Grace Church School is a school for small children, a sanctuary in the middle of the biggest city in America. A grand old elm shades the entrance to the school and to Grace Church Brooklyn Heights, a historic landmark in the community.
Grace Church School is something of a landmark itself. The oldest preschool in Brooklyn, it was founded in 1928 by 12 parish mothers who believed that children from different families could learn from one another in a playful and nurturing environment.
Today Grace Church School has 125 children participating in an early education program noted for its emphasis on the whole child. In addition, we have a “Music Time” program and “Together Time” classes for toddlers, and host a New Mothers group.
While the school is affiliated with Grace Church, our curriculum is nonsectarian. We recognize and celebrate the diversity of faiths and beliefs among our families.
Located in the Grace Church parish house, the school has seven classrooms, two sunny rooftop playgrounds, a gymnasium, a kitchen, rooms for music and creative movement classes, and a shady secret garden. The school community gains a heightened sense of comfort and beauty from the 19th-century architecture and from the quiet splendor of the church itself, where the children sing for their families during the winter holidays and at school year’s end.
The devotion and experience of our teachers and staff are exceptional. Hope N. Prosky, school director since 1983, came to Grace in the late 1970s to establish the Twos Program. She has been an early childhood teacher for more than 40 years and is a state-licensed school psychologist. Many of our teachers have been with us for 20 years or more. All our teachers have extensive training in early childhood education, and head teachers have a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
The educational philosophy of Grace Church School emphasizes a caring preschool community that is open and accepting, one in which children are encouraged to fulfill their social, emotional and intellectual potential at a pace in harmony with their needs. This environment is based on mutual trust between the children and their teachers and between the children and their peers. A sense of security and self-esteem enable children to question, to explore, to dream, to create and to grow in conjunction with their individual learning styles. We believe that meaningful learning situations, which provide the foundations of love of learning and respect for all peoples, encourage children to grow and flourish.
254 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
phone: (718) 624-4030
fax: (718) 624-3194
email: info@gracechurchschool.org
Located on Hicks Street between Joralemon and Grace Court, the school is convenient to most downtown Brooklyn subway stops and bus lines. It is near the Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Tunnel, and the Atlantic Avenue and Brooklyn Bridge exits on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.