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LNS Highlights

Children’s curiosities and wonder are furthered through play and explorations together with teachers and parents, side by side. Each classroom has a teaching team of 3; lead teacher, assistant teacher and a parent helper, with classroom sizes ranging from 10-16 children.

At LNS, parents give their child the gift of friendship with families that will continue for many years.
The cornerstone of our teaching approach is developing relationships, allowing us to uncover and build upon children’s own sets of thoughts, curiosities, and interests.

Observing children’s play, and documenting their dialogue and interactions, brings us to an understanding of each child and of the group. Our curriculum emerges from the children, responsive to the unique makeup of each group.

Nature is an integral part of the classroom experience. We are located next to conservation land, providing ease of access to trails and ponds. Children explore nature on a regular basis providing spontaneous, outdoor play, and a comfort level, familiarity with, and respect for the environment.

Children regularly participate in expressive arts programs, including music and movement and studio, enhancing and extending the classroom curriculum

children

About LNS: Mission & Philosophy | Cooperative | Faculty | Facility | Alumni

Mission & Philosophy

Children Enjoying Nature

Lincoln Nursery School (LNS) is a non-sectarian, non-profit, cooperative nursery school, serving 60 children ages 2.9 to 5 years old. Our community is composed of families from many surrounding towns.

Mission

Lincoln Nursery School was founded in 1944 by a small group of innovative parents with a firm belief in cooperative nursery school education. Lincoln Nursery School’s mission is to provide a meaningful and stimulating first school experience for children by forming a cooperative partnership between committed, caring teachers and involved, loving parents. We strive to create an amiable environment in which open communication and mutual respect for one another are highly valued, and children, families and teachers feel at ease. We foster a sense of community and cooperative spirit from which children learn by example. We promote self-esteem, self-expression and self-confidence in a safe and nurturing environment enabling children to grow socially in friendships with children and adults. We are committed to the understanding that play is the work of childhood. Using a developmentally appropriate practice, we help children build a foundation for life-long learning and a continuing sense of wonder and discovery.

Philosophy: Learning Through Play

We value childhood at Lincoln Nursery School. Our respect for children is evident in the design of our classroom spaces, our curriculum, our daily routines, and our relationships. We believe that children are curious, capable beings who learn and grow through play. Play engages all parts of the brain and has been shown again and again to be the best way to foster children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth. Throughout our 60-plus year history, we have worked hard to understand children’s developmental needs and create a responsive program that encourages them to:

  • be creative and imaginative; accept responsibility; ponder and reflect; solve problems;
  • be curious; deal with frustration and disappointment; and gain understanding of themselves in relation to others. Play allows children to make meaning of their world.