On Saturday morning, August 19th, 2023, Morningside PlayCare, a UWS / Harlem early childhood school, became the recipient of 12 scholarships – six full and six partial.
These scholarships are designated to be awarded to children from a wide range of family income brackets as part of the launch of the More Children Learning Outdoors initiative. The scholarships will allow Kindergarten and First Graders ages 4.5 to 7 years to participate in a new K/1 outdoors classroom initiative in Central Park.
A Growing Trend
Known for its Family Nature Days, Dual Language UPK, and PreK Yoga, Morningside PlayCare will join the small, but growing number of private schools in New York City offering outdoor learning labs. Parents and educators have been moving to this model because of the growing research demonstrating that such programs produce higher levels of executive function, resilience, physical health, connection to and respect for the environment, and joy in the learning process – not to mention higher test scores.
Targeting Precocious Children and Lovers of Nature
We have been doing outdoor nature exploration for 7 years with young children. But these scholarships will allow us to launch a Kindergarten / First Grade initiative that can take our outdoor learning to the next level. Dr. Gail Foster, the founder of Morningside PlayCare, added that the Nature Exploration classroom is targeting children who love the outdoors, precocious children bored in mainstream settings, children who love doing real science, as well as those who may have shorter attention spans and need a more hands-on curriculum.
Full Scholarships Available for the 23/24 School Year
MPC intends to make some of the scholarships available immediately. This is a great opportunity for parents not satisfied that their child’s current school placement for this fall will fully meet his/her needs. Children are individuals and many have potential that goes untapped in traditional classroom settings. Dr. Foster is particularly thrilled that the scholarships came with no strings attached. So we have lots of room to create the outdoor classroom of our dreams.
The Nature Exploration classroom’s Lead Teacher, Ms. Iannucci who started doing outdoor teaching during Covid and maintains an upstate home where she explores the woods with her own children, will join Dr. Foster in hosting an information session, on Thursday evening, August 24th, at 6 pm at 70 W93rd Street. Register here.
Flying Deer Nature Center
Morningside PlayCare’s Outdoor Classroom curriculum was co-designed by Flying Deer Nature Center, an upstate wilderness school that leads Morningside PlayCare’s popular semi-annual Family Nature Day events. The Nature Exploration classroom will feature 70% of each week outdoors, nature science (as well as contemplation), a small class size, and rigorous, individualized academics.
For more information contact ge23@tc.columbia.edu Or call the school at 212-316-01313. Use this link to Register for Thursday’s Open House.
Photo credit: Source.
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