Newtowne Parent Coop
Preschool in Cambridge, MA 02138
Newtowne School is a parent cooperative preschool located in historic Harvard Square that serves children ages two to five. Newtowne’s deeply engaged faculty works closely with families to nurture and stimulate young children as they make the transition from the world of home to the world of school. Parent involvement, both inside and outside the classroom, creates a strong sense of community that enriches the school. Throughout our 40-year history, Newtowne has always been a responsive and flexible place, open to innovations in early childhood education and to the evolving needs of our community. Our mission is to:
provide a warm, caring environment that welcomes children and families of diverse backgrounds.
encourage young children to explore, experiment, create, and pursue challenging projects.
develop children’s self-confidence, self-expression, independence, and love of learning
guide children as they learn to play together and negotiate new relationships.
foster an appreciation of differences in personality and culture.
promote peace in our classrooms and in the world beyond.
prepare children, in a gentle way, for a more formal education in the years to come.
- Child Ages:
- 2 years - 5 years
- Rates:
- $$$
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- Massachusetts Department of Early Education & Care - NAEYC Accredited
- Vouchers:
- This provider accepts vouchers
- Special Needs:
- Asthma/Allergies, At risk, Autism, Developmental, Emotional/Social, Hearing Impairment, Learning, Medical Condition, Physical, Special Diet, Speech/Language
- Preschool:
- Yes
- Hours of Operation:
- Monday-Friday 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM
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- Classroom Ratios
- Director and Teaching Staff Bios
- Course and Teaching Material
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Children find meaning and joy through play. Our commitment to this essential truth is seen in our rich, developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum.
Inspired by the progressive educational tradition of Reggio Emilia, we believe that children are not empty vessels waiting to be filled with adult-given knowledge, but are constructors of their own learning and experience. The teacher’s role in such an environment is to facilitate, guide, observe, support, and inspire children.
This principle of “constructivism” has been developed in the renowned municipal preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy. Reggio schools are characterized by a deep engagement with the child at every level: the design of space; the pacing and schedule of the child’s day; the availability of high quality, mesmerizing materials; and, above all, the quality of a child’s relationships.
The classroom environments at Newtowne are carefully designed to promote a sense of wonder, inquiry, and human connection. We believe that the environment is a teacher; our bright spacious classrooms offer quiet spaces for children to work in small groups, cozy corners for being comfortable or alone, and engaging play structures at varying heights and angles for active gross motor and dramatic play.
During the course of the day, children have the opportunity to use different learning spaces for explorations involving nature, stories, engineering, mathematical reasoning, and music. Each classroom features a writing center and an expressive arts studio where children can develop their ideas in a variety of media. We also have a larger arts studio staffed by our all-school Atelierista, where children can find material resources, creative inspiration, and a dynamic place to let their imaginations run wild. At Newtowne, we believe that the expressive arts represent the many “languages of childhood.”
