Preschool Insider Report: Fort Lee, Edgewater, Palisades Park

I guess you could call it a blessing in disguise. My daughter has gone through two preschools and I'm jittery about where she'll go in September. She's not delinquent or anything...maybe just picky and stubborn! So, like Goldilocks, I haven't found the school that hits all my top requirements and is affordable. The things important to me are: good curriculum, caring teachers/loving environment, nice outdoor play area, cleanliness, and security. 

We are lucky, though, to have so many great options in our neck of the woods! 

High End

Preschools

The Greenhouse Preschool & Kindergarten. 2070 Jones Road, Fort Lee, NJ. After hearing from my mom friends about this school repeatedly I decided to check it out. From the outside, it looks like a simple white house on any street block. Inside, it is beautifully and classically laid out. The administrators are warm and accommodating (no attitude) and the teachers look like they have masters from great Early childhood programs at good schools. It is NAEYC accredited and it shows! The art room and the library room are cozy and light-filled. There are lots of windows and it pours warmth into every room. 

Curriculum: Each day's activities includes Circle Time, Theme related project and music/movement and outside play. The attention to detail is amazing. They have a student as "Star of the Week" and she gets to do a little show and tell. They give you great monthly reports of what the kids will be doing and what to ask them at home. They also really emphasize cultures and multiculturalism (though the students looked mostly white and Asian). 

It was clean and secure (teachers come out in the morning to get the kids so you don't have to come in). They have great indoor and outdoor gyms. 

Now, comes the kicker. 4 and 5 years old have to be enrolled full time. 8:30 am to 3:30pm is $1,000/month. Ages run from 2 and half to 5 years old. This is not a daycare but a preschool. Three mornings or afternoons is $555. I love the school but spending almost $10,000 a year makes me cringe. The other concern is that it's close to Main Street which can get clogged with GWB traffic in the morning. Pick up time can also get hairy with other parents picking up on a very small street (and there is a public elem school nearby). They are booked right now but are accepting applications for next year. Location: house on a residential street. Link here. 

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Small World Montessori. 308 Tom Hunter Road. Fort Lee, NJ. This is a hard core Montessori school and when you walk in you know it's something different. In the entryway she has a lovable rabbit that my daughter was fascinated with. It seemed like a nice psychiatrist's office the way it was decorated. 

You won't see garish cartoon characters on the walls here! They have lots of unique items in the rooms and kids get to explore as they want. There is no structure in that way, imposed upon them. They are also mixed in a class with students of other ages, which I liked because I do think that kids learn a lot from those older than them. Here, you learn as you are doing things that are nature based and involve concentration, exploration and motor skills. 

Some of the things I thought were stuff we do at home anyway--sorting beads, but as you progress to more difficult things like math and reading I really respected the way they "teach" things in ways that are not like traditional lessons. This made me second guess the way other schools split things up into scheduled sections. Here, teachers just watch the kids and see where they have difficulty...the next day they work more on helping them on that. Another thing I liked was that parents are expected to get very involved, even on a daily basis with their child's education. That might not be for everyone, though! 

Some things that I wasn't crazy about was that the kids wear uniforms and the outside play area had no toys. It was just a typical backyard with trees. She said the children use their imagination to play with each other. Many people say that Montessori schools kids are very well behaved. I don't doubt that but I feel like there also needs to be some things that are plastic and bright colored. For kids who are delayed or advanced, this type of program would be wonderful for them. 

Fees: Registration, supplies comes to around $500. You have to also put two months worth of tuition down--to be applied at the end. So, that's three months you have to pay upfront. Five full days (8:30am to 3:30pm) is $970. Ouch! Link here. 

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Palisades Pre-School and Kindergarten. 2324 Fifth Street, Fort Lee, NJ. This is also a very popular school. You can just tell they've been around for awhile (1965) and know what works. The space was a bit circuitous--not as open as some other schools. There is a nice outside play area. There were a lot of teachers interacting with children at different stations. One teacher was doing flash cards with a girl while some other kids were doing more active stuff. 

Their curriculum is child-based and they stress learning through play. They don't teach phonics, but instead use a system by Houghten Mifflin. Their full day is from 9am to 2:45 pm and is $927/month. Location: 2 story building on a residential street. It is near the GWBridge so you may run into bridge traffic during rush hour and Fridays. Link here. 

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The Young School. 1041 Maple Avenue, Ridgefield, NJ. If you are looking for great extra curricular activities and a program for up to 10 yrs of age then consider this school. They follow the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which is a child based approach and do small classes (toddlers are 3-4 children per teacher) in a multiage setting. They do a lot of documentation (such as graphing) of what they observe/study. I visited while the school was under construction so I'm not going to comment on the layout/rooms. Teachers all have a 4 year teaching degree and 4 have masters degrees. For PreK they have an art teacher (every day, I believe), music teacher (once a week) and reading teacher for 2 full days working one on one with students. Later on some of the topics covered in Kindergarten/elem school are: Social studies, science, Foreign Language, PhysEd., cooking, photography, music, etc. They are accredited by the Middle States Assoc. The PTO is very active and engaged with the school. 

I didn't get to see all of the classrooms but I was impressed that they do go up to 3rd grade. Tuition is $10,900 annually (Sept-June, 10 mos) and $890 is due at registration. This is for full day from 9am to 3:30pm. They tout their pool for the summer program but it is small and above ground. The play areas outside were nice and spacious with interesting structures. Location: house-like building on a quiet residential street. It is on the border of some busy thoroughfares nearby. Good security and cleanliness. Link here. 

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Les Enfants. 223 14th Street; Palisades Park, NJ. This school is located in a building that used to be a school. So, unlike all of the above, it has the most "grade school" type environment. It might be intimidating for students who are not used to school or are not ready for this type of school. But, it can also help prepare them for Kindergarten better. It's a tough call. The thing I like most about this school is that the staff looks like they love working together and love working with kids. Mr. Joe of Kidzmusikk gave a glowing review while we were there. It's nice that his program is included in the tuition--it's not extra. 

The daily schedule involves circle time, center time (children choose them), outdoor/indoor play, sharing time, music and movement. The different content areas are Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies, Arts, Technology and process skills. There is a mixture of teacher-directed and child-initiated activities. It seems the best of both worlds. The outdoor and indoor areas are nice and spacious. 

A full day is 9am to 3:45pm. A full day tuition is $1,020 a month for 5 days. For 3 days (not many schools offer 3 days) it is $765/month. Extended day is 7:30am to 6:30pm. (5 days: $1,270; 3 days $945). Infants and toddlers are located at the Fort Lee campus. Link here. 

The bathrooms were very clean and the security was tight as well. Location: single story building on a residential street. 

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Future's Best Nursery Academy. 1435 10th Street, Fort Lee, NJ. This is a daycare, unlike the others above, so it would be ideal for working parents. The program runs daily from 7 am to 6pm and for preK it was $880/month (you can drop off/pick up anytime within that time period). The facility is cozy and there are different rooms for each class. It was naptime when we visited so don't know about the lighting.

 The outdoor area is nice and big--a rarity in this area but the ground looked like artificial turf. The PreK class is in the basement and this is always a turnoff to me. I feel like kids need to be exposed to daylight. The curriculum looks strong: Circle time, Arts & Crafts, free play, playground, and individual play. The staff looks warm and motherly. It was clean and the security seemed to be good. It's on a quiet street so probably not a lot of foot traffic nearby. (tip: their web site has a free registration fee offer--mention it and you don't have to pay the registration fee!) Location: three story building on quiet residential street. Link here. 

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Apple Montessori. 8 Adelaide Place; Edgewater, NJ. This is a family owned school since 1971 with 15 locations in NJ. Obviously, they've found a good formula! All the teachers get a special Apple Montessori training so that there is consistency. Here, students don't do all Montessori--it is maybe 1/3 of their day. The other areas they are exposed to are: practical life, sensorial, math, science/botany, geography. They use the open court phonics system to teach reading, learn spanish, art, technology, fast track kids program and time at the outdoor playground. 

Only the older kids wear uniforms (kindergarten). This is not a traditional montessori program but it seems to inject a lot of fun into the program so that kids can really let loose. I would pick this program if I were to do a Montessori program and it has proven very popular with local moms. They do have spots open. Location: one building and one house on a quiet residential street. Nice outdoor play area. Link here. 

The price is one of the more expensive ones in the area: five full days (8:30-3:30pm) $1,335/month. 

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Palisades Child Care Center. 115 River Road; Edgewater, NJ. I briefly visited this school during the kids nap time so was not able to really see the facility's lighting and other features. The rooms were very large and had lots of toys. They were playing Enya music while the kids were napping. It looks like a very fun place to be and the outside play area was large with nice views of the city. The PreK curriculum was designed to build their writing skills and a strong understanding of group dynamics. The hours are great for working parents since they are open from 6:15 am to 6:15 pm. 5 full day PreK is $207/week or around $828/month. The facilities were clean and had great security and high ceilings "loft-like." Location: industrial/warehouse like building off of River Road. Link here. 

Next installment: the midrange and more affordable schools! And more on what to look for in a school.  

Comments

[Chrissy]

what have you heard about Prime Time in Edgewater on Edgewater Place

[LN]

We're moving to the area in a few weeks and your report has been invaluable. Thank you so much!!

[Mirabest]

My daughter went there and I thought it was really good...check out my review in the Insider Report Part II.

[JB]

Both of my children attended All Saints Preschool in Leonia, NJ, and they loved it. The teachers are very attentive, loving, and inspiring. And the atmosphere is cheery and clean. It's tucked away behind a pretty church on a quiet residential street, and they have a beautiful playground in the back that the kids use all the time. All Saints Childcare center goes from infant through Pre-K. They have full-time and part-time options. I highly recommend this school!

[christine jacobs]

Mira,
Hi,I would like to introduce myself, My name is Christine Jacobs and I am one of the owners of Futures Best Nursery Acadmey in Fort Lee. I absolutely LOVE your website !! I would like to personally invite you back to our school and take another look at us when the kids are awake and everything is in full swing. I especially would like you to come take another look at our Pre-K class. It must have been really dark during nap time but we do have 4 ground level windows that look outside. We also have a brand new large activity/swing set in our playground. Please call , or stop by anytime...no need for appointment we are always available.
Keep up the great job on this webite !!!

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[FortLeeMom]

I just visited Future's Best Nursery Academy and I was disappointed with the place. Everything looks old and not so fresh.

I also visited Prime Time in Edgewater and it looks so much better, the only thing that concerns me there is the schedule (12-18 months) - the babies only have one nap during the long day. My daughter is 12 months old and she needs 2 naps, one and 10 am and second at 3 pm, so it might be difficult for her to adjust.

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[Jessica]

I would have considered Primetime but was just there on a tour and see that the have two male teachers for the 3 year olds. At this age the children are not necessarily fully potty trained and if they are they need help in the bathroom. I found this to be inappropriate especially with little girls. So we are still on the lookout for the best preschool in the area.