The Playpen Wonderschool

Our Teachers

Hello there! I am Natalie Contreras, the founding director of The Playpen Wonderschool. My inspiration for this program is my own daughter - watching her grow and helping her develop has been such a joy, and I believe that the innocence of children is a beautiful thing that can be cultivated through an in-home setting. I am a born-and-raised New Yorker and have previously worked as a medical assistant, but am so excited to be able to follow my dream of working with children.

Philosophy

The Playpen Wonderschool is a play-based program where children are encouraged to learn through their different modalities. We want children to have fun and to be prepared for school when they leave our space. We love listening to music, giving children lots of space to move, and letting kids explore the different materials that we have selected for them.

Location

Our program is located in a secure apartment building in the Inwood neighborhood of Manhattan! We are less than one block away from the 207 St station on the 1 line and three blocks away from the 207 St station on the A line. Our outdoor time will include trips to different places in the neighborhood as well as stops in local parks.

About our program

We have lots of creative ways to enjoy ourselves throughout the day. Whether we’re moving our bodies to Zumba, creating crafts in group time, or dressing up in our dramatic play area, there is tons to do here.

I think it’s important to keep families in the loop. We will make sure that you have photos and videos from our time together, and I will update you on what we do in our space.

This is a Spanish bilingual program. We will be speaking both English and Spanish throughout the day here, and I am fluent in both! At a young age, building vocabulary is easy and a great way to set children up for future language acquisition.

Admissions

Join the The Playpen Wonderschool 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 The Playpen Wonderschool unique. Please schedule a tour or attend an Open House event.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application! Please note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

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.