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DECEMBER 2005

92 Street Y Nursery: A Comprehensive
Learning Program For Youngsters

By Liza Young

It’s not surprising that so many parents of pre-school age children vie competitively in pursuit of sending their kids to the 92nd Street Y nursery school. Housed on the premises of the great 92 St. Y cultural center, the pre-school boasts the  resources of the organization and has features such as three outdoor playgrounds, with soft-cushioned floors, with one playground having a special protective roof. But this is just a part of what makes this pre-school a treasure for youngsters, their parents, and the staff.

As Nancy Schulman, Director of the nursery school, stated in a recent interview in her office, the quality of teachers at the Y is a cornerstone of the pre-school: master teachers with 25 years of teaching experience strive to “pass teaching on to the next generation of teachers.”

There is a sense of camaraderie among staff and students, with everyone, including program directors, being addressed on a first name basis. Even the security guards contribute to the sense of having an extended family at pre-school as they heartily greet students each morning, sometimes providing treats such as stickers and candies.

Through the intergenerational program started by Ellen Birnbaum, Associate Director, 92nd Street Y, generation gaps are melted away as seniors, 60 and over, interact with the nursery school aged children. Seniors share their childhood memories, engage in block play, and one senior is even teach favorite hobbies, such as tai chi.

With the walls of the school lined with children’s artistic creations, such as art work in Jackson Pollock style, colorful candle holders, and drawings of faces, the pre-school is warm and welcoming to the young students, and illustrative of its mission to educate children, emotionally and intellectually, within the framework of an environment of warmth and creativity.

The program hosts 175 students, ages 2½ through five years olds, with a teacher/student ratio of about 4 to 1. A dynamic team approach is used by teacher groups for each respective class, with regular discussions on what teaching approaches have proven successful in the classroom.

The curriculum is multi-dimensional and multi-sensory, involving lively student participation. Examples of lesson plans include using pumpkins to learn about circumference and the development of scientific hypotheses. Three year olds were asked whether the pumpkin would float when placed in a large pool of water, and actively engaged in this experiment. Finally children learned culinary skills as they baked pumpkin seeds. Mathematical concepts and art go hand in hand as children colorfully graph different phenomenon, such as the number of times the temperature was cold versus mild in a particular week.

A major component of teaching at the pre-school is fostering independence and self-confidence, such as having children learn to put their coats on by themselves or pour their own beverages. The moral development of children is bolstered through teaching the concept of Mitzvot—good deeds—which are summarized on index cards with specific examples of students engaging in kind behavior, such as “David held the drawer open for Sam.”

Enrichment programs at the pre-school program include music sessions with a specialist in the field as well as science studies with a teacher  referred to as professor. There is a rich array of after school programs available for youngsters—some even coordinated with dismissal time—that range from pottery to dance, music, gym and sports.

Recognizing that learning at the nursery school must be reinforced and complemented outside of school, special programs are available for parents and caregivers.

The parenting center, launched in 1979 is open to all parents—even those who do not have children enrolled in the pre-school and recently a program for caregivers was launched.  These programs are in addition to regular parent-teacher conferences.  

Children with special needs are integrated into the program at the pre-school. In-service programs are available such as psychologists and occupational therapists, and referrals are made to programs such as the Child Study Center at New York University, when necessary. 

The pre-school overall is an ideal center to meet the moral, academic, and cultural growth of the child, a center where teachers and parents partner in taking an active role in the process.

When asked about major changes at the school during her 16 year tenure, Schulman spoke about the complicated lives that children and their fast track parents live, often overwhelmed and exhausted. Parents need more guidance today: they are bombarded with information and have lost contact with extended families. Children need to develop more self-confidence and  competence in order to take risks and learn.

With Schulman and Birnbaum at the helm, children will continue to flourish and grow; and they will continue to return to visit years later, as so many do, the roots of their early success.#

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