Early Childhood at New City School

Our early childhood classrooms are intentionally designed for our youngest learners. Reimagined and renovated in 2023, these naturalist-inspired classrooms provide a foundational early learning environment for the children in the Young 3s, 3/4s, and 4/5s.

Each classroom has a unique collection of hands-on materials thoughtfully curated by early childhood faculty. Indoor inquiry is a time when the children can be found reading in cozy nooks and engaged in collaborative work. We place an emphasis on play, which we know is the work of young children.

Teachers work with each child to nurture their unique curiosities and strengths, getting to know them both individually and within a group. Children learn the power of their words as they negotiate how to collaboratively build with wooden blocks and patiently work as a team to follow (or create!) a recipe in the kitchen. Early literacy concepts are introduced through a multi-sensory approach and focus on letters, sounds, rhyming, syllables and songs. Each preschool grade level spends approximately 90 minutes outdoors daily, taking full advantage of multiple playgrounds, a wood-building zone ideal for forts and imaginative play, several garden beds, and a designated space for tricycle riding.

Early Childhood Division Highlights

Building the foundation for lifelong learning
Creating a caring community
Outdoor exploration

What is inquiry and play-based learning? Click the video below to learn more about our Early Childhood program.

Reimagining Our Garden Level

After historic flooding in the Central West End in the summer of 2022, New City School had an opportunity to model the resilience and ingenuity that we encourage in our students as we took on rebuilding the Garden Level. Learn more about the recent renovation of these classrooms, which incorporate natural elements alongside expanded instructional areas and child-centered design.

What are Multiple Intelligences?

New City School has been using the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) as a tool for teaching and learning since 1988. This unique academic learning approach, conceived by Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, develops students’ inherent strengths and creates a deep level of understanding that allows children to use what they’ve learned in new and different situations.