their transition into young adulthood by stepping up as true changemakers in a culmination ceremony.

Register Here

Free Trial Class Sunday, Sept 20 at 10:30 am. Register HERE!

Fall Term:
September 20 (Trial Class), 27
October 4, 11 (Special Community Trip Day), 18, 26
November 1, 8, 15, 22

Winter Term:
December 6, 13, 20
January 10, 17, 24, 31
February 7, 28
March 7

Spring Term:
March 14, 21
April 4, 11, 18
May 2, 16, 23
June 6, 13 (End-of-Year Ceremony)

Classes are held on Sundays from 10:30 a.m. – 12 pm
at Brooklyn Ethical, 265 4th Avenue, Brooklyn.

Price: $175 per term or $500 per full year

Click HERE to register

Full and partial scholarships are available.

Have any questions for us? Please send us a message, and we will get back to you right away.

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Our Teachers

WURRM
Growing Ethics (ages 5 – 8yo)

SKY
Evolving Ethics (ages 9 – 12 yo)

SUNEHRA
Community Coming-of-Age (Ages 13+) – Living Ethics

Special Events

Sept 20, 2026

Trial Class

Want to try a class? Join us on Sept 20 at 10:30. RSVP so we know you are coming, Space is limited.

Sign up

Sep 27, 2026

First Day of Classes

Our classes officially start Sept 27!

Register for the classes

Cultivating Empathy, Self-Knowledge and Inspiring Action

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All Ages Talent Show (with pictures)

This year’s Annual All-Ages Talent Show was a huge success and showed us that talent really comes in all ages! We had children as young as 3yo doing magic tricks, singing, showing us somersaults, doing an awesome stand-up routine, and even quizzing us on a science space trivia that had us hopelessly guessing. We had teens reading moving and personal poems, playing Chinese music on the violin, drawing portraits of attendees, and hosting the event! We also had adults of all ages sharing their painting skills, doing comedy sketches, and doing a theatrical juggling routine that had us all laughing. We can’t wait for next year to check out what new talents we will learn about!

CLICK ON THE PICTURES BELOW FOR SLIDES.

Remembering BSEC’s History – Patsy Tran Berkman

Patsy Tran Berkman is an alumna who is currently 86 years old, but who was, in her childhood, part of what is now our Ethics for Children program. We are lucky to have people like her, who have saved a special place in their hearts for us, even so many years later. Her son, Don Berkman, reached out to us to find out how to honor his mom on her birthday, by making a donation to our scholarships for our Ethics for Children Program, so another child, like she was then, would be able to attend our classes at no cost because of her donation. She has been kind enough to share a message with us and to prepare a special video for the kids.

Her testimonial and videos are below:

As I enter my 86th year on this Earth, I look back on my days at Brooklyn Ethical with fondness. I began my education there in Kindergarten. I remember the big staircase that took me to my class. How I loved the teacher and all the activities. I stayed until 8th grade. I remember we took our graduation photos in the front of the building on the steps. I live the tenets Brooklyn Ethical Culture taught me every day.

Lessons Learned at Brooklyn Ethical Culture School:
My childhood name was Patsy Tran, (now Pat Berkman). I attended Brooklyn Ethical Culture School from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. Memories flood my mind as I write about this wonderful school:

The delicious hot lunches
Our mid-morning snacks of bread and butter sandwiches
Bringing cans of food for the less fortunate at Thanksgiving.
Our trips across the street to the Meadow (Prospect Park)
From Art Classes to Shop we stretched our abilities and imagination.
I learned so much. One of the most important lessons I learned was to stand by my principles and fight for my beliefs.

We would also have weekly talks by Dr. Henry Neuman, one of the founders of the school. The talks were rather dry and we all, I’m afraid, half-listened.
But the story doesn’t end there. It seems I did listen very well to Dr. Neuman. He spoke about equality of religion – all religions. How “Man” is to be respected and treated with kindness and fairness. And these principles of life that he eschewed and the ethical behavior he spoke about is how I have tried to live my life.
Brooklyn Ethical Culture School was more than a school that taught subjects, it was a school whose philosophy was that all individuals have inherent worth and dignity. And we have a responsibility to each other, to Society, and to the community.
Brooklyn Ethical Culture, the school that enriched all who attended.

Ethics for Children Service Project – Food Security

The December Ethics for Children Service Day was focused on food security. We assembled grab bag lunches and collected pantry items for the community fridge that is hosted by the Wyckoff Museum (5816 Clarendon Rd Brooklyn). We also had a special guest, Anaika Forbes, who set up the fridge and the Team Leader of Hashtag LunchBag Brooklyn. Anaika shared how this community fridge, and 2 others, came to be, and how she works to help address food insecurity in Brooklyn. At the end of our day, 24 complete lunches and 4 big bags of pantry goods were delivered!

If anyone is seeking a community fridge in NYC to contribute to or utilize, you can find a map of locations at: https://nycfridge.com If you would like to join Anaika at a monthly Hashtag LunchBag event, you can find details on her social media: hashtaglunchbagbk

To learn more about our ethics for Children classes, visit: https://bsec.org/efc/

To see the full-sized pictures, please click on the thumbnails below.