Pooh and Friends proudly offers education and child care programs in our beautiful Elmsford space and at many New York field trip destinations

Infants | Toddlers | Preschool
Pre-K Program | Nutrition | Reading
School Readiness | Computers | Arts,Crafts, Music and Dramatic Play
After School | Summer Program | Other Enrichment

Infants
We’d love to take care of your baby. The babies like it when we smile at them, talk to them, make facial gestures, read, sing, play with them and it’s so good for them. And we like it too. All our infants receive stimulation throughout the day. Rich daily stimulation provides them with a foundation for lifelong learning. Over the years we’ve had children who came to us as babies and stayed until they started school. We helped provide them a good and loving start in life, and the happiness and success they’ve found has something to do with what we’re doing something right.

Toddlers
When the babies begin to walk they graduate to our Toddler Program. Just like the infants, they need stimulation, language and love. When they’re receiving our individual attention, your toddler will feel like the most important person in the world. We protect and encourage feelings of worth and self-respect, which is such a necessary foundation for learning. It’s also important that toddlers not forget that learning is fun and zestful, not difficult and laborious. Our toddlers enjoy stories, play with gross motor toys and love to dress up and perform for dramatic play.

Preschool
When kids are between two and five years old they’re enrolled in our Preschool Program. They’re ready for a whole new level of enrichment and school readiness activities. We want our preschool students to feel self-respect and worth, to experience what zestful fun learning can be, to feel loved, valued and interesting. Attention starts to shift to making sure they’re prepared to school – so we introduce and work with reading, math, science and computer literacy. We honor their creativity through arts and crafts, music (with a trained music teacher) and dramatic play. And we make sure they have lots of safe and educational adventures away from the Center. Different settings and different kinds of experiences make learning deeper and more lasting. We’ve gone to aquariums, museums, science centers, farms, and theatres. We’re always on the lookout for new and interesting destinations. The strength of our school readiness and educational programs is frequently demonstrated by the number of our students who are accepted into the Yonkers Gifted and Talented Program and qualify for the independent schools.

Pre-K Program
We’re very proud of our Pre-K program which provides a much-needed solution for problems created by some school districts. If your district doesn’t offer Pre-K, or offers it by a lottery your family didn’t win, or offers only a half-day when you need a full-day, Pooh and Friends will happily enroll your child. At the end of the year we’ll provide a written evaluation for your school district’s program. Our program keeps abreast of the New York Core Curriculum requirements for schools and Pre-K programs.

Nutrition
We provide a nutritious and balanced lunch and two snacks a day. Everything we serve is healthy and wholesome and of the highest quality. We serve water and 100% juice, never juice drinks. For all who would like, we’re happy to serve the babies pumped breast milk, formula and any special foods you provide. If your child has a food allergy, please let us know and we will be happy to work with you.

Reading
The programs for all three age groups include an emphasis on language and stories. For the older children there’s a focus on the acquisition of reading skills. Ms. Lazaar has worked as a reading specialist for many years.

School Readiness
When our kids graduate from our Preschool Program they are very well prepared to meet the challenges of the next portion of their academic journey. Everyone has familiarity with, and often mastery of, many school readiness skills. These include reading, writing, math, science, and art.

Computers
Computers have become an indispensible parts of all our children’s lives. All the graduates of our Preschool Program have been taught computer literacy and many have become quite proficient.

Arts, Crafts, Music and Dramatic Play
All children learn at different rates and in different ways. And different children are attracted to different kinds of learning. We believe in the creativity of all children, and provide positive experiences in a number of different creative and artistic pursuits.

Other Enrichment
A wide variety of educational activities supports learning experiences for children of all ages and learning styles. Among the many activities we offer are: story time, dramatic play, independent reading, games, cooking, science, outside play (weather permitting!), puzzles, books on tape, and DVD’s.

After School
Children are given a snack and then expected to work on their homework. Our staff can help your child and will always check that homework is complete and correct. Once homework is done, children can play outdoors, or enjoy indoor enrichment activities, including games and computer activities. This program is available to only a limited number of children.

Summer Program
After years of organizing field trips, we’ve gotten pretty good at them, and we’ve found lots of trips that children love and which provide many different kinds of learning opportunities. Every summer we offer eight weekly field trips. Destinations may include aquariums, museums, science centers, farms, and theatres.