The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School in Forest Hills will offer two new summer programs, recently appointed a new director, and will offer an expanded schedule beginning in September.
This summer, The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School will offer two programs for preschoolers. The first program, for ages 3-5, is a literacy-based class with a strong musical component. Twice a week, from mid-June through mid-July, children will work on literacy projects. They’ll also learn basic musical terms, rhythm, and singing during Singing with Sunny, which will be taught by Sunny Knable, The Church-in-the-Gardens’ music director. In August, the nursery school will offer a transitional program for children entering nursery school in the fall, which will focus on separating from caregivers and parents. The literacy-based program is open to all children, while the separation program is only for those students attending The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School in September.
The Forest Hills nursery school also recently appointed Pauline Elliott as its interim director. After working in the Department of Education as an early childhood coordinator in Region 6 in Brooklyn, Elliott joined The Church-in-the-Gardens in September. “I’m listed as interim director, but I foresee being here for quite a while,” Elliott says.
The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School, which follows a developmentally appropriate learning-through-play approach, also has some changes in the works for the 2017-2018 school year. The nursery program, which is currently offered in three half-days per week, will expand its schedule to five half-days per week for both the morning and afternoon sessions. The pre-K program will also extend its schedule by offering an optional extra hour of focused instruction from 8-9am for the morning session and from 3-4pm for the afternoon session.
Elliott says the nursery school is also consulting with the Department of Education to potentially become a Pre-K for All location. “They have a few contracts left for half-day Pre-K for All, and we’re looking at contracting with them,” Elliott says. “But we won’t know for sure until April.”
Something Elliott knows for sure for the fall, though, is Singing with Sunny will be offered once a week for the afternoon nursery and pre-K classes. Elliott says it will only be offered for the afternoon sessions because Knable teaches at Queens College in the mornings.
Elliott urges those who are interested in learning more about the school to schedule a private tour, as open houses are not currently offered.
RELATED: Get Area Activities in Your Inbox
Main image: Children at The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School have a celebration in the housekeeping center.
Courtesy The Church-in-the-Gardens Nursery School
