Top Preschools That Could Break the Bank

Preschool is not what it used to be.

Some of the priciest preschools in the country teach in several languages, have iPad Minis for each student and bring in catered grass-fed, organic meals for their students. They’re expanding young minds by opening their eyes to a global forum. There are rooftop playgrounds, ergonomic furniture for their little bodies and fencing classes.

It’s a far cry from the origins of early childhood education — which became a mainstream idea in the 1960s when the government funded a program to get young children from low-income families prepared for school.

Some parents now see it as a pipeline into Ivy League. Others see such fancy resources as a waste of money (give a young child some mud and sticks and they’re happy).

Take a look at the 20 most expensive private preschools in the U.S. and judge for yourself.

The Center for Early Education

The Center for Early Education in West Hollywood, Calif., was founded in 1939. Center for Early Education

Tuition: $25,890

Location: West Hollywood, Calif.

Contact: centerforearlyeducation.org

The Center for Early Education in West Hollywood, Calif., was founded in 1939 by a group of parents who were passionate about respecting the inner world of the child and wanted to create curriculum based on each child’s natural developmental pace.

According to its website, the four core values of the school are responsibility, honesty, inclusion and caring.

The school employees over 60 faculty members, including 133 master classroom teachers and 10 master specialists, and serves 540 students, who play on two rooftop playgrounds, a central courtyard and three ground-level playgrounds.

Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley

The Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley is a bilingual program that teaches students from preschool to 8th grade Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley

Tuition: $26,995

Location: Berkeley, Calif.

Contact: www.eb.org

The Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley is a bilingual program that teaches students from preschool to 8th grade. Students are taught daily in English and French, while also receiving instruction in Spanish and Mandarin.

The school believes that teaching in French prepares each student to be more successful on the global stage. The school advertises that alumni have gone on to study at the American University of Paris, Johns Hopkins University and University of California, Berkeley, to name a few.

Lunch is provided by a private catering company that makes organic, grass-fed and free-range meal options fresh every morning.

GEMS World Academy Chicago

GEMS World Academy Chicago focuses on preparing its students for the global community. GEMS World Academy

Tuition: $27,800

Location: Chicago

Contact: www.gemsworldacademy-chicago.com

GEMS World Academy Chicago focuses on preparing its students for the global community. This means daily multilingual instruction in French, Spanish or Mandarin; linking students with classrooms in GEM schools overseas for travel and cultural exchange opportunities; and providing International Baccalaureate curriculum to enhance cultural understanding and global perspective.

With more than 322,000 square feet of campus, students can sprawl out and immerse themselves in technology through use of fully equipped learning labs, a coding and robotic program, and open-project learning spaces — the iPad Mini-to-student ratio is 1:1.

GEMs also offers a large parents lounge, complete with coffee and Wi-Fi, several after school programs and a rooftop playground.

Aidan Montessori School

Aidan is located in the Woodley Park neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. Aidan

Tuition: $28,091

Location: Washington, D.C.

Contact: www.aidanschool.org

Located in the Woodley Park neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. Aidan is the only school in the D.C. area that holds accreditation from the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools and is recognized by the Association Montessori International.

The school was created in the early 1960s when a women’s study group began learning about Dr. Maria Montessori and felt pulled to her teaching methods. In the primary classroom, which is for children ages 2-and-a-half to 6, students are taught lessons designed to increase their skills and foster independence.

Children choose their own work and set their own pace, while the teacher acts as a gentle guide and facilitator.

Calhoun

Calhoun on the Upper West Side in New York City. Calhoun

Tuition: $28,200

Location: Manhattan, N.Y.

Contact: www.calhoun.org

Calhoun’s curriculum of “learning by doing” encourages students to leverage their curious minds and become actively involved in the progressive learning process.

The school, located in the Upper West Side of New York City, focuses on an interdisciplinary approach by teaching various modules under one central theme, which creates an intellectually stimulating learning environment that gets absorbed by students’ active minds.

Calhoun has what they call “Special Initiatives” — programs such as Deconstructing Race, Sustainability, Green Roof and the Performing Arts Center are designed to get students more involved in their educational experiences.

Notable alumni include Jordan Peele, who was the first African American to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for “Get Out.”

Rodeph Sholom School

Rodeph Sholom is the only nursery-8th grade Jewish Independent School in New York City. Rodeph Sholom

Tuition: $29,325

Location: Manhattan, N.Y.

Contact: www.rodephsholomschool.org

As the only Nursery-8th grade Jewish Independent School in New York City, Rodeph Sholom’s teachers first visit with their youngest students in their homes before school begins. Then, very gradually, the student starts attending school — first, in small groups and then on a limited schedule.

By slowly getting more familiar with the teacher and new environment, students feel more secure about separating from their family. Distinct learning centers are set up in the classroom and each offers a different curriculum: cognitive skills, introduction to Jewish tradition, language skills, physical skills and social emotional learning.

The low student-to-teacher ratio of 4:1 means teachers work closely with each student, guiding and helping them develop their skills. Judaics and Hebrew are woven in the curriculum throughout the day and students travel to Israel right before 8th grade graduation.

Kingsley Montessori School

Kingsley Montessori in Boston’s Back Bay. Kingsley Montessori

Tuition: $29,455

Location: Boston

Contact: www.kingsley.org

Located in Boston’s Back Bay, Kingsley Montessori is an independent day school for children ages 2 through 12. According to Montessori principles, this 10-year period is called the “Foundational Decade of Learning” and teaches students to develop learning styles to serve them for a lifetime.

Kingsley centers on continued-learning core themes that students take from day one until graduation: respect and courtesy; independence; self-paced learning, and self-constructed learning.

These themes help each student develop successful social and academic skills and reach their highest potential. Kingsley also offers co-curriculars such as performing arts, visual arts, Spanish, science, library and physical/outdoor education.

Presidio Knolls

Presidio Knolls School in San Francisco is based on Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching methods. Presidio Knolls

Tuition: $29,490

Location: San Francisco

Contact: www.presidioknolls.org

Presidio Knolls School was founded 10 years ago in San Francisco on the idea that progressive Reggio Emilia-inspired teaching methods combined with rigorous Mandarin immersion can create a robust and innovative learning environment.

With those principles, the school has flourished and by Fall 2020 they plan to be a full preK-8 school. In fact, the school is in the process of implementing their Master Plan to fully renovate and build out its 1.5-acre campus.

When the renovation is complete, Presidio Knolls will have more than 80,000 square feet and include a library, an art studio, a music room, science lab, gym, auditorium, teaching kitchen, a larger outdoor play area and a rooftop play space.

Packer Collegiate Institute

Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York. Packer Collegiate Institute

Tuition: $29,700

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Contact: www.packer.edu

Packer’s first life began in 1845, when a group of landowners and merchants living in Brooklyn Heights formed The Brooklyn Female Academy. After a fire burnt the school to the ground, a large donation was made to rebuild the school in the same location but with one condition: that it be named in honor of the donor’s late husband, William S. Packer.

In 1972, Packer became a coed independent school and has continued to support its educational mission that “academic growth rests on a solid base of positive social and emotional development.”

One way the school does that is through the use of Morning Meetings, where students feel recognized and valued while learning to develop interpersonal skills and respect others’ perspectives.

City and Country

City and Country in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. City and Country

Tuition: $31,100

Location: Manhattan, N.Y.

Contact: www.cityandcountry.org

Located in Manhattan’s posh Greenwich Village neighborhood, City and Country is a coed lower school that was founded in 1914 by Caroline Pratt, who believed that children were natural-born learners who learn best through play.

To guide their educational growth, Pratt invented her own version of wooden blocks, now commonly called unit blocks and seen in virtually every preschool classroom in the country. The classrooms at City and Country are large and have an abundant supply of open-ended materials such as blocks, paint, clay, wood, sand and water.

With the guidance of teachers, children use the materials to explore, experiment and play. City and Country has produced several notable artistic alumni, like Matthew Broderick.

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

The Laboratory Schools are part of the University of Chicago. Laboratory Schools

Tuition: $31,218

Location: Chicago

Contact: www.ucls.uchicago.edu

The Laboratory Schools are centered on the child’s world. What this means is that children are given free reign in the classroom to explore, question and innovate while teachers foster their curiosity by providing an environment filled with possibilities.

At the Lab, which is part of the University of Chicago, each classroom is set up so that each student can move about independently, which helps the child gain confidence about his/her choices and competence.

Every day is different. One day, they could be in the kitchen following a recipe. Another day can be spent in the Lim Family Library for story time. Other extracurricular activities include language, science, art and media.

Bank Street School for Children

Bank Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Columbia University. Bank Street

Tuition: $32,000

Location: Manhattan. N.Y.

Contact: www.bankstreet.edu/school-children

Bank Street touts itself as a “school within a college.” Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Columbia University, it has two divisions: the School for Children, which serves students from nursery (ages 3 and 4) through 8th grade, and the Graduate School, which trains adults to teach and work all over the world.

According to the website, “The combination of the Graduate School and the School for Children in the same setting creates a unique synergy between children and teachers.”

The children’s division focuses on the whole child by creating curriculum that fosters his/her emotional, social, physical and intellectual well-being. Students partake in social studies, emergent literacy, science, Spanish, music and arts classes, to name a few, while simultaneously acting as a demonstration school for the adult college.

If $32,000 sounds high, the school actually lowered the cost from the year prior. For the 2017-2018 school year, the full-day nursery program was $44,150.

John Winthrop School for Young Children

The John Winthrop School for Young Children in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. John Winthrop School

Tuition: $32,100

Location: Boston

Contact: www.johnwinthropschool.org

The John Winthrop School for Young Children serves students from 15 months to 5 years of age. Located in Boston’s historic Back Bay neighborhood, the school was founded in 1966 and started with one classroom in the basement of the First Unitarian Universalist Church.

A five-alarm fire destroyed the church in 1968, but they were able to rebuild a new home in their current location in 1972. The school has received accreditation from the NAEYC (The National Association for the Education of Young Children) and believes in self-directed play as a main learning tool.

The curriculum looks at the whole child and works with each student to develop a strong social-emotional foundation to help them succeed in future endeavors.

National Child Research Center

The National Child Research Center is the oldest operating preschool in Washington, D.C. National Child Research Center

Tuition: $32,295

Location: Washington, D.C.

Contact: www.ncrcpreschool.org

Founded in 1928, the National Child Research Center is the oldest operating preschool in the District of Columbia. The school serves children ages 2-and-a-half to 5 and has a smaller enrollment, with 160 students and 30 teachers.

According to their website, “The curriculum is strategic. It is intentional. It is emergent.” Students are brought into an environment that supports and expands their understanding of the world, and they’re encouraged to develop a positive self-image.

The class schedule balances open play with structured lessons and has four main components: Circle Time/Morning Meeting, Small Groups, Free Choice Time and Outdoor Play. The center offers enrichment classes such as yoga, creative movement, music and library time, as well as an optional Spanish immersion program.

Children’s Day School

The Children’s Day School in San Francisco. Children’s Day School

Tuition: $32,930

Location: San Francisco

Contact: www.cds-sf.org

Children’s Day School in San Francisco celebrates the “unique genius in every child” with an educational philosophy called constructivism, which is a “learning by doing” approach that academically challenges each student to be an active learner, utilize interdisciplinary thinking, tap into his/her emotional intelligence and have civic-mindedness.

The school relies heavily on its community of parents and invites them to gather every Friday morning in the courtyard to catch up with each other, have a cup of coffee and watch the school assembly.

With a diverse student population (48 percent identify as students of color, 10 percent are from LBGTQ households), the school hosts celebrations for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Harvey Milk and marches in the San Francisco Pride Parade.

92 Street Y

The 92 Street Y has a nursery school for children ages 2.6 to 5 years old. 92 Street Y

Tuition: $36,000

Location:

Contact: www.92y.org

Most people have heard of the 92nd Street Y. The iconic multicultural community center in New York City’s Upper East Side has been serving the community since 1874.

The center embraces Jewish values, but is open to people of all ages, races, faith and backgrounds. Among the plethora of programs offered, such as performing arts and dance programs, lectures, film screenings, a senior center, a fitness center and a residence, the Y also has a nursery school for children ages 2.6 to 5 years old.

The curriculum focuses on the development of the whole child through social, emotional, physical and intellectual growth and fosters creative expression through music, art and movement. The school operates on the sixth floor of the Y and has nine large classrooms, a library, two outdoor terraces and a rooftop playground.

Saint Ann’s

Saint Ann’s in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Saint Ann’s

Tuition: $38,330

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.

Contact: saintannsny.org

Saint Ann’s is an independent and progressive day school in Brooklyn Heights for children in preschool through 12th grade. The school was founded in 1965 and the preschool was added in 1982.

Saint Ann’s prides itself in combining academics and artistry to propel students to reach their highest potential. The curriculum is dynamic and responsive, it meets the child where they are and tailors each student’s curriculum based upon talents and interests rather than age or grade.

In the preschool classroom on Willow Street, children are immersed in an environment that encourages their active imaginations to come alive. Notable alumni include Eva Amurri, Lena Dunham and Zac Posen.

British International School

The British International School on the Upper East Side in New York City. British International School

Tuition: $47,600

Location: Manhattan, N.Y.

Contact: www.bis-ny.org

Situated on 23rd Street and overlooking the East River, The British International School offers the best of British education in the heart of New York City. The school serves students from nursery (ages 3 and 4) to grade 9, with plans to open an Upper School this year that will serve up to grade 12.

The classrooms are bright and airy, with natural light seeping through large windows and colorful rooms designed to engage young minds. The students receive a balance of structured class time and open play, and teachers work with them on developing their social-emotional skills and independence.

After-school enrichment clubs such as yoga, fencing, chess and robotics complement the classroom curriculum. Students also partake in “specialist lessons” such as French and Spanish immersion, music, physical education and swimming lessons.

Horace Mann School

Horace Mann School’s Nursery Division is housed in a historic brownstone in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Horace Mann

Tuition: $48,600

Location: Bronx, N.Y.

Contact: www.horacemann.org

Although the main campus of Horace Mann School is on 18 acres in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, the Nursery Division is housed in a historic brownstone in Manhattan’s Upper East Side that was originally the carriage house in Andrew Carnegie’s estate.

The building houses a library, a studio, an outdoor space, a rooftop playground and welcomes 145 children every year into the program for 3-year-olds, pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners. The curriculum is child-centered and uses a hands-on approach to teach critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Children are encouraged to explore, play, wander, and ask questions and find answers through observation and experimentation. Horace Mann emphasizes the importance of parental involvement so it’s common to find parents helping in the classroom, chaperoning field trips or participating in school-wide events.

Avenues: The World School in New York City

Avenues’ campus opened in 2012 in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. Avenues

Tuition: $54,000

Location: Manhattan, N.Y.

Contact: www.avenues.org

A fairly new kid on the private-school block, Avenues’ flagship campus opened in 2012 in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood. The Early Learning Center division is for children ages 3 and 4 and follows Avenue’s educational philosophy of respect for the individual child.

The core curriculum focuses on developing social-emotional skills by working in small groups so children learn how to interact with each other. They also work on developing gross and fine motor skills, introducing a scientific view of the world through simple experiments, and Chinese and Spanish immersion. Every student at Avenues will take the World Course, a global studies curriculum that introduces students to perspectives and experiences on a global stage, and is a major component to the student’s education.

In Fall 2017, the Early Learning Center opened its doors to a new facility just down the block from the main campus. The three-floor building houses the nursery, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten programs and was designed specifically with 3- to 6-year-olds in mind. Everything from the faucets to the furniture to the classroom cubbies was selected to support the ergonomics of young bodies.