By Li’l Dan Celdran, former member of Greenbelt Nursery School

History

Greenbelt Nursery School (GNS) was founded in 1942 and is one of the oldest cooperatives in Greenbelt. The school depends upon parent participation with every part of the School’s operation: governance, finance, administration, assisting in classrooms, publicity, fundraising, maintenance, and housekeeping. Parents accept specific tasks and serve on committees or on the Board of Directors. The volunteer work of members enables the School to provide high-quality early childhood education at modest cost.

Programs

Greenbelt Nursery School offers nursery school classes for children ages two, three, and four. The school is in session from September through early June. Full-day educational programs are also offered. The school and extended-care programs are carefully planned to be developmentally appropriate. Greenbelt Nursery School is accredited by NAEYC’s National Academy of Early Childhood Programs. It is one of only a few in the area to have received this distinction.

Experiences

My son was enrolled in GNS for two years: in the 2 year old program (“Farm Room”) and in the 3 year old program (“Ocean Room”) in which he had fantastic teachers and made many friends. What I liked best about the program was the emphasis on “hands-on” learning and that the activities were developmentally appropriate for his age. We wanted a program that would incorporate semi- and unstructured free play and an emphasis in living cooperatively with others.

How to support the Greenbelt Nursery School

• Visit their booth at the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival to paint a picture for a nominal fee, buy a “Greenbelt is Great” T-shirt (T-shirt price varies by size and tie-dye/ plain) and/or refreshments.
• Purchase supermarket cards (i.e.  Greenbelt CoOp, Giant, and Safeway) from GNS.  Proceeds benefit the school.
• Make a tax-deductible donation to the school’s Scholarship Fund.
• Participate in their annual Tortoise and Hare 5K Race and 1K Fun Run

T-shirt photo by Jacqueline Lilly.