"Will you sit down on the hill with me and we can watch the clouds together?"

- CNS child to his teacher 

Community Nursery School offers morning programs for three-year-olds, four-year-olds and pre-Kindergarten children. In addition, there is a lunch and extended day program.  We also offer an afternoon mixed-age group class.  The afternoon class runs from 12:30-3:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

School Session

Community Nursery School is in session from the second full week in September through mid-June. All groups have a gradual transition into their classrooms at the beginning of the school year. Children come in smaller groups and stay for a slightly shorter time during the first two weeks. Even for children who have been to school before, this is important because they are adjusting to new teachers, new classmates, new routines and new physical spaces. As always, our primary focus is to provide a program that supports the healthy emotional development of the children.

The school morning runs from 9:00-noon. For the older children, daily Lunch Bunch and Extended Day are available on a regular or drop-in basis. Lunch Bunch runs until 1:00 p.m. and Extended Day ends at 3:00 p.m. A lunch program for the Front Room children is offered and runs when there is enough interest to justify the program. Vacations and holidays coincide with those of the Lexington School System. In addition, school is closed an extra week during December and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. There are four days devoted each year to parent-teacher conferences.

Age
Entrance age is three years by December 31st. Children in the three-year-old program (Front Room) progress to the four-year-old program (Middle or Far Room). Depending upon their birthday, children may need two or three years of nursery school. Our program allows children to be in a new classroom each year.

While current students have priority over new students, there are always openings in the four-year old program each year for new students to the school.

Diversity at CNS
Community Nursery School is a non-profit institution and is open to all children and families without regard to race, color, cultural heritage, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation or national origin.

At CNS we strive to help children recognize and appreciate their own unique qualities as well as those of others. We also help children understand the common threads that we all share.

CNS works closely with the Lexington Public Schools Special Education Department to provide an inclusive environment that allows all children to learn and grow together.

Because families are actively involved at the school, we have the unique opportunity to learn from one another. We are committed to diversity at CNS and welcome families to share their stories, foods, songs, crafts and customs to help us learn about and celebrate the cultural richness of our community.

Accreditation By the NAECP
During the 1994-1995 school year, CNS performed an in-depth self-study under national guidelines resulting in accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. The entire school community participated in this valuable process. This is just one example of how our school continues to reflect upon our philosophy and program in order to grow and move forward.