My fifth nursery school visit was to First Presbyterian Weekday Nursery School located at 10 Fairview Avenue in the First Presbyterian Church. The classroom is bright, inviting, and loaded with age appropriate toys for pre-school aged children. Art decorates the walls as well as the letters and numbers they are studying each week. The teachers are warm and focused entirely on the happiness and well being of the children. There is structure to each day from activities at each table to circle time, to work time all in a learn through play environment. Unlike the nursery schools I have visited previously, there is an age and potty training requirement. Children must be 3 years old and potty trained by October 1 in order to apply for the program. In case you missed the Open House on January 27, call for a tour and application.
Now for the nuts and bolts:
School Days/Hours: This school offers half-day programs from 9 a.m. to noon. Those in the 3-year -ld program attend on Tuesdays and Thursdays; 4-year-olds attend on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Payment: Tuition is billed monthly with 9 payments of $240 for the 2-day class or $290 for the 3-day class. Additionally, there is a non-refundable $50 registration fee, which is applied to the first month’s tuition in September.
Class Size: Currently there is a student-teacher ratio of 9 children to 2 teachers in the 3-year-old class, and 8 children to two teachers in the 4-year-old class.
Snacks/Food: The school provides healthy snacks for the children and parents contribute once each week in addition too what the school provides. For children with food allergies, parents are asked to provide snacks for their own children each day.
My favorite things about this school are that the children all have jobs, are encouraged to be independent and that the teachers treat the students as if they were family. I also like that the children play outside as often as possible even if only for a few minutes in the colder weather. Kids love to be outside especially in the snow.[mappress]
