Our 5 favorite preschools in Brooklyn

Help your Brooklyn kiddos get started on the right foot with one of these star preschools!

As the name suggests, preschool means a time before school - before sitting at desks, before homework, before grades. It does not, however, mean before learning. Really great preschools offer children an environment where they can learn by doing and exploring, a place to strengthen social and emotional development in interaction with others while also preparing for the more rigorous days of schooling ahead. For New York and Brooklyn families, the bar is high - and these 5 preschools know just how to exceed expectations.

Brooklyn Preschool of Science

Location(s): Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Park Slope

Focus/style: STEM/STEAM

Programs: 2s, 3s & 4s, Summer Camp

Adventures in science rule at this STEAM-oriented preschool. Learning about the natural world through hands-on experiences (and class pets!), exploring computational learning through screen-free robotics, and developing math and language skills in a curiosity-based curriculum, kids at BPOS get to discover the wonders in science through activities appropriate for their age. With several locations around Brooklyn - and a summer camp to boot - kids at Brooklyn Preschool of Science can dive head first into the world, all while having fun. 

Brooklyn Friends School

Location: Downtown Brooklyn

Focus/style: Academics

Programs: 2s, 3s, 4s

Brooklyn Friends follows in the longstanding tradition of Friends schools, rooted in Quaker traditions and values. The school provides learning and enrichment from preschool all the way to 12th grade with rigorous academic curricula that remain rooted in curiosity, emotional intelligence, and independence. At the preschool level, preparation for a more structured future schooling includes plenty of family involvement, problem-solving, and learning through play. 

Park Slope Child Care Collective

Location: Park Slope

Focus/style: Parent collective

Programs: 2s, 3s, 4s

Created to ensure warm care and constant learning for kids of working parents, PSCCC still places high value on parent involvement throughout the academic year. Parents are able to help in a number of ways to enable day-to-day operations or bring special projects to the school. With a low student-to-teacher ratio, an emphasis on creating diverse classrooms, and a focus on following children’s innate curiosity in exploration, PSCCC helps young children become competent and confident. 

Brooklyn Heights Montessori School

Location: Brooklyn Heights

Focus/style: Montessori

Programs:  2s, Preschool (3+4)

Grace and courtesy are major pillars in introducing the little ones to leaving parents and heading into a group of kids and educators - all in their own time and in close collaboration with parents. The mixed-age group of the preschool program (together with the Kindergarten class) allows children to teach both themselves and others, learning with the help of Montessori methods and teacher guidance in a classroom that ultimately fosters independence in learning and interacting with others. 

Saint Ann’s School

Location: Brooklyn Heights

Focus/style: Progressive

Programs: 3s and 4s

Long a favorite of Smart Sitting families for their school programs, St. Ann’s is a Brooklyn Heights institution also for the younger crew. In preparation for a progressive school without grades, the preschool programs aim to foster each child’s unique person and development, helping them explore and learn about the world in the way that best suits them. Creativity, storytelling, and arts are central, helping children both to express themselves as well as to learn the fundamental knowledge they will bring with them into the school years. 

Finding the right Brooklyn preschool and nanny for your child

When you’ve spent considerable time and effort securing just the right preschool spot for your kiddo, you want to make sure the rest of their days align with that learning and fun as well. By hiring a carefully vetted nanny or after-school sitter, you’ll know your child is not only well cared for and safe, but that they continue to learn, explore, and develop every moment of the day.

As a New York and Brooklyn-based agency, we know what it takes to be a top nanny in the city that can offer your children everything, and we work only with those candidates who fit the bill. Whether your ideal caregiver speaks another language, has a background in education, or will make sure your child gets imaginative outdoor play every day, let us do the hard work of findng the person that is just right for your family, and you can focus on where to put all of their artwork when the fridge runs out of space.

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