West Village Nursery School
Preschool in New York, NY 10014
West Village Nursery School founded in 1962 is a cooperative nursery school owned and operated by parents and housed in a building it has owned for 40 years. Now in its fifth decade the school is licensed by the state of New York and staffed by a professional director and experienced teachers with master’s degrees in early childhood education. The staff has full responsibility for the educational program. Parents share all other tasks which would otherwise be performed by salaried employees making a commitment of time and interest essential. This has proved workable even when both parents have jobs outside the home.
- Child Ages:
- 3 years - 6 years
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - DECA - ISAAGNY Accredited
- Preschool:
- Yes
- Hours of Operation:
- 9:00 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
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It is important to us that children like school that they see it as a place designed for them to be with friends and to take part in interesting and stimulating activities. Young children are active learners. Through self-directed play they test out organize and integrate new information ideas and concepts.
Our goal is to help each child feel increasingly capable willing and eager to explore ideas to practice newly emerging skills and to gain the satisfaction that comes from being part of a group.
A curriculum is planned for each group that includes arts and crafts dramatic play block building cooking outdoor play and music and movement (led by a music specialist). Based on the children’s interests and abilities themes are developed that incorporate the skills that form a basis for reading and math.
We adhere to a development-oriented approach to learning that makes the child’s interests and capabilities the starting point of education. This outlook called “developmental-interaction” is also known as the “Bank Street approach.” It is a point of view that supports the growth of the whole child in all the domains: social emotional physical cognitive and moral.
We believe that nursery school is an important stepping stone along the path toward independence. Children gain self-confidence in their first school environment when there is respect for their individual differences in temperament learning styles and rates of growth. Children learn from experience. They learn from each other. They learn through play. It takes time.
