By Joyce Szuflita
Daycare is childcare to help working parents. It can start in infancy and continue until children are ready for more formal education.
In general, preschool and nursery school (interchangeable terms) start when children turn two or three years old. There are a lot of significant developmental changes that occur in the year after a child turns two. Not all nursery/preschool programs have twos programs, and not all two year olds are ready for school. They are often very small classes and may not be available for children that turn two in the fall after the school’s age cut off. Children usually move on to different Kindergarten programs at 5 years, but some schools have certification through 5 years and some independent schools continue on though elementary to middle and high school. Most schools in Brooklyn provide tours and begin the application process in the fall a year before the children will enter school.
PreKindergarten (PreK) programs are for four year olds. At this point there are more choices. The public schools have limited seats available in their free PreK programs. Some private nursery schools have a reduced fee in the fours year because they get some UPK (Universal PreK) funding.
Even though most high quality nursery and prek programs are “play based”, there are some significant differences in philosophy between programs. The children are learning a lot through play – self-regulation, socialization, confidence, pre -literacy, math, science and lots of art. It is not just babysitting.
I am holding a couple of “Intro to Nursery School” talks. I will be talking about:
- nursery school philosophies
- what to look for on a tour
- what you need to know to keep the search under control and in perspective
- Lots of Q&A.
I won't be discussing individual schools at this event
$20. for an individual /$30. for a family
RSVP to joyce@nycschoolhelp.com
Tuesday, August 11 at 7pm - 8:30pm
at NYC Explorers 388 Atlantic Ave. (between Hoyt and Bond)
Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10am - 11:30am
at Hootenanny Art House 15th St. (@ 8th Ave. Brooklyn)
Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7pm - 8:30pm
at Still Hip 283 Grand (between Lafayette and Clinton Pl.)
Joyce Szuflita is a working mother of twins. She has been a Brooklyn resident for 28 years. As NYC School Help, she consults with families who are doing the school search; public or private, nursery school through high school. Her aim is to save you time, clarify your priorities, present you with thorough information in a clear uniform format so that you can make an informed decision about your child's education. She takes a crazy stressful process and makes it clear and manageable. Joyce is also a regular contributor to Hip Slope Mama.
