Day Care / Preschool in Manhattan, NYC

Smarter Toddler, Manhattan:
With two convenient locations in Manhattan NYC, Smarter Toddler is a leading nursery school / preschool that provides arts-based preschool programs for babies, toddlers and young children ages 3 months to 5 years. Situated on the Upper West Side and at Midtown West near Times Square, we offer a warm, community-oriented learning environment where we encourage curiosity, promote kindness and respect, and exercise imagination and creativity.

We are dedicated to providing a foundation that encourages each child´s lifelong love of learning through art and music. Our curriculum offers Reading, Art, Spanish, Yoga, Sign Language, Computers, Science, Music and Movement. The program provides a rich environment that promotes children´s active exploration in all areas of development: physical, emotional, linguistic, aesthetic, and cognitive.

- Infant Program (3 - 12 months)
- Toddler 1 Program (13 - 20 months)
- Toddler 2 Program (21 months - 2.5 years)
- Young Preschool Program (2.5 - 3.5 years)
- Preschool Program (3.5 - 5 years)
- Arts Program (includes music, visual arts and yoga)

Professional & Experienced Teachers:
We believe that learning is an interactive process between the teachers and the children. Our teachers are certified and educated early childhood professionals who have specialized experience in music, theater, dance, and visual arts. They are true professionals in the field of education for younger children. Whether your child is “very active” or shy, our teachers will custom design activities that work best for them.

Our teachers complete an extensive training period and are responsible for increasing their skills by continuing education and attending workshops that are appropriate for the age groups they are presently teaching and providing care for. They prepare the environment and plan activities that are appropriate for the age span of the children within the group and consider the different needs, interests, and developmental levels of individual children. At Smarter Toddler, you will find teachers who are patient, loving and dedicated to the children in their care.

- Smarter Toddler was founded by parents of gifted young children who wanted a progressive preschool with an advanced arts-based curriculum that their own children could benefit from. Music, movement, literacy and visual arts are an active part of each child's day.

- Our mission is to continue to create an enhanced, quality early education program that emphasizes the arts, cultural experiences, and the unique individuality of each child.

- We provide remarkable teachers, a relaxed admissions process, and a loving, home-like atmosphere.

- We have low student to teacher ratios, and individualized attention with programs designed for each student.

- We place a high value on diversity, and on accommodating children who have needs requiring additional attention.

- Smarter Toddler prides itself with being a multicultural school with families from over 20 countries. This means that at a young age children learn to respect and appreciate people from all walks of life.

- It seems that every early childhood center says that they provide children with a warm, loving, fun environment that focuses on the educational and physical development of each child. At Smarter Toddler we go a step further. The caregivers, teachers and management believe that the Artistic, Cultural and Social development of each child is also essential.

- Children have opportunities to play and work with other children, make choices and encounter consequences, and negotiate social conflicts using appropriate language.

At Smarter Toddler we recognize and encourage the amazing potential children have to learn. The first thing you notice when you step inside Smarter Toddler is how colorful, warm and sunny everything is. The second thing you notice is happy, smiling children.

We offer hands on learning, using all senses to maximize the potential within each child. Parents love the bright, inviting musical spaces with Jazz or World Music playing on the speaker system and how everything is labeled to help encourage the love of reading. The 2 outdoor playgrounds nearby allow the children to do what they like to do best... play!

From the vintage toys, low height lounge chairs, and original artwork, everything has been carefully designed to make children feel like they are at home. We believe that the artistic, cultural, and social development of each child is integral to education. We are dedicated to providing a foundation that encourages each child’s lifelong love of learning through art and music.

"Smarter Toddler is THE BEST daycare anyone could find! Our son is so loved and cared for by his teachers and the rest of the staff at school. They all know him by name and greet him with smiles every day. It's such a wonderfully stimulating, colorful, warm and safe learning environment. Whether it's a sunny or rainy day, the kids are always engaged and having fun. Our son and his class have gone to book readings, painted in class, visited both Central Park and the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier...and the list goes on! We can't wait to introduce our next child to the Smarter Toddler family!"
- Deborah & Slavik Braginsky

"Smarter Toddler is an innovative and creative program. Sofia loves her teachers and has learned lots of new skills. We have experienced administration as being very responsive to the needs of children and families. As parents we feel grateful our child has a safe and caring environment to grow and learn."
- Iris Kaspi, Mother of Sofia

"We love Smarter Toddler because it's an inviting, educational, safe, and comfortable place and it offers a fun, accessible education for our son. The best part though is how much our son loves it. He adores his teachers, his friends, and has a blast on field trips, neighborhood walks, and with Music Together. Our experience has been better than we could have even hoped for."
- Julie & Patrick Large, Parents of Henry