A Note from the Nursery Team

 Dear Prospective Family,

Thank you for your interest in the Saul and Carole Zabar Nursery School at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan! We know that there are many amazing options out there for your child’s first school experience in NYC, and we are excited for you to get to know us, and to get to know you as well.

Our school is first and foremost built on the foundation of our community. Our 14-story institution has become a well-known part of the Upper West Side to countless parents, children, grandparents, caregivers, and friends throughout the city. We embrace families from all backgrounds and look to cultivate different pathways for Jewish values and traditions.

Our children’s sense of community is constantly being cultivated and grown. In their first experiences in our school, they strengthen their sense of classroom community, building trusting and loving relationships with their teachers and peers. Soon after they learn more about our school community by meeting other classes and staff members in the school. Their community continues to blossom as they explore other parts of the building and the many people in it.  Finally, their community extends past the walls of the JCC, into the neighborhood and beyond, as they critically analyze the ways in which they can participate in the value of tikkun olam: repairing the world around them.

Our experienced teachers are avid partners with children on their learning journey at the JCC. They arrive eager each day, ready to work with our students to co-construct curriculum that sparks a sense of wonder and creativity in each of them. This hands-on, experiential learning will enable our children to develop new skills, enhance their strengths, and work on their individual goals in a comfortable and safe environment that is familiar to them. Our hope is for our students to foster a love of school before they embark on their journeys as confident, life-long learners, and that their skills to critically think and question the world around them is fostered.

You will find that our staff are often asking questions in our classrooms to further investigate meaningful topics and expand the curiosities and knowledge base of the children. What does it mean to be a good friend? What would it look like to try something new? How can we talk about our feelings in a meaningful way? What is tzedakah (charity) and why is it important to us? Our partnerships with parents are crucial to our everyday successes. Through careful classroom observation and extensive documentation, our gifted educators are often able to share some of these conversations and experiences with parents to continue the dialogue of school happenings at home.

Children at the JCC range in age from two to five years old. Our school has various entry points into our 2s, 3s, and 4s/5s programs. Each year, we look to be able to welcome as many new families as possible into our school community. Please visit our programs page to learn more about the details, hours, and fee schedule for each program. 

If you are interested in the admissions process here at the JCC, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us at admissions@mmjccm.org. 

Guided by our values as a school and the larger JCC community, we truly hope that your experience with us will be a warm and welcoming one. Please be in touch should you have any questions. We look forward to getting to know your family!