UPNS offers a three-year nursery school program for children ages 2 to 5 years old in an environment rich with learning opportunities for their intellectual, social, emotional and physical development. The school is a not-for-profit organization and operates as a parent cooperative with a director-teacher.

UPNS was founded in 1966 to serve families from the New York University community. In 1971, the school became chartered as a corporation by the Board of Regents of the State of New York. Today, almost 80 percent of students are children of NYU faculty, staff or students.

Our goal is to provide a nursery school experience that builds on the natural curiosity each child is born with. We foster the learning process by encouraging children to explore their own interests in a warm, caring and child-centered setting. Children are supported as they learn important social skills through play and relationships within the classroom community. It is important to us that children leave UPNS with the social, emotional and academic skills to succeed in Kindergarten. We pride ourselves on planting the seeds of learning in children that will grow throughout their educational journey.

UPNS is organized as a co-op, and families are partners in the operation of the school. The school asks each family to contribute at least four to five hours of volunteer work each month, or about 45 hours per year. Every family is responsible for one job throughout the school year and one major group set-up or break-down activity at the beginning or end of the year, in addition to fundraising activities and providing snacks for their classroom. Involvement by all members helps to create a close-knit community.

• Licensed by the Department of Health of New York City
• Chartered by the New York State Department of Education
• Member of Parents League of New York, ERB and Parent Cooperative Preschools International