Program Overview

At West Village Nursery School, we support the development of each child across all domains; social, emotional, physical, cognitive and moral. Nursery school is an important stepping-stone along the path toward independence. Children gain a sense of independence and confidence in an environment that respects and celebrates their differences in temperament, learning styles and rates of growth. Our goal at WVNS is to help each child feel increasingly capable, willing, and eager to explore their ideas, to practice newly emerging skills, and to gain the satisfaction that comes from working within a group. 

Play is at the center of our program. Children “play to learn and learn to play.”  Children play to construct meaning and understanding of their world around them and learn best when they are actively engaged with materials, ideas and people. 

WVNS uses an emergent curriculum.  We plan units of study that are responsive to children’s interests.  The curriculum provides children with meaningful learning experiences. Each area of study develops communication, cooperation and collaboration skills. Early literacy skills, scientific methods, and mathematical thinking skills are woven within the themed activities. We thoughtfully create a schedule to balance both small and whole group activities. 

We provide a safe and nurturing learning environment where children can explore their world and develop an intrinsic love of learning. As children progress through our program, they develop autonomy, an understanding of school routines, social skills, as well as pre-academic building blocks - preparing them for all types of schools and life. 

Three Year Progression

Here at WVNS, we feel passionate about our three-year progressive education program as the ideal path for early childhood education in NYC. Starting with our afternoon two’s workshops, your child will have the opportunity to experience gentle separation as they gain comfort, confidence, and autonomy in the classroom. Our small class sizes and student-to-teacher ratio ensure that each child will be seen and assessed individually, which is vital to ensuring successful separation as they take their first steps in their educational journeys. The experienced members of our veteran teaching staff are full of early-child expertise, with a firm grasp of the separation process.