East Willows Nursery School

Where Curiosity Leads the Way

  • Children creating colorful clay sculptures on a white table in a classroom setting with a woman helping in the background.

    Who We Are

    East Willows Nursery School is a small, home-based nursery school for children ages 2–4. Our Reggio Emilia–inspired approach gives children room to explore, create, ask questions and learn through everyday experiences.

  • A woman and a young girl are playing with a cardboard pretend car indoors. The woman has curly hair and is wearing a black and white striped top. The girl has her hair in pigtails, glasses, and is wearing a cream-colored outfit. Sunlight streams in through large windows decorated with red and yellow triangular flags.

    What we offer

    Full and half-day programs with flexible 2, 3 or 5-day schedules, school-break and drop-in care, gentle potty-training support, outdoor play, gardening, art, sensory experiences, music and movement, and school readiness.

  • A young boy with braided hair wearing a white shirt and blue shorts, holding a toy watering can in an indoor setting with green plants and a bookshelf in the background.

    How we get it done

    We combine child-led, hands-on learning with intentional time for early literacy, pre-writing, letters, numbers, shapes, early math and communication keeping children actively engaged while preparing them for what comes next.

Children and a teacher engaging in a painting activity in a classroom, with some children sitting and others standing around a table.

A Small School With a Lot to Explore

East Willows Nursery School is a small, home-based nursery school in Cortlandt Manor, New York, where childhood gets to feel like childhood.

Here, learning might look like digging in the garden, creating at the art table, exploring outside, getting messy with sensory play, or sitting together for a story. Along the way, we build school-readiness skills through early literacy, pre-writing, letters, numbers, early math, communication, and everyday independence, all while keeping learning hands-on and engaging.

We also support the everyday parts of growing up. Gentle potty training is available when your child is ready, snack and lunch can be provided, and families stay connected through Brightwheel with photos, daily updates, messages, and important school information.

With intentionally small groups, children have the space to settle in, make friends, build confidence, and learn at their own pace.

That’s everyday life at East Willows.