FAQ
Got questions?
Here, we have collected the most typical questions we get from prospective families. If you have any other questions, you are always welcome to get in touch with our registrar.
Registration and tuition
You are more than welcome to visit the school. In fact, we highly encourage you to come by while classes are in session.
Every year, we also have Open Houses, where you can come by and see the school and chat with teachers and families. Open Houses are announced on our website and on Facebook.
Please contact our registrar to schedule a session.
That depends on the class.
For the Two's/Young Three's Class your child must be 2-years-old to start attending school. This class is for children that have not yet turned 3 by September 1 of the school year.
For the Mixed Age Class your child must turn 3 years old by September 1 of the school year. This class is also for children that are 4 and 5-years-old.
You find information about tuition and fees here, where you can also read more about applying for scholarships.
PNS is a co-op and it is essential that every family participates both in teaching in the classroom as well as all other aspects of running a school.
Each week, parents with children in our Two's/Young Three's and Mixed Age classes have a teaching day in the classroom. These are planned and supervised by our teachers/directors.
We also have additional job responsibilities, which we you can read more about under Membership.
No. Children do not have to be potty-trained prior to enrollment.
Yes, as long as we have space, you are welcome to join mid-semester. We prorate tuition by month (ex: if you join in March, you will pay tuition for March through May).
School days at PNS
Our Two's/Young Three's class meets three days a week - Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, from 9:00 am to 11:45 am.
Our Mixed Age class meets four days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 9:15 am to 12:15 pm.
On the days where parents are teaching in the classrooms, they need to arrive at 9:00 am.
Read more about a typical day in our classes: Two's/Young Three's, Mixed Age
If you cannot work on your teaching day, you must arrange a substitute by trading teaching days with another parent. We do this by reaching out to the other parents in our group through our internal communication app.
It is important for you to find a replacement because your absence decreases the teacher/child ratio in your class and because each parent is vital to the effectiveness of the program.
Yes, children are provided a healthy and tasty snack at 10:45 am.
Snack is served on individual plates, and children are free to choose what, and how much they would like to eat, and encouraged to ask for seconds.
We will make every effort to work with you and your child to accommodate special dietary needs. If allergies or food restrictions are severe, we may ask you to provide supplemental food items.
On a typical day, every class has two trained teachers plus at least four parent teachers.
We do require that either a parent or grandparent be the one to do the weekly teaching day. You put the "parents" in Parents Nursery School!
Nannies and au pairs are welcome to drop off and pick up children on the other days they attend school.
Our 2's/Young 3's attend school 3 mornings per week and our 3 -5 year olds in the Mixed Age class attend school 4 mornings per week. We currently do not offer school on Wednesdays.
No. Parents are required to be at school one morning per week for their teaching day, but parents are welcome to stay at school any day that their child is there. Some children and parents aren't ready yet for a drop off program. We support whatever works best for your child and your family and we will help you gently transition to dropping off your child when you are ready.
Yes, babies six months old and younger are welcome to be worn on your body in a baby carrier on your teaching day.