NEW YORK
The Berkeley Carroll School
181 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217
701 Carroll Street, Brooklyn NY 11215
515 Sixth Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
718-789-6060, www.berkeleycarroll.org
Pre-K - 12th grade
Established in 1866, the Berkeley Carroll School is located in gay-friendly Park Slope, Brooklyn. Berkeley Carroll's emphasis on diversity enables students and adults to appreciate individual uniqueness while enabling an appreciation of one's differences as well as recognizing one's essential unity. This appreciation helps all of us work together and helps create a stronger, more dignified, and more tolerant community.
Berkeley Carroll has four educational divisions. The Child Care Center provides a supportive, year-round learning environment for infants and toddlers. The Lower School, grades preschool through four, focuses on the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. Middle School, grades five through eight, promotes social and intellectual growth in an atmosphere that respects the emerging adolescent. Middle school students also participate in community service, student government, team sports, and develop leadership skills. The college-preparatory programs of the Upper School, grades nine through twelve, include a foreign exchange program, independent study, internships, and community service. Upper School graduates have an excellent record of achievement in advanced placement courses and 100 percent attend colleges and universities throughout the country.
The school has a state-of-the-art athletic center and swimming pool. At Berkeley Carroll, the performing and visual arts are essential and all students have an enriched arts curriculum. A high percentage of the student body participates in extracurricular or after school arts programs. Call 718-768-4873 for admission information for the Child Care Center and 718-789-6060 for admission information for the Lower, Middle, or Upper School.
Brooklyn Friends School
375 Pearl Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-852-1029, www.brooklynfriends.org
Preschool - 12th grade
Founded in 1867, Brooklyn Friends School (BFS) is a coeducational college preparatory day school for students in Preschool through Grade 12. From its Family Center, for toddlers as young as 15 months to it's college bound seniors, the school provides a community of learning for students to achieve their best in academics, the arts and athletics. Located in the heart of downtown Brooklyn, BFS is guided by the ideals of tolerance, compassion, equality, and non-violence. Community service and the creative and performing arts are essential elements of the curriculum. In keeping with Quaker custom, weekly meetings for all students afford time for silence and reflection.
Their eight-story art deco school building houses, four science labs, two libraries, four computer centers, art, sculpting and ceramics studios, a video production and editing room, two gymnasiums, two dance studios, rooftop playground, and a 300-seat theater. The average class size is 16 students. Student activities include producing a literary magazine, poetry journals, and a video news program. All students from second through twelfth grade take overnight trips as part of the Outdoor Education Program and foreign language studies curriculum.
Brooklyn Heights Montessori
185 Court St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-858-5100, www.bhmsny.org
City & Country School
146 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011
212-242-7802, www.cityandcountry.org
Preschool - 8th grade
Founded in 1914, in an apartment in Greenwich Village, City & Country School is one of the oldest progressive elementary schools in the nation. Founder, Caroline Pratt, an innovative educator, developed alternatives to "the repression of formal education." Pratt viewed stationary children sitting at stationary desks as repressive and created a classroom where the chairs and tables could be moved, allowing for play and movement. She believed the use of open-ended materials would offer children the opportunity to recreate their world and dramatize the events occurring in it, directly addressing what she observed as the mode of learning inherent in children. Pratt developed wooden unit blocks used today by Lower School students. Seven-year-olds create a city out of wooden blocks incorporating what they've learned about electricity, running water, and the subway system.
Another method of offering children the opportunity to recreate their world was to give students "jobs." City & Country School offers a program for Middle and Upper school students. Nine-year-olds run the school stationery store, learning about supply and demand, sales, bookkeeping, inventory control and the history of the mercantile system. Thirteen-year-old newspaper reporters and editors analyze and write position papers, editorials and news articles.
In addition to academic skills, Pratt's ideas are still the backbone of the school's curriculum. City & Country School also offers summer and a "Behind the Scenes Camp" which takes place during the last two weeks in June. Contact Director of Admissions, Lisa Baker Horner at (212) 242-7802 or e-mail: lisa@cityandcountry.org.
Corlears School
324 West 15th Street, New York, NY 10011
212-741-2800, www.corlearsschool.org
Preschool - 4th grade
In 1968, Corlears School was founded as a nursery/kindergarten school by Irene Neurath and a group of New York City teachers and parents. It was originally located on Grand Street near Corlears Hook on the lower east side of Manhattan. As the school grew, the school moved to its present Chelsea area site in 1971. Corlears School focuses on early childhood and elementary years, up to and including the fourth grade. Class sizes are kept small and offer its young students extra attention. Nursery students are introduced to reading and language skills and are encouraged to communicate their needs and experiences. Letter and word sounds, and rhyming and rhythms are taught using literature and music. Time, spatial relationships, temperature, and weight are used to explore mathematical ideas. In addition to typical toddler creative activities, science is introduced to develop skills of observation and the ability to draw conclusions. Students, kindergarten-through-fourth grade, begin acquiring the basic skills and knowledge for future academic development. The social studies curriculum integrates language arts, math, geography, history, science, and the visual and performing arts. The dance and drama program combines modern dance techniques and creative movement with improvisation and dramatic acting.
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Ethical Culture: 33 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023-6001
Fieldston Lower and Fieldston: 4400 Fieldston Road, Bronx, NY 10471-3997
Ethical Culture: 212-712 6220, Fieldston Lower: 718-329 7310
Fieldston: 718-329 7300, www.ecfs.org
Pre-K - Grade 12
About the Ethical Culture Fieldston School
The Ethical Culture Fieldston School was established in 1878 by the visionary Felix Adler, educator, social reformer, and founder of the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Committed to academic excellence, progressive education, and ethical learning, ECFS today serves about 1,600 students from Pre-K through 12th grade on two campuses, one in Manhattan and the other on 18 acres in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Our two lower schools, Ethical Culture and Fieldston Lower, teach Pre-K through grade 5; Fieldston Middle, grades 6 through 8; Fieldston Upper, grades 9 through 12.
With a diverse community and a longstanding commitment to social justice, the school offers a rich and challenging curriculum in the arts, sciences, and humanities. ECFS also has one of the largest financial aid programs of any independent day school in the country.
By fall 2007 an exciting building program will add to the Fieldston campus a new 38,000-square-foot gym/fieldhouse, 35,000 square feet of renovated space including a new performing arts center, and a 48,000-square-foot middle school building, all with many environment-friendly features, including a “green” or vegetative roof for the middle school.
Find out more at www.ecfs.org
Friends Seminary
222 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003
212-979-5030, www.friendsseminary.org
Kindergarten - 12th grade
Founded in 1786, Friends Seminary is the oldest continuing coeducational school in New York City. As a Quaker school, Friends is guided by the values of equality, simplicity, integrity and peace. In the Quaker tradition, time is set aside each day for Quaker Meeting which provides an opportunity for students to gather as a community and to reflect silently as well as to share their thoughts with others. Friends Seminary values a multicultural program that fosters the understanding of differences of cultural heritage, language, race, religion, socioeconomic class, gender and sexual orientation. The Lower School, Kindergarten - Grade 4, consists of mixed-age groups organized within a two-year span while the Middle School, Grades 5 - 8, and the Upper School, Grades 9 -12 are more traditionally structured. The college preparatory curriculum is complemented by foreign and classical languages, computers, advanced placement courses, visual and performing arts and electives. Friends has foreign study programs in several countries including Spain, France, Mexico and Italy.
Grace Church School
86 Fourth Avenue, New York, NY 10003
212-475-5609, www.gcschool.org
Junior Kindergarten - 8th grade
Grace Church School (GCS) was founded in 1894 by Grace Church as the first choir boarding school in New York City. From the original sixteen choristers, it has grown to its current enrollment of over 380 boys and girls drawn from a wide variety of ethnic, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. GCS's curriculum encourages children to appreciate diversity whether the difference is grounded in race, class, cultural tradition, religion, gender, nationality, or personal style. The School is divided into three divisions. Early Childhood Division (Jr. Kindergarten and Kindergarten), Lower School (grades one through four) and Upper School (grades five through eight). GCS's structured curriculum includes Spanish, Latin and French, and extensive computer and religious views of the community. The opportunity for responsibility and personal expression is enhanced through student council, community service, expanded sports and arts programs, and social activities such as dances and extended trips.
Little Red School House/Elisabeth Irwin High School
Lower and Middle School
272 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10014
212-477-5316
High School
40 Charlton Street, New York, NY 10014
212-477-5316, www.lrei.org
Preschool - 12th Grade
New York City's Little Red School Little Red House/Elisabeth Irwin High School (LREI) has numerous gay-positive attributes. Founder, Elisabeth Irwin, was a model of lesbian leadership. She and her partner, Katharine Anthony, were adoptive parents. A lesbian-and-gay-issues committee of faculty, parents, and administration is an active voice in the school. The committee and the school co-sponsors the "Love Makes a Family; Living in Lesbian and Gay Families" photo-text exhibit which is attended by all students and faculty. "It's Elementary", a documentary about the importance of including lesbian and gay voices and themes in elementary curriculum, was viewed by the faculty and parents. Lesbian and Gay Pride Month is celebrated each October through assemblies and class discussions. Lower School teachers have devised an inclusive family curriculum, which recognizes gay and lesbian parents. The Middle School Adolescent Issues program deals with a wide range of matters, including sexuality and discrimination, with a focus on developing decision-making skills. LREI's library collection includes books for children of gays and lesbians and books which address sexuality.
Manhattan Country School
7 E. 96th St., New York, NY 10128
212-348-0952, www.manhattancountryschool.org
Mary McDowell Center for Learning
20 Bergen St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-625-3939, http://marymcdowell.org
Ages 5 - 14
St. Luke's School
487 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
212-924-5960, www.stlukeschool.org
Junior Kindergarten - 8th grade
Founded in 1945, St. Luke's School is located in the West Village of New York City. It is a coeducational Episcopal day school with two hundred students of all faiths from Junior-Kindergarten through Grade eight Since its inception, St. Luke's School has encouraged diversity by seeking both students and teachers of varying backgrounds. The schools unique 2-acre campus includes three outdoor playgrounds. St. Luke's Garden, filled with quiet paths, flowers, lawns, benches, and trees. Facilities include spacious and sunny classrooms, a gymnasium, an art studio, a small theater, an 18,000 volume library and media center, computer, and foreign language rooms. Chapel services and special programs are held in The Church of St. Luke in the Fields, a landmark building, constructed in 1822 and rebuilt in 1985.
Lower School Junior-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students' days are tilled with the "work" of play-paints, blocks, dressups, sand, water, cooking, and regular outdoor activities in the playground. As children become ready, reading, writing and math skills are introduced. In Grades 1 through 4, the focus is on developing proficiency in reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking.
The Upper School program. Grades 5 through 8, continues to build upon the base of academic skills and concentrates on study habits, time management and independence to prepare students for high school. All students learn and participate in community service, and St. Luke's Partners Program pairs older and younger children for projects and activities.
The Caedmon School
416 East 80th Street, New York, NY 10021
(Between First & York Avenues)
212-879-2296, www.caedmonschool.org
Preschool - 5th grade
The Caedmon School, founded in 1962, is a small, ongoing school that successfully combines high academic standards with an emphasis on the arts and a strong focus on social development. Caedmon_s ethnic, racial, religious, intellectual, cultural, and economic range of diversity is extraordinary. Twenty-five percent of Caedmon families are not American, and represent at least twenty-five countries. The program incorporates a Modified Montessori approach, which thoughtfully modifies traditional Montessori practices to reflect the needs of children today.
The Early Program (2.9 - 4 years) focuses on children_s social and emotional growth, as well as their cognitive and sensory development. The program encourages learning through sensorial exploration, fantasy play, group work, practical life activities, and socialization. Contact Erica Lowenfels or Mary Ann Winograd, 212-879-2296, admissions@caedmonschool.org.
The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine
1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025
212-316-7500, www.cathedralnyc.org
Kindergarten - 8th grade
The Cathedral School is an independent, K-8, Episcopal school for children of all faiths. The school seeks to develop confident, open-minded people who share a respect for different ideas, cultures, and religions and who accept responsibility as active citizens of their diverse community and the world. The school's spectacular setting, complete with two outdoor playgrounds, gardens, and free-roaming peacocks, provides an oasis in Manhattan.
Cathedral's rigorous academic program offers a strong foundation of knowledge and skills, combining traditional and innovative teaching methods. Individualized attention and student engagement are ensured by a small class size of approximately 15 students. In addition to the French and Spanish programs that begin in kindergarten, Latin is required for all students in the seventh and eighth grades. The students' experiences are deepened through music, visual arts, physical education, field trips, and performance opportunities.
Cathedral students participate in a full range of extra-curricular activities including after school enrichment classes and an interscholastic athletics program. Students have the opportunity to audition for The Cathedral of St. John the Divine's choir, which sings each Sunday and participates in regional and international tours.
The Packer Collegiate Institute
170 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
718-250-0266 , www.packer.edu
Preschool, age 3 - 12th grade
In 1845, the Packer Collegiate Institute was originally founded as The Brooklyn Female Academy, the first school in New York City to offer higher education to young women. In 1853 the original building was destroyed in a fire. Harriet Packer, the young widow of former trustee William Packer donated the $65,000 required to rebuild. Initially the school offered both primary and secondary programs and a collegiate department for students over fourteen. In 1919 the college division became the first junior college approved by the Regents of the State of New York. By 1944 boys were admitted through the fourth grade and in 1972 the school became fully co-educational.
Located in Brooklyn Heights, the school teaches pre-school three-year-olds through grade twelve. Upper School students are required to complete 45 hours of community service and volunteer in soup kitchens, shelters, hospitals, and service agencies throughout the city. Student clubs and organizations include the AIDS Education Committee, SAFE (feminist club), the Multicultural Student Association, and the Social Action Committee. Opportunities to study abroad include the language and culture of Japan. School Open Houses are scheduled throughout the fall.
United Nations International School
24-50 Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, New York, NY 10010
212-684-7400
Kindergarten -12th grade
173-53 Croydon Road, Jamaica Estates, NY 11432
718-658-6166, www.unis.org
Kindergarten - 8th grade
Founded in 1947, The United Nations International School (UNIS) was founded by a group of United Nations parents to provide an education for their children that fostered global sensibility. What began as a nursery school for 20 children is now a college preparatory school with two campuses (Queens and Manhattan) that enrolls 1,486 children from 109 countries.
The Manhattan campus overlooks the East River and features an inner courtyard filled with plants and a small waterfall. The UNIS curriculum is rich in languages, humanities, literature, science, mathematics, art and music. French and Spanish are offered beginning in first grade and modern languages offered in the secondary school include Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.
With a UNIS diploma a student may also qualify for entrance into universities throughout the world by completing the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the 11th and 12th grades. A student with an IB diploma usually enters a U.S. college at the sophomore level. Financial aid is available.
Village Community School
272 West 10th Street, New York, NY 10014
212-691-5146, www.vcsnyc.org
Kindergarten - 8th grade
Located in the west village, Village Community School (VCS) educates children, kindergarten to eighth grade. VCS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, or ethnic origin. The centerpiece of the curriculum is the social studies program where teachers emphasize the concept of point of view, relationships between past and present the attitudes and activism which underlie good citizenship in a democracy, and the interdependence of peoples. Students of all ages work with specialists in math, science, art, music, gym and library. Ungraded, classrooms through age 10 permit students to advance rapidly without regard to stereotyped grade level expectations.
For 6th-8th graders, the program is departmentalized into small sections for math, English literature, history and science and foreign language. Elective Fine Arts mini-courses balance the required courses and approximately 25% of the student body receives tuition assistance and free transportation is provided to eligible students.
