Neighborhood Preschool, 115 High St, Middletown, CT 06457, US

Yorktown Community Nursery School (YCNS) was established in 1948 after a group of parents met to discuss the possibility of creating a cooperative community nursery school in Yorktown Heights. With the support of families from the Yorktown-area towns, YCNS has grown from a temporary consruction, one-group, one-teacher school to a full-fledged cooperative school with five groups, 74 students, five staff and its own permanent residence. In the fall of 1950, YCNS was chartered by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. In 1988, YCNS became accredited school by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The present school building was named as a memorial to Dr. Nathan B. Bluestone, one of the founding members of YCNS. Dr. Bluestone embraced the school's current mission to provide a constructive program to enrich the lives of all children in the community. The present building is the result of years of community efforts and funding from local businesses and parents. Today, the tradition continues with biannual work weekends involving parents in the various programs and committees required to keep the school functioning. At the school, while learning to work together in the group, the children are also encouraged to develop independent thought and action. N.Y.S. certified teachers work with students at YCNS to help them discover the joy of learning, discovery and exploration. YCNS is a non-profit educational cooperative that admits children of any race, color, nationality or ethnic origin. Yorktown resident Maribeth Fay is the current director of the school and can be contacted by phone or e-mail.