The New School-West (NSW) is a private preschool created in an atmosphere of caring, respect, and acceptance for all people.  We welcome everyone and are committed to a community that is free of bias and discrimination on the basis of race, creed, religion, sex, gender expression, national origin, and abilities. By working together with our families, it is our goal to provide the safety net necessary to support each child’s right to identify and express their feelings and develop the skills to problem-solve collaboratively with peers. To do this effectively, we must be aware of the importance of recognizing behaviors and determining what they mean instead of labeling children with adjectives that judge them rather than support them. Because we place such importance to this, we offer a variety of parent gatherings to help connect us in a united philosophy of modeling positive interactions with each other.  It is through our modeling that the children will learn to care for and respect each other as well as themselves.   
 
NSW has followed the guidelines of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since our beginning in 1987. NAEYC believes that through a nurturing, high-quality early childhood education (ECE) program, each child has the opportunity to grow socially, emotionally, physically, cognitively, and creatively. Our studies inform us that although we are all created equal, our society does not treat us equally and so we embrace racial and identity development as it is no different from physical, intellectual, or emotional development (Jennifer Harvey) in that, it is either learned by observation of media, culture and overheard discussions or learned with careful and intentional guidance that honors different lived perspectives. With a curriculum that is meaningful to them, children develop an understanding of concepts about themselves, others, and the world around them.  Through observation and interacting with people and real objects, they can seek solutions to concrete problems.
 
It is our belief that safe transitions and routines offer security to children and our daily plan offers choices within a structure with activities for both indoors and outdoors. We understand the importance the environment plays in enhancing collaborative experiences and we work with the intention of extending individualized and group thinking. We are also advocates of good nutrition and rest.