25 Years of Excellence

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, an innovative Italian philosophy of early childhood education, and informed by the spirit of Jewish discovery, our program fosters curiosity, creativity, and a lifelong love of learning. We invite you to explore our website, speak with one of our site directors, or review our brochure to learn more about how we nurture wonder, learning, and essential life skills. Our educators thoughtfully design curricular maps with the whole child in mind, integrating math, literacy, social-emotional learning, science, gross motor development, art, and sensory exploration. Because we value the child’s voice and natural curiosity, our approach supports emergent curriculum, an evolving, responsive style of teaching that follows the interests of the children and dives deeper into topics they care about.

Our school is community centered and welcomes children and families from diverse backgrounds. Some families join because of the Jewish aspect. However, some joing because of the arts, proximity to their home, schedules, etc.

At POTA, we value other arts such as poetry, bookmaking, storytelling, theater, dancing, and music making. The teachers work hard to incorporate these different mediums into the classroom at different parts of the year.

Our progressive model follows the interest, strengths, and curiousities of our chidren therefore we keep our classes small to provide intimate learning opportunities supported by a co-teaching model. We are very intentional when creating classes by allowing students the chance to reconnect with familiar faces and create new friendships.5 (See ratio below)

Infants – 1:4, Toddlers – 1:5, 2-3yo – 1:6, Nursery – Cap at 15, Pre-K – Cap at 1

They are open Now. You can visit the link below to begin the application process

http://www.nycpreschool.org/apply

You can visit the link below to begin the application process

http://www.nycpreschool.org/apply

Dates are clearly outlined on our application. For our Gramercy location the cutoff date is 12/31. For our Chelsea location the cutoff date is 8/31.

We currently do not offer drop-in class. Let me gather your information as we offer fun, interactive events throughout the school year.

This is one of the most common questions we get asked. In our progressive play-based environment, children build strong academic foundations through meaningful, hands-on experiences. As they explore and play, they naturally develop skills in literacy, math, science, and problem-solving, along with important social and emotional growth. Our educators design activities that align academic and developmental goals with each child’s interests. This emergent curriculum approach ensures that learning is both engaging and effective. Children not only meet their milestones but also develop a lasting love of learning that sets them up for long-term success.

Preschool of the Arts is conscious to provide balanced snacks for the children. Snack time consists of a carb, a protein, and a fruit or vegetable. Fort those families who opt-in to our lunch program, they can expect the same nutritionally balanced meals.

In NYC we are fortunate to have so many parks and playground available to us! Chelsea Green, Madision Square Park, Peter Cooper and Stuy Town playgrounds are just some of the parks we utilize throughout the year.

Preschool of the Arts is Jewish-inspired, weaving Jewish values and traditions into our daily routine. Each day includes time for Tefillah (prayer) and Tzedakah (charity), and throughout the year we learn about and celebrate all the Jewish holidays. We also come together as a community to celebrate Shabbat every week.