Curriculum

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.” — Carl Jung

Infant Program

3 - 11 MONTHS In Tribeca & West Village

Our infant program is designed to nurture the extremely competent and curious learners in the environment filled with gentle voices and loving arms. At the foundation of this approach is a desire to develop a strong relationship with children and their parents, meeting children’s needs, and providing opportunities to foster each child’s natural desire to discover through hands-on approach.

As we are dedicated to providing every child with personalized attention and to fostering each child’s individual schedule, we work in tandem with parents. We bridge home schedules with how the school day flows, with flexibility on nap times and eating times. With all of us working together, parent, teacher and child, an assortment of experiences are offered that encourage the desire to create even greater connections amongst each other through the use of expressive materials which vary depending on age and ability. For our youngest infants, this might be paint sealed in a bag for them to touch, squeeze and push. For a one year old, it might be a block of clay presented on the floor to explore with our whole bodies. These experiences are presented in the language of childhood: open-ended play.

The explorations provided are geared at encouraging a variety of developmentally appropriate learning opportunities supporting each child's social/emotional well being, development of their cognitive and reasoning skills as well as their language and fine/gross motor skills.

Our little ones enjoy the expertise of our music specialist weekly and are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).

Toddler Program

12 - 23 MONTHS In Tribeca & West Village

In a Reggio Emilia-inspired toddler program, developing strong relationships is the main focus. We use current research about what is important for children’s social-emotional health and academic development to provide a solid beginning for our students. With a strong foundation in trust, children thrive and bond. When we play, we uncover possibilities at our own pace, imagine, create, negotiate socially, build self-esteem, and learn to love learning.

Our toddler classrooms are bright and spacious, rich with lots of materials and equipment that develops the whole child. The most important goal we have for the children is to develop their receptive and expressive language skills, fine and gross motor skills, social/emotional skills and sensory skills. In addition to lots of time exploring and learning in the classroom centers, children are asked to begin to sit together for short morning meetings, which develops the ability to follow directions, an important readiness skill. Children are also learning how to play together in a socially appropriate way, practice impulse control, and use self-help skills such as washing hands, self-feeding and using the bathroom.

Toddlers enjoy the expertise of our music specialist weekly and are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).

Two-Year-Old Program

2 Years In Tribeca & West Village

Our two’s program is designed to foster a sense of community and positive social interactions in a small, home-like environment. Buckle My Shoe Preschool cultivates a community of empathy through a curriculum that puts focus on sharing, expressing how we feel, and giving children the language they need to succeed in daily interactions. Cultivating a strong ability to identify and empathize with feeling and emotion allows us to move from parallel play to playing with each other and developing close friendships.

Our small class sizes are perfect for allowing two year olds to bond with their educators and with each other through play, small and large group projects and varied specials and trips to common areas throughout each day.

We have daily activities planned that are based on cognitive development, math, science, sensory, literacy and social-emotional development. With support and encouragement from loving and compassionate educators, our two year olds become quite independent learners!

Examples include using materials like clay and homemade play dough to develop pre-writing skills and strengthen the muscles in our hands. Block play touches on spatial awareness, fractions, balance, stability, and gravity- to name a few. We continually test out new science experiments, such as mixing baking soda and vinegar, and hone our scientific theories and ability to predict. Many books are read each day, and children start pre-reading by retelling stories, recognizing characters and understanding basic sequencing. Pre-math is everywhere in our environment, from utilizing dominoes, counting how many friends are in school, to graphing as we take votes on various things throughout the week.

In our 2’s program, we are excited to participate in Tennis (Tribeca), Yoga (West Village) and Music specials on a weekly basis. Students are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).

Three-Year-Old Program

3 Years In Tribeca & West Village

In our three’s program, our young learners continue their journey towards independence and becoming critical thinkers, as a community. Children share their thoughts and ideas with each other, giving them the opportunity to be active participants in their learning.

Students have a strong sense of ownership in the classroom, which helps build their confidence to tackle challenges that may arise. They take responsibility for their classroom by having jobs that rotate weekly. We use the environment and materials to empower children to think deeply, take risks and work together.

We foster our children’s curiosity and wonder through provocations, all while focusing on math, literacy, science and social-emotional development. Teachers observe what children gravitate towards, and they ask more questions to facilitate children's development of their own theories and hypotheses.

In our 3’s program, we are excited to participate in Tennis (Tribeca), Yoga (West Village) and Music specials on a weekly basis. Students are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).

PRE-K Program

4 Years In Tribeca & West Village

Four-year-olds take care of their belongings, themselves, each other, and their classroom.

Our Pre-K program offers a unique opportunity for young and enthusiastic learners. Focusing on the development of skills necessary for success in Kindergarten. Our students build strong foundational knowledge in literacy, mathematics, science, and communication through play, exploration, and inquiry. Our Pre-Kindergarten program also supports the growth of our students as they begin to develop a heightened sense of the world around them, a desire to be Independent, a stronger ability to think critically, and the need for social interaction. We guide them to problem solve, resolve conflict, and develop critical thinking skills and confidence through purposeful play and collaborative learning experiences. They are encouraged to be thoughtful and reflective about their ideas and work.

Our graduates are therefore prepared socially, emotionally, and academically for the new challenges of Kindergarten and are admitted to the best private and public kindergarten programs as well-rounded members of their new community.

In our Pre-K program, we are excited to participate in Soccer, Yoga, Music and Chess specials on a weekly basis. Students are also exposed to Spanish daily (see section on Spanish below).

Spanish

All age groups In Tribeca & West Village

It’s never too early to begin learning a language: it’s fun, it promotes healthy development, and the many cognitive and social benefits will last a lifetime. It has been proven by researchers that children who learn another language before age five use the same part of the brain to acquire that second language that they use to learn their mother tongue. Younger learners are also uninhibited by the fear of making mistakes, which is sometimes an obstacle for older beginners. The first three to five years of life are considered the best time for children to learn a second language and is as easy as acquiring knowledge in their first language (Vos, 2008). Children are bound to assimilate new sounds and new utterances indiscriminately at that time regardless of whether it is their mother tongue or another language.

The benefits of learning a second language in preschool are numerous and bound to positively impact children's present and future academic and professional lives. Second language acquisition is tightly linked to increased performance in areas of social and academic development such as verbal communication, mathematical development, and reasoning skills. It is also linked to increasing young children's cultural awareness and understanding of differences.

At Buckle My Shoe Preschool, we include Spanish in all aspects of our classrooms.

In each group has native Spanish speaker educator who reads stories that children are familiar with, so that they are easy to understand and keep the children engaged. We often play Spanish language music and have a dedicated 20-minute circle time when students learn the new language including classroom (all items in the classrooms are labeled in both English and Spanish) and general vocabulary, sentences and songs related to the children’s interests and the class project work. By the time children begin their year in Pre-K, they have a strong Spanish foundation that includes everyday words and sentences.

Our Specialists

CHESS

By Chess at Three
STEM

By Rachel
SOCCER

By Soccer Shots
MUSIC

By Shoshana

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

We offer individualized educational care and attention with a curriculum specifically catered to infants and toddlers with a low teacher to child ratio and extended hours in a magical environment.
Both locations start at 3 months. Most classrooms accommodate approximately a 6-month age span.
Parents will sign-up for a virtual group child visit (for children applying for the 2’s and up) and a school walk-through after having submitted an application.
Yes, you will have the opportunity to walk through our locations to visit our classrooms and learn about the current student projects.
Yes, siblings and legacies have priority when they apply at any time of the school year, provided we have space for them.
Yes, you will have to complete a new application form. You will not need to schedule a virtual school presentation again but you will be asked to book a virtual group child visit.
Our program includes a unique Pre-K program for 4- and 5-year olds. Our graduates leave our school confident, independent and ready to enter a new school and experience kindergarten.
“We love BMS and feel extremely lucky to have such outstanding educators take care of our son. Our son is thriving and always running in the door quickly to be with his friends. We are very impressed with their level of reporting for his development, too; they genuinely care for him. The school's communication is timely and on point every time, both through the school app and email. The facilities are also excellent, very creative and clean. We will definitely recommend them to others.” Sabrina Simonsen

The contract covers our school year (ten months, September through June). Depending on availability, a family may enter after the start of the school year.
Yes, Buckle My Shoe Preschool is open throughout the summer and offers three, three-week sessions of enrichment in both locations. A separate contract will need to be filled out. Students can attend one, two or three sessions. The program is open to current students, prospective and neighborhood children.
Tuition can be paid in one or five installments electronically or by check.
We offer help in the form of tuition reduction when eligible families submit their last two tax returns and W2’s.
Once you sign an enrollment contract, tuition is non-refundable. We are a non-profit school and teachers are contracted for the full school year based on enrollment.
No, when your child is enrolled in Buckle My Shoe Preschool, you do not need to submit an application every year. A new enrollment contract will be issued for each school year.