Community Day Nursery has offered high quality early education to the children of East Orange for over a century.  We provide a high-quality public school pre-kindergarten program in a warm and caring early childhood center designed especially for young children. Our New Jersey State Licensed teachers have Preschool – Grade 3 certification and either Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees in early childhood education.

The Tools of the Mind curriculum is based on the educational theories of Lev Vygotsky.  Play is the central teaching tool of the curriculum which focuses on giving children the mental tools they need to develop academic and self-regulation skills (Bodrova & Leong, 1996).  As part of their daily play children make a plan, using the Scaffolded Writing approach.  This approach allows teachers to assess and support emerging literacy skills on an individualized basis. The curriculum materials are designed to support a diverse range of learners, including children with disabilities, dual language learners, and advanced learners. You can learn more about this curriculum here.

Nutritious meals are freshly prepared in our kitchen daily so that children learn the importance of making healthy food choices. Our children receive a healthy balanced breakfast, lunch and snack every day. Because CDN has a No Nut Policy, none of the food served to children contains nuts. We do not permit any outside food to be brought into the school.

Our children play outdoors every day, weather permitting. This means that “unless there is active precipitation, public warnings of extremely hot or cold conditions, or public announcements that advise people to remain indoors due to high levels of pollution,” children will have the opportunity to engage in gross motor play which is essential for healthy growth and development. (New Jersey Preschool Classroom Teaching Guidelines, 2019)

Our Before and After School program wraps around the school day to provide a nurturing and safe environment for the children who attend before and after the public-school program.