Nursery Division

Overview

The Horace Mann School Nursery Division is located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Each year, approximately 145 children aged 3 to 5-years-old attend the Nursery Division for our Threes, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten programs. They come from many areas of Manhattan and, on occasion, from the Bronx and Westchester, to a neighborhood that is within walking distance to Central Park and museums. For many children and families, the Nursery Division is the first taste of what Horace Mann School has to offer.

A Day in the Life at Nursery Division

An early childhood education at the Nursery Division focuses on the child as an active, competent learner and recognizes the family’s important role in supporting this vision. The daily life in school is rich in experiences that draw on the children’s abilities and interests while stimulating new learning and curiosity. Attention to the growth and development of each child and family is a hallmark of the Nursery Division, one that forges strong relationships and supports children to make meaningful connections. Our program carefully balances the integration of literacy, math, science, music and movement. Community play, math games, writing activities, and outdoor time add to the richness of the experience. For an in-depth look at our program, view our Nursery Division Curriculum Guide.

Our Child-Centered Approach

At the Nursery Division, faculty work collaboratively to create a rich environment where children’s’ interest are valued and explored. This child-centered approach leads to the emergence of an in-depth curricular study. This integrated curriculum and hands-on approach is used to teach skills and concepts in the arts, fostering problem-solving ability and independent thinking. Every experience opens opportunities to explore the chosen topic as well as related topics, depending on the shared experience or special interests of the group. Children are encouraged to ask questions and to find the answers through research, experimentation, observation, and exploration.

Furthermore, Horace Mann School has partnered with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence to enrich our commitment to the social-emotional learning of our students. Building on the research-based RULER program, teachers and students actively engage, value, and live the various components of this program. The RULER skills include: Recognizing emotions in oneself and others, understanding the causes and consequences of emotions, labeling emotions with accurate words, expressing emotions differently depending on the context, and regulating emotions with helpful strategies. To complement the RULER program, the psychologist/social worker pushes into all classrooms to offer whole and small group social-emotional learning opportunities that focus on social skills, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and school skills.

Our Dedicated Faculty

The Nursery Division faculty includes specialists in science, literacy, library, studio, music, movement and chess. The classroom teachers and specialists all work closely together to ensure that the curriculum is well-integrated and age appropriate.

Spotlight on Emergent Curriculum

Horace Mann School's Nursery Division faculty are inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, seeing themselves as researchers, watching intently as children play. As dialogue is exchanged between children about a variety of subjects, faculty document these ideas and decide what subject would hold the interest of all the children.

Our teachers ask themselves:

Will the subject include experiences that meet the needs of multiple learning styles?
Will the subject matter foster community building and friendship?
Can experiences be created that build literacy and logical thinking skills?
Can the subject be interesting enough for all children?

Faculty implement an emergent curriculum, which respects the child's voice as an important and valuable tool for for the evolution of the curriculum. Together, the classroom community enjoys a journey of learning that is entirely unique to them.