The Growing Tree Nursery School: Educational Approach and Background

The Growing Tree Nursery School is a family-owned and operated preschool in Roslyn, NY, that has been in business since 1979. Its educational approach is play-based — the school states plainly that "children learn through play" — and its programs span ages 3 months to 5 years, from infants through prekindergarten. It is currently enrolling for the 2026–2027 school year with limited spots available. This page is for families deciding whether the school's philosophy, age coverage, and schedule flexibility fit their child.

Who the school is

The 1979 founding date and family ownership matter for a few practical reasons. A program that has run continuously for more than four decades has an established track record, stable staffing patterns, and a physical space that has been used for early childhood care long enough to be well understood by its operators. "Family owned and operated" also usually means the person answering your call has a direct stake in the school — useful when you have specific questions about your child.

The educational approach: learning through play

The school's stated philosophy is that children learn through play. That is a specific pedagogical position, not a marketing phrase, and it shapes what a day looks like.

In a play-based program, the curriculum is built around children's own activity — pretend play, building, sensory materials, movement, art, and social interaction with peers — rather than around teacher-led lessons in letters, numbers, or worksheets. Adults typically set up the environment, guide and extend what children are doing, and step in when a child needs help, but the child's play is treated as the work of learning rather than a break from it.

The school organizes its curriculum by age band, which tells you the approach is differentiated rather than one-size-fits-all:

• Infants (3 months+)
• Young Toddlers (18 months+)
• Toddler ("Twos")
• Preschool ("Threes")
• Prekindergarten ("Fours")

Example of what this looks like in practice: a "Threes" classroom might spend a morning with a water table, blocks, and a dramatic-play corner. The teacher's role is to notice a child sorting blocks by size and turn that into a conversation about bigger and smaller — the math concept emerges from what the child chose to do, not from a scheduled lesson.

If you want your child drilled on academic skills before kindergarten, this is a mismatch. If you want your child to build language, motor, and social skills through activity they initiate, the stated approach lines up.

Age groups and what each stage covers

Because the school serves 3 months through 5 years, it can keep a child from infancy through the year before kindergarten. That continuity is worth weighing: siblings can attend the same building, and a child does not have to change schools mid-way through early childhood.

The five bands above correspond to developmental stages rather than fixed grade levels. When you tour, ask which band your child would join and how the day is structured differently for, say, a young toddler versus a pre-K child — that is where the play-based philosophy shows up most concretely.

Scheduling options

The school offers meaningful flexibility, which is often the deciding factor for working families:

• Days per week: families may choose 2, 3, 4, or 5 days per week.
• Full Day program: drop-off and pick-up anytime between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm.
• Mini Day program: for ages 18 months–5 years, choose a 3, 4, or 5 hour school day.
• Early drop-off: available at 7:00 am.
• Diapers welcome, which means children who are not yet toilet trained can enroll.

The 8:00 am–6:00 pm window is a ten-hour span, so a full-day family is not locked into a fixed pickup time — you can collect your child when your day allows. The Mini Day option suits families who want a shorter, part-time experience, or whose child is not ready for a full day.

One thing the school does not publish on this page is tuition. Pricing is not listed, so treat cost as an open question to raise directly rather than assuming any figure.

How to decide and what to do next

The school's own recommendation is to schedule a personal tour to see the classrooms, meet the teachers, and experience the environment. That is the right next step for a play-based program, because the philosophy is easier to judge in person than from a description.

To move forward:

1. Call 516-621-9009 or use the contact form on the site (name, email, phone, and your child's name and date of birth).
2. Request a tour and, while there, ask specifically: which age band my child would join, how the day is structured for that band, current tuition and any fees, and how the 2026–2027 enrollment timeline works given the limited spots.
3. Confirm availability for your preferred number of days per week — 2-day and 5-day slots may fill at different rates.

Common sticking points to plan around: the school is enrolling for 2026–2027 with limited spots, so families who tour late may find their preferred schedule gone; and because tuition is not published, you should get the number in writing before committing.

The school also maintains a presence on social media showing classroom activities, which is a low-effort way to preview the play-based environment before you visit.