Community Affairs > Services >  Child Care and Pre-School

Columbia University has developed a number of programs and affiliations to help you find the care and schooling that is right for your family.  Below is a list of Columbia and Columbia-affiliated child care and schooling-related informational resources provided by the School and Child Care Search Service.



Annual Child Care Fair
Each year, Columbia invites representatives of University-affiliated child care centers and other local facilities to share information and answer questions from parents living in the University's neighboring communities. The fair is generally held in early October in Lerner Hall.
Fee(s): No fees
Phone: 212-854-4289
E-mail: communityaffairs@columbia.edu
Partner(s): Local child care centers
Columbia Unit(s): Government and Community Affairs—Morningside Heights

        
Children's Learning Center
The Children's Learning Center (CLC) is located on the beautiful grounds of Morningside Gardens in Morningside Heights .  CLC provides a relaxed, friendly and nurturing environment that promotes children's growth in all developmental spheres. The school believes children learn best through play at their own individual rates. Teachers plan and facilitate developmentally appropriate curriculum, encouraging children to discover and interpret their world through cooperative and independent play.
Eligibility Requirements: Ages 6 months to 5 years
Fee(s):  Tuition varies; $50 application fee
Registration/Application Deadline: Applications are accepted until the first week of December
Address: 90 LaSalle Street, New York, NY 10027
Director: Lori Woliner
Phone: 212-663-9318;  Fax: (212) 600-4870
Email: loriwoliner@clc-nyc.org
Website: http://www.clc-nyc.org/

 
ColumbiaGreenhouse Nursery School
Columbia Greenhouse is an independent, not-for-profit, and non-sectarian part-time early childhood school. Their student body reflects the diversity of the University community and of the neighborhood.
Eligibility Requirements: Ages 2 to 5 years
Fee(s): Tuition and application fees; financial aid is available
Registration/Application Deadline: Application deadline is December 1
Address: 404 West 116th Street
Director: Vicki Aspenberg
Phone: 212-666-4796; Fax: 212-865-1294
Email: info@columbiagreenhouse.com
Website: www.columbiagreenhouse.com/ 


Family Annex
The Family Annex is a parent co-op that offers full-time and part-time enrollment for child care. The Reggio Emilia approach is used to encourage creative thinking for children and encourages both teachers and children to be researchers. The children are engaged in discovery through the use of materials, discussions and possibilities which the teachers explore with the children.
Eligibility Requirements: 17 months to 4.5 years 
Fee(s): Tuition fee; financial aid is available
Registration/Application Deadline: None, but enrollment is for 11 months (September-July; closed August)
Address: 560 West 113th Street
Director: Nancy Drescher
Phone: 212-749-3271; Fax: 212-749-3271
Email: thefamilyannex@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.thefamilyannex.org/site/


Medical Center Nursery School 
The Medical Center Nursery School aims to provide a secure, nurturing, developmentally appropriate educational setting for children in the following communities: Columbia University; New York Presbyterian Hospital; the New York State Psychiatric Institute; and northern Manhattan, specifically the Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods.
Eligibility Requirements: Ages 2 to 6 years Fee(s): Application fee and tuition
Registration/Application Deadline: Applications are accepted in the beginning of September for the following year Address: 60 Haven Avenue
Director: Howard Johnson
Phone: 212-304-7040; Fax: 212-544-4243
Email: information@mcns.org
Website: http://www.mcns.org/ 


Red Balloon Day Care Center
Red Balloon provides a safe, creative, and nurturing environment where very young children can learn by making their own choices and exploring through hands on activities and through play. The center serves the Morningside Heights and Harlem communities.
Eligibility Requirements: Ages 2 to 5 years
Fee(s): Tuition and participation/activity fees
Address: 560 Riverside Drive, between Tiemann place and 125th Street
Director: Norma Brockman
Phone: 212-663-9006; Fax: 212-932-0190
Email: rbdcc@aol.com
Website: http://www.redballoonlearningcenter.com/   

 
Tompkins Hall Nursery School and Child Care Center
Originally a parent coop nursery, this preschool program encourages parents to play an important role in the school experience.  Tompkin's Hall strives to integrate each child's individual development with the experience of belonging to a group.
Eligibility Requirements: 6 months to 2 years 8 months for child care center; 2 years 9 months to 4 years 8 months for preschool.
Fee(s):   Tuition, application fees, and a nonrefundable deposit upon meeting participation requirements; financial aid is available
Registration/Application Deadline: Before December 31 for nursery and before January 31 for day care for the following year
Address: 21 Claremont Avenue
Director: Cynthia Pollack
Phone: 212-666-3340; Fax: 212-666-3340
Email: tompkinshall@earthlink.net


Twin Parks Montessori School
Twin Parks Montessori Schools (Park West and Riverside ) are committed to building and fostering a community of life-long learners, using proven Montessori methodology.  The schools provide infant, toddler, and early childhood education and child care services.
Eligibility Requirements: Ages 3 months to 6 years
Fee(s):  Tuition fees vary; Application fee $25   
Registration/Application Deadline: Begins September 1
Website: www.twinparks.org/
Park West Address: 435 Central Park West
Director of Admissions: Shelly McGuire
Phone: 212-678-6072; Fax: 212-678-1998
Admissions - enroll@twinparks.org
General Information - pwoffice@twinparks.org
Riverside Address: 202 Riverside Drive
Director of Admissions: Candace La Douceur
Phone: 212-665-1600; Fax: 212-665-1775 
Admissions - admissions@twinparks.org
General Information - rmoffice@twinparks.org

Additional Columbia-Affiliated Child Care Centers

Barnard Center for Toddler Development
The mission of the Barnard Center is to provide a warm, positive first school experience for parents and children, and a forum for parents and caregivers to discuss and learn about the development of toddlers; to conduct research on early development and parenting, and to educate students about toddler development.
Eligibility Requirements: Must be born between October 1, 2006 and January 31, 2008 for the 2009-2010 school year
Registration/Application Deadline: Contact the toddlercenter@barnard.edu on or soon after October 15, 2009 for consideration for the 2010-2011 school year
Address:  3009 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027
Director; Tovah Klein, Ph.D. - tklein@barnard.edu
Phone: 212-854-8275
Website: http://www.barnard.edu/toddlers/index.htm


Columbia University Head Start Program
The Head Start program serves 68 children aged three to five and families; the Early Head Start program serves 194 children under the age of three and 42 pregnant women residing in the neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Hamilton Heights in northern Manhattan.
Eligibility Requirements:  Families earning within the federal poverty income guidelines. Families must live in the catchment area; Head Start families living between 165th Street and 181st Street in Washington Heights Riverside Drive to Amsterdam Avenue and Early Head Start families and pregnant women living between 125th Street and 204th Street in Northern Manhattan. 
Fee(s):  Services are free to qualified families
Registration/Application Deadline:  Applications accepted on an ongoing basis; families will be placed on a waiting list.
Address:  154 Haven Avenue, 3rd Floor
Director: Carmen Rodriguez, Ph.D. - cr14@columbia.edu
Phone: 212-923-5237
Website:  http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/sph/popfam/fac/cuhs.html

Hollingworth Preschool, Teachers College
This program, run by Teachers College, provides a developmentally appropriate curriculum for three-, four-, and five-year-old children and their families. The children, who attend the school five half-days per week, participate in a classroom community that nurtures all aspects of their development.
Address:  309 Main Hall, 525 West 120th Street, Box 170, New York, NY  10027
Director:  Connie W. Couliano - cwc18@columbia.edu
Website:  http://www.tc.columbia.edu/centers/hollingworth/index.asp?id=Hollingworth+Preschool


Lamont-Doherty Child Development Center
The Lamont-Doherty Child Development Center , run by Bright Horizons Family Solutions, offers full-time, part-time, and drop-in care for infants, toddlers and preschool children at the Lamont-Doherty Observatory.
Eligibility Requirements: Ages 6 weeks to 5 years
Fee(s): Modestly subsidized for employees; partial tuition scholarships available for employees and students of Lamont-Doherty
Address: 135 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964
Director: Deanna Juliano
Phone: 845-680-4893
Email: brighthorizons@ldeo.columbia.edu 
Website:   
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/campus-services/administration/ancillary-services/ldeo-childcare 


The Rita Gold Early Childhood Center , Teachers College
The Rita Gold Early Childhood Center , an infant, toddler and preschool early care and education research practicum site, serves to promote the growth and development of infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families.
Eligibility Requirements: Only children of Teachers College, Columbia University and Barnard College faculty, staff or students accepted
Fee(s): Tuition fees vary depending on the child's schedule; 25% non-refundable deposit, $75 application fee applies
Registration/Application Deadline: Varies by year
Address: Teachers College, 525 W. 120th Street (Thorndike Hall, second floor)  
Phone: 212-678-3013; Fax: 212-678-3048
Website: http://www.tc.edu/ritagold/