Manhattan Nursery School

My son attended this school and my daughter attends now.
I have a lot of positive things to say about this school. Very professionally run with a very good program. It’s more than just daycare where kids are corraled in rooms and left to their own devices with toys. They have art programs, yoga, music, and etc. They bring in outside resources and teachers who run very good classes.
Mrs. Shim and her staff who run the show here are veterans and run a very tight ship. And she has a lot of staff and teachers who have been with the school many years. This is a good sign when you see the same faces two or three years later.
The only unfortunate thing about Manhattan Nursery School is the facilities. They are located smack in the middle of congested K-​Town in a non-​descript office building, but some may actually appreciate this. They have very little space for expansion and they need to stagger classes and play time in their indoor play area. But they still make it work like clockwork. I don’t know how, but they do.
And they take field trips like all the other fancy, chi-​chi places.
My son had speech therapy and ABA classes. We had the therapists ply their lessons at Manhattan Nursery School. They’d never been there before, but they gave very positive feedback on the place. They said that this place was better than some of the places that cost much more in the Upper Eastside and Upper Westside They told me to keep my son there and don’t even think about going elsewhere.

I had started my son here and it was a disaster. They never abided by the legal required ratios, the teachers frequently told me about the awful environment and I’ll never forget picking my son up with bruises on his forehead, no one could offer me an explanation and no one called me during the day to let me know he was hurt. I do not recommend this as a safe and supportive place for your child and I consider myself a relatively low maintenance mom.

My daughter has been going to MNS the minute she’s been old enough to go (they start at 15 months). As of this January, she will have been there for 3 years. I can’t stress enough how glad and lucky I am that I found this school. She’s learned a lot, it’s very structured but in a way that learning is enjoyable for her. We were also very lucky in that the teachers she progressed under were FANTASTIC, calm, loved teaching. really, really wonderful. Other parents always comment on how much my daughter seems to know and I attribute a lot of it to the school. What’s also really great is that they offer extremely reasonable «extra» courses like music and yoga/​gymnastics. Some people are turned off by the fact that we have to bring in our own food but honestly as much a pain as this is (making lunch and snacks every day), there’s no better way to monitor your kids’ eating as when you make it yourself. The directors are great, they are strict but kind and you can tell that they really care about the kids. No it’s not super flashy (there is garbage in the hallway but yes it’s at the end of the day), but I’m much happier here than the shiny franchise place that was my first experience with a daycare. What’s also super convenient is that they offer pre-​K in the school.
I have to say that I’ll be sad in August when she moves onto kindergarten.

i had problems with that school. I had a teacher from that school asking me for money. The teacher that ask me for money is very rude and my child complains that she got yell by her.

My two year old daughter attends Manhattan Nursery School and unlike Matt K’s experience, I am quite pleased. She has been attending the school since April 2010 and LOVES it. She especially loves her teachers, Miss. Nicole and Miss. Christine. They are absolutely WONDERFUL and I feel extremely fortunate to have found teachers that I know genuinely care about my daughter and all her little classmates. The teachers really take the time to get to know the kids and work with them individually. During a recent parent /​teacher meeting, I was surprised at how well Miss. Nicole knew my daughter, she described her personality to a TEE! How wonderful is it when a teacher can see what you as a parent see in your child?!
Each and every morning my daughter is happy to go to school and each evening I pick her up, she’s just as happy as when I dropped her off. As we walk home, I talk to her about her day and am often surprised by some of the things she has learned. However it usually happens when I least expect it and she will say something like «Mommy, look at the dinosaur», meanwhile I had no idea she knew what a dinosaur was! She has learned so much from being at this school and it’s money well spent.
Another wonderful thing about the school is they are open until 7pm which is nice for working moms who don’t work the typical 9 – 5 job.
In regards to Matt K’s response, I don’t find the place small at all, in fact, when I was on my search for a daycare/​preschool, they were all about the same in terms of space.
Yes, there is garbage in the corner of the hallway AT THE END OF THE EVENING. They have to take the trash out! I could understand your point if the garbage was there all day but it’s only during the evening time when parents are picking up their children. The emergency exit door in the hallway is open on occasion however the door to the nursery is always CLOSED and LOCKED.
Lastly, yes I definitely recall the the deposit policy stating that you will not receive your deposit back unless you have paid 3 months tuition. That’s why it’s important to always read all documents before signing them. Why should the director have to explain that when it’s right there before you on paper in black and white?
If I had to change one thing about the facility, it would be that they serve healthier and more nutritious breakfast items but I’m a real health nut and I know not every parent thinks the way I do.
All that said, I’m glad I found Manhattan Nursery School.

Manhattan Nursery school has been my first stop on my Daily hike down Broadway as I drop of my niece to school and head down to work. My family loves the program here. It’s conveniently located in Korea Town near Herald Square with access to several subway and bus lines. The staff is über friendly, with 5 programs including infant, toddler, and three levels of pre-​K.
My niece is hella smart. She’s not even in kindergarten yet, but largely in part to Manhattan Nursery School, she can read and she knows some basics about dance, art, music, and tennis. She aced her entrance exam into an honors program, she can give you a breakdown of every Disney film, and on some days she even gets to take field trips to the water park and Pink Berry.
If you do have all-​day day-​care, Manhattan Nursery School can be a little pricey, but let’s face it folks, raising kids in the city is no easy task. Also dropping off kids by car isn’t really an option. That said, if you’re looking for a full-​service daycare to park your kids while you’re slaving away at work, Manhattan Nursery School is the place for you.