Preschool Programs

For 2s, 3s, and 4/5s

Preschool vs. Daycare

Many daycares have opened in Manhattan in the last few years. Why would you choose preschool at IPS over daycare?

IPS is a not-for-profit school and every head teacher has a Master’s degree in early childhood education. Most daycares are for-profit businesses and strive to keep costs down. This means that Masters-level teachers are rare and teacher turnover is frequent. IPS also has specialty teachers with expertise in music, creative movement, library studies, and technology. Our teaching staff is robust and well-educated, and they see their roles at IPS as their long-term career. On average, IPS teachers have been here for over 15 years.

IPS is committed to play-based learning. Unlike in daycares, which primarily serve as childcare centers, everything we do at IPS has a research-based, developmental purpose.

There is a world of difference between sending your child to daycare and sending your child to IPS, and the lifetime benefits grow the earlier a child starts.

2s Program

NYC Preschool Programs on the Upper East Side

The 2s program at IPS focuses on young children’s language development, social-emotional and self-help skills, and independence. Our teachers foster these skills by creating a warm, nurturing, and safe environment for the children to explore. Routine and familiar activities allow children to be accustomed to the expectations of school.

During this year, children are exposed to new experiences through the variety of play areas in the classroom, structured Circle Time and Story Time, and art projects. Different art media help strengthen the children’s hand muscles, leading to future fine motor coordination. Autonomy and self-help are emphasized through all parts of the day, from taking off their jackets upon arrival to eating snacks independently. Child-sized materials (including toilets and sinks) bring once unattainable tasks to their level.

2s classes are available on the following schedules:

2 mornings a week (M/W or W/F)
2 full days a week ((M/W or W/F)
3 mornings a week (Mon, Wed, Fri)
3 full days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri)
5 mornings a week (Mon through Fri)
5 full days a week (Mon through Fri)

Mornings are 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. Full days are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. You can drop off your child as early as 8:00 AM with Early Drop-off, which has per-diem and full-year options. After School Classes are offered from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.

3s Program

Preschool Programs on the Upper East Side

Building on the skills developed in the 2s program, the 3s program at IPS engages children’s natural curiosity about the world around them. Our teachers foster this curiosity through familiar routines while raising the expectations. Children have assigned jobs within the class, further accentuating the independence and autonomy developed the previous year.

During this year, children become social beings and move from parallel play to collaborative play. Their conversational skills blossom as they navigate social situations, work together and answer on-topic questions. The teachers infuse early math and literacy skills into play activities, from counting the number of children at school each day to recognizing text throughout the room environment. The Writing Center is introduced as a Choice Time option, inviting children to explore and increase their fine motor skills.

Beginning in January of the 3s program, the children are introduced to our Handwriting Without Tears program. The teachers introduce the Handwriting Without Tears program through a developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory, play-based approach. They include activities such as creating the figure of a person (“Mat Man”) using the four components of letters (big line, little line, big curve, little curve) and making letters out of playdough. The teachers meet each child at their level, with many children learning to write their name in capital letters by the end of the school year.

3s classes are available on the following schedules:

5 mornings a week (Mon through Fri)
5 full days a week (Mon through Fri)

4/5s Program

Building on the skills developed in the 3s program, the 4/5s programs at IPS enriches the lives of our students through a thoughtfully executed curriculum. To prepare these children for their future academic endeavors, the 4/5s at IPS is a full-day program.

Our teachers and students embrace being the “seniors” or oldest students at our school. Confidence, self-assuredness and kindergarten readiness skills are the highlights of this year, while staying true to IPS’s play-based curriculum. The children demonstrate their independence through daily classroom jobs, increased responsibilities for their belongings, and understanding of the school routine. The children dive deeper into our curriculum, often exploring multiple facets of the theme. During Choice Time, children choose the classroom center they prefer, but space is limited at each center, requiring them to problem solve and navigate to another space. This takes many advanced social-emotional skills, including self-regulation, dealing with disappointment, and often needing to select a different activity and/or friend to engage with.

The Handwriting Without Tears program begins in September. The teachers integrate phonics into the program, expanding upon the skills already acquired in the previous school year. The children learn the sounds a letter makes and create a list of words beginning with that letter. As the children’s writing and phonics skills increase, the Writing Center materials change to include flashcards with common words such as “MOM,” “DAD,” “FRIEND,” “LOVE,” and many more to encourage writing and creative spelling.

4/5s classes are available 5 full days a week (Mon through Fri).

Full days are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. You can drop off your child as early as 8:00 AM with Early Drop-off, which has per-diem and full-year options. After School Classes run from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.