WESTVILLE

We are located at 34 Harrison Street in the heart of Westville village in New Haven.  Mitchell Library is across the street, and WCNS teachers work with the librarians to offer several enrichment programs to our students throughout the year.  Visits to the local post office and fire station, both in walking distance, are highly anticipated field trips each year.  WCNS has been a neighborhood institution since 1971.

COMMUNITY

Community is at the heart of everything that takes place at WCNS.  The school is dedicated to serving not just students, but their families as well.  Throughout the year, there are many occasions where the WCNS community gathers to socialize, perform community service, beautify the school, provide assistance to other WCNS families in need, and raise funds.  We are a network of teachers, students and families committed to quality preschool education and to the larger New Haven community.

NURSERY SCHOOL

WCNS is dedicated to the philosophy of learning through play.  In a warm and nurturing environment, children are encouraged to be children.  The classroom is structured into learning centers, including a music center, big blocks area, writing center, water table and dramatic play area.  There are big, soft mats for children to jump on, a sand table where they can get their hands dirty, and a water table where they can make waves. 

The teachers are devoted to weaving curriculum into rich play experiences for the children.  For example, a child may learn about the color spectrum at the light table, where they can place a translucent blue shape over a red one and discover purple.  There may be a post office set up in dramatic play, where children are encouraged to write letters, place them in envelopes, and put them in a drop box, from which the “postal worker” retrieves the mail and makes deliveries to the local “homes.”  While thoroughly enjoying themselves, the students practice letter formation, learn how to mail a letter, and gain practical knowledge and appreciation of an important job in society.

After a morning meeting which focuses on a preview of the day’s activities, children are given the opportunity for free choice play.  Their interests may lead them to the art table where painting with marbles is being offered; to the kitchen area, where a teacher is directing children in baking gingerbread cookies; or to the manipulatives table where scales, rulers and tape measures are at the ready for students to explore various forms of measurement.  Outdoor play is a highlight of each school day (barring severe weather, of course).

WCNS is accredited by the

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

School-Day (8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.) and Part-Day (9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.) sessions available for either 2, 3 or 5 days a week

6:1 student-teacher ratio

Recipient of the New Haven School Readiness Grant; financial aid available for New Haven residents

Patty O’Hanlon, Director

For more information, or to schedule a tour of the school
call 203.387.6660 or patty@wcnsinc.org.