Kings Bay Y's North Williamsburg Annex Opens Preschool

Kings Bay Y’s new annex in North Williamsburg is opening its preschool this fall. The preschool’s curriculum focuses on Jewish culture and values due to the growing Jewish population in the area. The North Williamsburg annex will also offer Russian, Mandarin, and Hebrew lessons, as well as summer camps.

Children and their parents have fun at a recent open house for prospective students.

The Kings Bay Y at North Williamsburg will open its preschool on Sept. 9. The preschool will have five classes, one class for 2-year-olds, two classes for 3-year-olds, and two classes for 4-year-olds. The preschool combined the Reggio Emilia educational approach—learning through exploration and discovery—with its curriculum. Since the area consists of a growing Jewish population, its curriculum has an emphasis on Jewish culture and values.

The preschool is a small community that allows children to grow in a comfortable environment. The school aims to reach out into the community and give back with activities including storytelling hours at the library, poetry, and movie showings.

“Our mission is to promote the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of each child,” says Linda Herman, director of the Kings Bay Y at North Williamsburg. “We nurture children’s innate love of learning, awaken their curiosity, and encourage their creativity through our caring, developmentally appropriate, open-ended programs.”

The Kings Bay Y at North Williamsburg will soon offer activities for children newborn to age 2, as well as programs for ages 6-8. It will also offer summer camps and language programs, including Hebrew, Russian, and Mandarin lessons.