Art & Wonder Preschool

Our Teachers

Hello! I am Socorro, the founder of Art & Wonder Preschool. I have a masters degree in Early Childhood Education from City College, as well as a teaching certificate and over 10 years of experience caring for young children. Teaching young children is my passion, and I am a firm believer in progressive education. Over the years, I have attended conferences and read extensively in order to be more knowledgeable of child development. I have worked at Columbia Greenhouse Nursery school, where I learned about the Reggio approach to teaching and environments. I also trained at Tompkins Hall Preschool and Bank Street School. I then went on to work in several Pre-K programs with underserved children and families. This variety of experiences has prepared me to work effortlessly with all children ages 2-6. The natural progression in my career is to open my own school. I am eager to serve and provide your children with excellent care and education.

Testimonials

Socorro Cordova is an excellent early childhood teacher. She is very empathetic with the youngest children. She is adept at puzzling together how their minds work, what things look like from their perspective, and precisely what each individual child might need in order to thrive . -Abosede George, PhD., Barnard professor

Philosophy

At Art & Wonder Preschool, I believe that children grow, learn, and thrive by exploring the world around them. The goal is to provide an environment where children will feel genuinely cared for and cherished.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy holds that each child is capable and competent. We allow children’s own interests to help facilitate their learning and engagement. By providing varied art experiences daily, we allow their creativity to flourish and teach them to become independent agents of their learning. An inquiry approach that is child-centered supports children’s dispositions for discovery. The engagements of child with materials, child with ideas, and child with teacher are what makes for a meaningful educational experience. The social relationships created by shared experiences serve to build a confident person.

The emergent curriculum is a well-rounded program that promotes proficiency in all domains of early childhood learning: physical, social-emotional, cognitive, and language and literacy.

Children who have left my program have gone on to gifted and talented schools and won art awards. The slow and deliberate approach to early learning has many benefits for the whole child.

Location

Our program is located in a cozy apartment on Cathedral Parkway (West 110th Street). It is close to three parks: Morningside, Riverside, and Central Parks. Outdoor experiences are an integral part to our curriculum. Weather permitting, we will spend time outside every day. We might go on a nature exploration in Riverside Park, or play in a playground at Morningside Park. The neighborhoods of Manhattan Valley and Morningside Heights are our community teachers.

The classroom is equipped with a variety of early childhood learning materials. These will be supplemented with daily art and science explorations.

About our program

My aim in running this program is to provide working families with a quality service, and the children with a wonderful early educational experience. I strive to always bring the best practices in early childhood education. The maximum number of children in any day will be four. This will allow for quality relationships to form among children and between teacher and child. Children at Art and Wonder Preschool are adored, respected and listened to.

The projected flow of the day allows for creativity and flexibility. We begin the day with open play time and a provocation, or invitation to explore materials. We continue with circle time, including songs and movement. The morning circle regularly includes yoga, dancing, or use of musical instruments.

Then we have morning snack. We get ready to go outside to spend most of the morning in nature. When we come back inside, we prepare for lunch. I ask the families to provide a lunch that serves to connect your child with home. As an example of encouraging independence, children help themselves to their lunch bags and we sit around the table to eat. Afterwards, we get ready for rest or nap. Children can sleep on their mats, or can engage in quiet play while their classmates rest.

When it’s time to wake up, the children can play and express their creativity. Open-ended materials from the art shelf can be used alongside new ideas for projects. Building with blocks, playing games, pretend play, and using table toys are also available. There is also an afternoon snack. We read books throughout the day, but there is a special story time, when we explore literacy concepts, along with the love of books. The afternoon might include a scientific investigation, or further outdoor exploration.

Admissions

Join the Art & Wonder Preschool community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Art & Wonder Nature Preschool unique. If we are currently hosting tours, you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page. If we are not currently hosting tours, you’ll see a “Request Info” button at the top of this page; if you submit your information using this button, we will notify you when we start host tours again in the future.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.