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Popular Upper East Side Preschools and How to Choose the Best One for Your Kid

Preschoolers at All Souls get plenty of play time to romp on the rooftop playground. Photo courtesy of the school
Preschoolers at All Souls get plenty of play time to romp on the rooftop playground. Photo courtesy of the school
1/11/22 - By Drew Kristofik

The great preschool hunt might seem especially daunting these days, but schools are stepping up to help parents through the process, offering everything from videotaped interviews to virtual tours. And while preschool spots are always in high demand on the Upper East Side, this might actually be the perfect time to score a spot at some of the most sought-after early childhood schools. Remember that some preschools still require you to apply in September the year before your child enrolls, after which you'll be invited to visit and confirm your interest in the school (some have early admissions and wait lists!), with final acceptance letters going out in February or March. In short, there's no time like the present to get the process started.

We've rounded up some of the top preschools on the Upper East Side below and broken them down into categories to help you decide which may be best for your family. Your odds of finding a comfortable fit for your family are excellent. We've also compiled our best preschool admissions tips as well as 10 questions to ask during a preschool tour, and don't forget that our Preschools Directory is an excellent resource.

A quick overview of the preschool categories below:

  • A traditional preschool follows the NYC public school calendar and runs from September to June, with a curriculum that reflects that school's unique educational mission;
  • A year-round school is similar but is in session over the summer months as well;
  • Reggio Emilia and Montessori preschools are both focused on child-directed learning, but you may find you prefer teachers who consider themselves "guides" en route to making your child independent (the Montessori approach), or you may be drawn to Reggio's emphasis on communication and documentation;
  • If your family is interested in religious or dual-language preschool instruction, we've also listed a selection of those.
  • Remember that some schools fit multiple categories (traditional and religious, for example, like the 92nd Street Y Nursery School).

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Finger painting helps build creative muscles at the Church of the Epiphany Day School. Photo courtesy of the school
Finger painting helps build creative muscles at the Church of the Epiphany Day School. Photo courtesy of the school

Traditional Preschools on the Upper East Side

(CEDS) The Church of the Epiphany Day School

1393 York Avenue, between 74th and 75th Streets
Church of the Epiphany Day School (CEDS) focuses on play-based learning for little ones ages 2.5-5. The school's facilities include a lovely garden, and specials include science, math, cooking, and environmental stewardship. CEDS currently offers a two-day 2s program, three-day 2s program, five-day 2s program, a morning 3s program, long day 3s program, and a 4/5s program. READ MORE

Episcopal School

35 East 69th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues
The Episcopal School serves boys and girls ages 2 years and 5 months through 5 years old. Classes are held from mid-September through early June, Monday through Friday. Children meet daily for three-hour sessions, either in the morning or afternoon. READ MORE

York Avenue Preschool

1520 York Avenue, between 80th and 81st Streets
York Avenue's nurturing environment provides children ages 2-5 with a great springboard to elementary education. Specials include Spanish, cooking, music, art, and animal encounters. Twos attend a morning program, three or five days a week. Threes and 4s have a full-day option, which runs until 2:30pm.  READ MORE

Merricat's Castle School

316 East 88th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues
Merricat's Castle has been a national model for inclusionary education since its inception in 1973. The school occupies the second floor of St. Christopher’s House in the nationally landmarked Church of the Holy Trinity, and has access to two playgrounds on-site, along with a beautiful garden. READ MORE

William Woodward, Jr. Nursery School

435 East 70th Street, between 1st and York Avenues
The Woodward program serves children ages 2 years through 5. The school year begins in September and finishes at the end of May, generally following the same calendar as New York City private schools.  READ MORE

Bridge Community Playschool

250 East 61st Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues
Bridge Community Play School offers a two, three, four, or five-morning program for kids ages 2-5, with classes from 9am-noon. Extended afternoons are available where children may stay two, three,or four days until 2:40pm. READ MORE

St. Thomas More Play Group

65 East 89th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues
Established in 1972, the St. Thomas More Play Group offers a small, traditional, nonsectarian nursery program for children 2 through 5 years of age. The program is located on the ground level of St. Thomas More Church in a spacious, open-concept workspace surrounded by individual classrooms. READ MORE

All Souls School

1157 Lexington Avenue, between 79th and 80th Streets
Founded in 1965, All Souls School is a nonsectarian, early childhood school offering both half-day and full-day classes to 2-5-year-olds. All Souls School operates from September through June. READ MORE
Pinard's cheery classrooms host its play-based preschool programs. Photo courtesy Pinard Nursery School
Pinard's cheery classrooms host its play-based preschool programs. Photo courtesy Pinard Nursery School

Year-Round Upper East Side Preschools

Pinard Nursery School

154 East 64th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenues
Pinard Nursery School provides early childhood care and education for children 18 months and up, taking an interdisciplinary approach to all themes. The program relies on play-based activities and projects using fun, kid-friendly themes to engage children in reasoning, visual-spatial thinking, vocabulary building, and more. The full-day program runs from 8am-6pm year-round. READ MORE

Metrokids UES

1190 Park Avenue, between 93rd and 94th Streets
1501 Lexington Avenue, between 96th and 97th Streets
Metrokids provides a year-round program that includes early drop-off and late pick-up services. Special programs include dance, music, art, and sports. READ MORE
Madison Avenue Presbyterian's preschool follows a Reggio Emilia curriculum. Photo courtesy of the school
Madison Avenue Presbyterian's preschool follows a Reggio Emilia curriculum. Photo courtesy of the school

Montessori and Reggio Emilia Preschools on the UES

Guidepost Montessori

12 East 79th Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues
Guidepost embeds an authentic Montessori program into a cosmopolitan school environment. Children master a hands-on curriculum that sets the foundation for their academic success and enjoy guided trips to New York's cultural institutions. Year-round scheduling options are available. READ MORE

Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Day School

921 Madison Avenue, between 73rd and 74th Streets
The Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Day School is inspired by the principles of the Reggio Emilia philosophy. The school's highly personalized and research-based approach aims to support children in becoming intrinsically motivated learners and members of society. Its facilities include an all-weather roof garden, art studio, and seven light-filled classrooms.   READ MORE

Resurrection Episcopal Day School

119 East 74th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues
Facilities at Resurrection Episcopal Day School include a library, an auditorium/gymnasium, a garden, and an outdoor playground. The school follows the Montessori method, and classrooms typically feature a 3-year age span, from 2.9 to 5 years old. The school features five spacious classrooms—each described as a "casa," to promote a feeling of home. READ MORE

Brick Church School

62 East 92nd Street, at Park Avenue
The Brick Church school is in operation from September through May, five days a week with an optional three-week June program. The curriculum integrates math, language arts, science, social studies, cooking, art, music and movement, storytelling, values and ethics, and physical development, and has increasingly adopted the Reggio Emilia philosophy. READ MORE

The Caedmon School

416 East 80th Street, between 1st and York Avenues
The Caedmon School is a Montessori-inspired preschool and elementary school, serving children from 2 years old through 5th grade. Early childhood classes combine 3 and 4-year-old children, and the mixed-age elementary classroom combines children in 1st and 2nd grade.  READ MORE
The preschool program at Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School marries traditional Jewish values with rigorous academics. Photo courtesy of the school
The preschool program at Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School marries traditional Jewish values with rigorous academics. Photo courtesy of the school

Religious Preschools on the Upper East Side

Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School

164 East 68th Street, between Lexington and 3rd Avenues
Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School provides an interdisciplinary, award-winning curriculum for children in preschool through eighth grade. Its nurturing coed community supports students' dreams, and a commitment to Jewish identity welcomes all backgrounds. The school cultivates a lifelong love for learning and provides students with the tools to achieve academic excellence. READ MORE

Chabad Preschool

419 East 77th Street, between 1st and York Avenues
Chabad Preschool is a certified early childhood program licensed under the NYC Department of Health that offers a creative and safe environment for children ages 2-5 in a warm Jewish setting.  READ MORE

92nd Street Y Nursery School

1395 Lexington Avenue, between 91st and 92nd Streets
The 92nd Street Y's Nursery School is open to kids ages 2.6 to 5 years and is housed on the sixth floor of 92Y with nine fully equipped spacious classrooms and a library with an extensive collection of children’s books and resource materials. Two outdoor terraces and a rooftop playground provide plenty of space for daily outdoor play. The celebration of Shabbat and Jewish holidays teaches children about Jewish culture and heritage. READ MORE
Gillen Brewer serves kids ages 2.8 to 10 with special needs, including autism and ADD. Photo courtesy of the school
Gillen Brewer serves kids ages 2.8 to 10 with special needs, including autism and ADD. Photo courtesy of the school

Special Needs and Alternative Preschools on the UES

Gillen Brewer School

410 East 92nd Street, between 1st and York Avenues
Gillen Brewer's student body is comprised of children who are challenged in the areas of speech and language, gross and fine motor skills, sensory, learning, and social/emotional development. The school is open to children ages 2.5 to 10. READ MORE

My Playful Mind - Preschool Alternative Program

353 East 78th Street, between 2nd and 1st Avenues
My Playful Mind is a preschool alternative program for children of all abilities. It places a special emphasis on social skills and peer interactions. The school's team of occupational, physical, and speech therapists recognizes the individual differences in every child and is particularly sensitive to those children who see and experience the world differently. READ MORE

Upper East Side Dual-Language Preschools

International Academy of New York

4 East 90th Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues
The International Academy of New York is a pre-nursery (2s) through grade eight nonprofit independent school on the Upper East Side with an exceptional bilingual program where children study Mandarin Chinese or Spanish with the goal of fluency. The school year runs from September through June, and a summer program is offered for ages 4 and up. READ MORE

Lycée Français de New York

505 East 75th Street, between York Avenue and the FDR Drive
The Lycée Français de New York is a world-renowned bilingual French school, and non-French speakers are welcome to be part of the Lycée's preschool, which includes nursery, Pre-K, and kindergarten. Its mission is to educate students to be thinkers, innovators, and leaders, at home in the world. READ MORE

Arc en Ciel

1656 Third Ave at 93rd street
Arc en Ciel is a bilingual French/English preschool for children ages 2-5. Its inquiry-based curriculum, inspired by the French ”national curriculum," focuses on learning in a creative, nurturing, and innovative environment. Two separate classrooms cater to a 2-3s group and a 3-4s group. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

(CEDS) The Church of the Epiphany Day School - Preschool
William Woodward, Jr. Nursery School
Guidepost Montessori at Museum Mile
Madison Avenue Presbyterian Day School
Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School
My Playful Mind Preschool Alternative