About All Souls School

History and Facilities

All Souls School, founded in 1965 to meet community needs, is an independent school that is governed by its own Board of Trustees, which includes past and present parents of children in the school and educational leaders in our field. The school has six classrooms, a central lending library, a room for music and movement classes, and a roof playground. All Souls School is licensed by the New York City Department of Health and accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Philosophy and Mission

Several strands of philosophical, psychological, and educational thought have been woven together to form the basis of the work we do at All Souls School. At the heart of all of them is a view of the child as rich in potential, competent, filled with curiosity, eager to learn, and strongly connected to adults and other children. We know that children learn best when they are interacting constructively with materials that they can manipulate, transform, and use to represent their concepts. We also know that their ideas about the world are formed, questioned, and solidified when they are developed in a social context with other thinkers, both adults and children.

Our approach to projects and the emergent curriculum rests on these tenets, and we have found that when children and teachers collaborate in their investigations, the level of interest and the investment in the work is sustained for long periods of time and is characterized by creative problem-solving and cooperative social interactions.

All Souls School encourages parent participation and continuity between a child's home and school life. Teachers communicate with parents frequently, and parents are always welcome visitors in the classroom. The Parent Component is a program in which parents regularly meet with the Director to discuss issues of early childhood education, child development, and parenting. The Director also provides guidance and participates in the ongoing school application process.