Applications are now open for the 2026-2027 school year!
Welcome to the
Family Annex Nursery School
The Family Annex Nursery School was incorporated as a parent cooperative in 1982. Our school is an independent, not-for-profit, and nonsectarian early childhood school located on West 113th Street and Broadway. We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and its values inform all of the work that we do.
At Family Annex, we welcome all family structures as well as families from all racial, religious, and cultural backgrounds. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive community that reflects our international community. We believe that in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, children learn best about each other and the world. We look forward to welcoming you to our community!
Our mission is to create an inclusive and diverse community that fosters a nurturing and collaborative environment, celebrates individuality, and promotes self-confidence, independence, and creativity.
CO-CREATED LEARNING AND EXPLORATION
“Family Annex is an incredible school. Our child has thrived there. Someone once described it to me as “a big hug” and I could not agree more. The teachers and administrators are so warm and knowledgeable. They follow the Reggio Emilia approach to early education. Children are active participants in their learning. Teachers build on their interests and utilize daily experiences as learning opportunities. The children get to do so much art, its amazing! Family Annex also does a great job building community by welcoming the whole family into the classroom through weekly family visits. One of my favorite parts is that the kids get outside every day, regardless of weather (unless it is very extreme). Family Annex is a truly exceptional school.”
“The Family Annex is a rare and special institution. We cannot express what it means to us as parents to know when we drop off our children in the morning, that they are in the best hands possible. It is a place where every teacher is deeply insightful about young children, cares for them like family, and loves to come to work each day. If there is true “magic” in the world, this is it.”
Fast Facts
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We have three classes.
· The Toddlers (2s) class has 11 children, between the ages of 19 months and 2 years 7 months at the start of the school year, with 4 teachers.
· The Nursery (3s) class has 14 children, between 2 years 8 months and 3 years 8 months at the start of the school year, with 3 teachers.
· The Pre-K (4s) class has 14 children, between 3 years 8 months and 4 years 8 months at the start of the school year, with 3 teachers.
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We have a comprehensive team of professional teachers, who have extensive experience in working with children. Our teachers are lifelong learners, many of who already have an MA or are working towards it. We place a strong emphasis on supporting our teachers’ professional development through conferences, trainings, and workshops.
Studio is led by a classroom teacher who serves a dual role as both classroom teacher and atelierista.
Music is led once a week by a professional musician; classroom teachers also incorporate music and movement into the curriculum on a daily basis.
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We welcome children for an 11-month school year, from early September to late July.
We open at 8:00 AM and our last pick-up time is 5:45 PM.
We offer three different schedules from Monday through Friday:
8 AM-12:45 PM
8 AM-3:30 PM
8 AM-5:45 PM.
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We roughly follow the NYC DOE Public Schools calendar for public holidays and school breaks, adjusted to include the month of July and our staff days for teachers to work on their professional development and to host parent-teacher conferences.
You can find our calendar here.
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We begin accepting applications the day after Labor Day for the following school year. You can find our application here.
Once you have applied, the admissions director will reach out to schedule a tour. After that, children are invited in with a family member to have a play date.
For more information, please visit our Admissions page and Important Dates page.