“When I walk out the door after dropping my girls off each morning, it never even occurs to me to worry about them because I know they are cared for so well. This is a wonderful preschool on the beautiful campus of Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, not far off Route 9 East. My children have attended the school as three year olds and this year as four year olds. The teachers are terrific and work as partners with families, and the Child Study Center is bright, clean and cheery with a big fenced in playground with nice equipment. I am very impressed with the curriculum and quality of the education; my children ask to go to school even on weekends. Arts and crafts, cooking and reading are woven into the curriculum weekly. Weather permitting, outdoor activities are part of the school day: the classes walk to a duck pond on campus, go for nature walks in the woods, and visit the college’s library. There are outdoor activities every day, except when it rains or the weather is just too cold, and then the children can be taken to the college’s gym to play which is a great alternative that not every school can offer. At certain times of the school day the three year old class has the opportunity to interact with the four year old class which is very nice.
The setting is very secure – no one can drive on to the Pine Manor campus unless they have a reason to be on the campus – everyone needs to stop at the security gate. The CSC has a key card access system – parents are given a key, other visitors need to ring a doorbell. There is an alarm the sounds if doors to the outside are open for more than a certain amount of time, alerting the staff.
The school is a lab school affiliated with Pine Manor’s Early Childhood Education Program. In addition to the classroom teachers, students from the college’s Education program interact with the children making the student-teacher ratio quite high at times! The school is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). There are extended day options available as well.
This is a true hidden gem – most people come to the CSC by word of mouth. Families are from many different towns including Boston, Brookline, Newton, Jamaica Plain, and Wellesley. The families make up a really nice and warm community. It is a great place and well worth a visit as you are researching preschools!”
Liz Cary Blum
“I can’t even say enough fabulous things about Pine Manor. The most flattering moment, however, was this—after the first day of school my daughter asked me if she could hug the school when we left. I said sure and she ran over and hugged the actual building!”
Lara Farone
“We found out about the Child Study Center at Pine Manor College quite by accident and I now call it the best kept secret in preschools. This is the second year of attendance for our daughter who will start kindergarten in Sept 2010. The facility is a lovely big house on the picturesque campus of Pine Manor College and the rooms are bright and airy with the nooks and spaces that kids love; recent renovations added a wonderful “treehouse” playground structure and classroom improvements. The resources of the college are available including work/study students helping in classrooms, the college gym for music and dance programs, and the country campus setting for frequent nature walks. The staff have been here for a long time and our daughter feels loved and cared for. The Child Study Center is an unhurried place where kids explore and learn and where parents are active in supporting classroom initiatives, chaperoning field trips, and staying connected outside the classroom. It doesn’t get much better than this and our daughter loves it here!”
Susan Silberberg-Robinson
“We send our 3 year old to PMC study center and LOVE it. Great facility, great space -indoor and outdoor. I am always impressed at the new and exciting games, artwork, books, Puddle Stompers, music and gymnastics. The diversity amongst the staff AND students is a big plus as well. We couldn’t be happier with our choice in this preschool.”
Megan Bonnevie
“The Child Study Center at Pine Manor College is amazing. My son attends school there as a 3 year old and will be there again next year. My 1 year old daughter does not want to leave when we drop him off in the morning! She’ll be a future student. The teachers at the Child Study Center make this school a great place; they are kind, intelligent, focused and fair. The teachers work so hard to balance free fun time and structured learning; they blend this beautifully. They care about their jobs as early educators as well as about our kids as early learners! The facility is clean, organized and homey. The outdoor place space rivals any park in the area with swing sets, slides, a huge sandbox, tricycles and toys. Also, on rainy days the kids have access to the gymnasium for indoor fun. The Child Study Center offers a monthly program called Puddle Stompers which is a nature based program that comes onsite to explore the outdoors with the kids; they learn about insects, birds, hybernation and more. There is also a monthly music show that comes onsite that the kids looks forward to. Parents are welcomed at any time to be part of the school and their activities whether it is dropping in at any time or volunteering with a craft, reading a story or sharing a tradition; it is a very warm environment. Overall, I am so happy that we chose this school; my son is thriving and enjoys it every day.”
Jeannine S.
