Our Mission and Philosophy
The Amalgamated Nursery is a parent cooperative nursery school that was established in 1933 to serve the immediate community of the Amalgamated and Park Reservoir Housing Cooperatives and the surrounding community. Our program is based on the premise that all children share certain needs and that they benefit from a comprehensive interdisciplinary program that fosters the developmental needs of all children. For many students the nursery experience will be their first steps away from family and home. We recognize the importance of building strong relationships between school, family and community. As a parent cooperative nursery we encourage families to play an active role in the program. We believe that this program must meet the needs of the child and his/her family. This developmentally based program includes educational, parent and community involvement, nutritional and social service support. The Amalgamated Nursery School provides an integrated curriculum that includes social studies, science, math, language development and literacy, active physical play, block play, musical experiences, art, cooking and woodworking,
The Amalgamated Nursery School program is a child’s laboratory for developmentally appropriate learning. It is a place where children can “learn to learn” - where they are encouraged to develop their curiosity, explore their interests, build a strong language foundation and realize their creativity. Our curriculum designed by our teachers is based upon early childhood educators’ knowledge of how children learn through play and through first-hand sensory perception. Children learn through experimentation, manipulation and exploration as a result of encounters with a variety of media, problems, ideas and people. They learn as active, responsible members of a congenial social group, through the process of identification with adults in their lives and most efficiently when the activity is related to their own purposes and interests.
The Amalgamated Nursery School program is a child’s laboratory for developmentally appropriate learning. It is a place where children can “learn to learn” - where they are encouraged to develop their curiosity, explore their interests, build a strong language foundation and realize their creativity. Our curriculum designed by our teachers is based upon early childhood educators’ knowledge of how children learn through play and through first-hand sensory perception. Children learn through experimentation, manipulation and exploration as a result of encounters with a variety of media, problems, ideas and people. They learn as active, responsible members of a congenial social group, through the process of identification with adults in their lives and most efficiently when the activity is related to their own purposes and interests.
Active Parent Dialogue
For many students the Nursery experience will be their first steps away from family and home. We recognize the importance of building strong relationships between school, family and community. As a parent cooperative nursery school we encourage families to play an active role in the program and in our immediate community. Family members are welcome in the classrooms as visitors or volunteers. Through formal family conferences, school events, workshops, informal meetings as well as frequent dialogue families and staff build relationships of trust and cooperation. Classroom teachers call upon the expertise of families for projects or themes that may be studied in the classroom. Class books are developed by each classroom teacher based on projects or themes being worked with in the classroom. These books are circulated among the families to build a strong home school connection. We hope our program can help set school relationships that parents can carry over into elementary and secondary school programs.
The Nursery is governed by an active Executive Board which is comprised of elected parent members. The Executive Board is responsible for overseeing and making financial decisions. In addition there are committees for program planning, newsletters, housekeeping, maintenance, publicity and fundraising.
The Executive Board plans events throughout the year to allow families the opportunity to socialize and meet other families in the community. Activities generally include parent workshops that help children transition from Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten, pot luck dinners, pancake breakfasts, children’s entertainment, quilting sessions for our annual children’s literature quilt, workshops on topics of interest for families as well as group maintenance sessions to help keep the school in good repair. We pride ourselves with the fact that many long term friendships have been established among both adults and children through involvement with our school community. We hope our families feel as welcome and nurtured as their children.
The Nursery is governed by an active Executive Board which is comprised of elected parent members. The Executive Board is responsible for overseeing and making financial decisions. In addition there are committees for program planning, newsletters, housekeeping, maintenance, publicity and fundraising.
The Executive Board plans events throughout the year to allow families the opportunity to socialize and meet other families in the community. Activities generally include parent workshops that help children transition from Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten, pot luck dinners, pancake breakfasts, children’s entertainment, quilting sessions for our annual children’s literature quilt, workshops on topics of interest for families as well as group maintenance sessions to help keep the school in good repair. We pride ourselves with the fact that many long term friendships have been established among both adults and children through involvement with our school community. We hope our families feel as welcome and nurtured as their children.
Facilities
The Amalgamated Nursery School is located within the Amalgamated and Park Reservoir Housing Cooperatives. Within this tree lined neighborhood, we are fortunate to have two large private Co-op owned outdoor playgrounds available to us as well as the use of nearby Van Cortlandt Park and The Classic Playground. The school is well equipped with materials that support learning and exploration, a large school library, as well as a small school garden,
