Nursery School - Philip Coltoff Center at Greenwich Village

Meredith Murphy, Nursery School Director
Marisa Goldsmith, Admissions and Education Director
Rachel Gordian, Executive Assistant

Thank you for your interest in The Children’s Aid Society/Greenwich Village Center Nursery School program. With a long tradition of serving the needs of New York’s families and children, The Children’s Aid Society is proud to offer a fully licensed Nursery program, based upon the highest standards of developmentally appropriate practice established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). We accept children ages 2-5 years old.

Philosophy
Our inclusive program focuses on the whole child, as an individual, so that his/her social, emotional, cognitive, and physical needs can be met. In addition to the NAEYC’s developmentally appropriate practice, the school’s foundation is The Creative Curriculum, a research- based educational philosophy which emphasizes the importance of how children develop and learn, as well as what they learn; the learning environment; and the teacher’s and family’s roles. Our children are enthusiastically engaged in the work of learning and young children learn best by doing. Our dedicated staff facilitates this process which requires active thinking and experimenting to find out how things work and to learn firsthand about the world we live in. Our goal is to help children thrive by creating a nurturing environment where they develop a sense of community, continue to love learning, and have fun!

Typical Day
A typical day will include organized time for both individual and group experiences. The day is planned to provide a balance of activities in consideration of the child’s total daily experience. Each class has an outdoor time on our spacious playground as well as class time in our parent coordinated library. Special activities, such as music/movement and Italian classes, further enrich the program. Typical classroom experiences include circle time, art exploration and cooking activities, and a variety of literacy experiences. Dramatic play and block play encourage each child’s social development and imagination.

Parent Involvement
To insure that parents receive accurate information, we utilize a variety of modes of communication, such as newsletters, email, notes, and parent teacher conferences. There are many ways for parents to remain involved with the Nursery School program. An active Parent Committee works on school/center events and issues. A committed Library Committee continues with development of our library and assists with the bookfair. Each class has two Class Parents to assist the teachers in their goals.

We invite parents to join a class to share a book, a recipe, a story or to lead a project. Annual social events include our Benefit and Spring Carnival, Fall Harvest Fest and countless gatherings and celebrations in the classrooms. We also offer seminars for parents, including workshops on the kindergarten selection process, which is scheduled in April and in late September. Parents are also encouraged to call or schedule meetings with teachers or administrative staff whenever necessary.

Extension Programs
Families may wish to extend their day past the hours that their child is in class. We offer Extended Day options to accommodate parents who may need full day schedules. Children can be dropped off as early as 8:00AM and/or picked up as late as 5:00 PM. Ample notice is required to assure appropriate staff/child ratios.

Parents may also wish to enroll their child in one of our preschool age arts classes, such as pottery, woodworking, ballet, gymnastics, cooking and science. Classes meet weekly after the regularly scheduled nursery classes. This is a wonderful way to enrich the day for your child, as well as to introduce him/her to a more focused creative experience. Classes in Pre-Arts run one semester at a time. Contact the Registrar for additional information and fees.