Church in the Gardens Nursery School Adds Programs

Church in the Gardens Nursery School in Forest Hills is now offering free, half-day universal pre-K and extended-hour paid programs in music, art, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) for pre-K students.

Pre-K started Sept. 7 and will run through June 26. Children must be 4 years old by Dec. 31 and New York City residents to apply. Registration ends Oct. 4 for the Monday-Friday morning (9-11:30am) and afternoon (12:30-3pm) sessions.

The hour-long paid programs have rolling enrollment and take place Monday-Friday from 11:30am-12:30pm, offering specialized instruction in French through music (Monday and Wednesday), art (Tuesday and Thursday), and STEM projects (Friday). Children enrolled in these programs take part in interactive activities such as chorus, special art projects, and science experiments designed to foster their learning and creativity. 

“We don't use worksheets here. Kids learn by doing, so everything they do is hands-on,” says Pauline Elliott, school director. 

The pre-K curriculum at Church in the Gardens Nursery School is designed to prepare students for kindergarten and address the multiple intelligences of each student, supporting every child as he or she becomes a successful, lifelong learner.

“The benefit of pre-K is learning how to learn in a classroom environment, which includes socialization, asking questions, not being afraid of getting the answer wrong, and learning to keep trying if you don't get it right the first time,” Elliott says.

Church in the Gardens Nursery School started in 1980 as a cooperative playgroup. It is licensed by the New York City Bureau of Day Care as a nursery school.

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Main image: Church in the Gardens Nursery School is now offering free, half-day universal pre-K and hour-long paid programs.
Courtesy Church in the Gardens Nursery School