It is our philosophy not to fit the child into the curriculum, but to assess what the child already knows and build on their individual needs and unique strengths making the curriculum work for them.
Students' sense of achievement and well-being are encouraged by our student-centered educational philosophy. The teachers believe in the importance of achievement based on the individual performance, instead of comparing the children to their peers. Teachers encourage students to be more active in the classroom and to interact with one another. We focus on teaching our children how to be kind to one another, self expression and regulation, and the importance of using their words. We believe in the importance of modeling gentleness, using kind words, and set clear expectation throughout the day.
Teachers practice student-centered learning techniques encouraging students to learn by doing. Students are made more aware of the materials they are using and their endless possibilities of use. Students are encouraged to learn through activities such as dramatic play, circle time, center times, and other incorporated one-on-one activities. The goal of all activities is for students to gain skills that can be used in other areas in their lives.
Our Creative Play Curriculum includes experiences and activities like: Music and Movement, American Sign Language, Spanish language, STEAM, Yoga, and Art. Languages spoken at the school by our faculty and staff: French, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Finnish, Hebrew and Turkish.
GENERAL PROGRAMS
Nursery Program: 3 months - 2 years
Preschool Program: 2 years - 5 years
Enrollment Options: 3, 4, or 5 days a week
HOURS OF OPERATION
Early Drop Off: 8:00 - 9:00 AM
School Day: 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Extended Care: 3:30 - 6:00 PM
PARTNERSHIPS
We have five Loog guitars, designed for children ages 3+ with half the strings of a regular sized guitar and half the body size. Children learn half of the chord structure and as they grow can complete the other half with full six strings. Loog guitars provide an opportunity to fully embrace music and STEAM education through the physical and mathematical comprehension of notes, and empowers children as they play in a way that is comfortable for them.
Our libraries have children’s books published by NASA, and our Pre-K students learn about aeronautics with NASA’s Aeronautics for Pre-K collection of six STEM learning modules based upon children’s books appropriate for story time. Each module includes a STEM thematic lesson, with topics associated with gliders in nature (form and function), balloons (sinking and floating, weight), parachutes (fluid thickness and drag), kites (surface area and lift), helicopters and airplanes (force and thrust), and world flyers (geography and global trade).
Sphero and littleBits Electronics have educational technology tools for children to invent the world they want to live in. We have a Sphero RVR Robot Car and a large library of littleBits from their STEAM Student Sets, Code Kits, Space Rover Kits and KORG Synth Kits. Children can build circuits in seconds, learn to understand order of operations, trial and error, and can invent their own musical instruments, robots, devices, and art projects.
Chess at Three gets children playing and loving chess through storytelling, starting at the surprising age of 3. They work to equip children with learning tools and life skills using a curriculum based on two key principles: children can learn anything through fun stories and anyone can teach through fun storytelling. These stories transform chess pieces into a memorable cast of characters that help children understand piece movement, strategy, and important themes such as sportsmanship, grit, and math.
The GIANT Room is an Innovation Hub for children to discover interests, ideate challenges they care to solve, get messy and bring their ideas into reality. It is an innovation hub because it is all about children creating something new. It is a hub because they believe the process of generating new things is social and is best done with a community. The GIANT room resembles the cool and playful culture of a startup paired with roots in the learning sciences. The goal is for GIANT kids to be ready to face the fast paced ever changing future of work and ultimately create the world they want to live in. We embrace The GIANT Room’s philosophy on creativity and imagination and use their approach in the classroom. We plan to visit their Chelsea location in the future.
We’ve teamed up with Clixo, an innovative, new building toy with a modern twist. It combines the magic of origami, the ease of classic building blocks, and the power of magnets. These brand new, tactile toys are incredibly fun and are great for engaging young hands and minds. More importantly, they aid in the development of gross motor skills, spatial reasoning and awareness, creative thinking, and problem solving. We're one of the first few preschools in NYC to incorporate this modern play system in our program. Visit our Clixo page to see more.