Private Preschool in NYC with 3K Program and Pre K in Manhattan

A Nurturing Private Preschool Experience in Manhattan

Welcome to our private Preschool in New York City, where children in Nursery (3K) and Reception (Pre-K) begin their early years journey in a calm, inspiring setting in Manhattan.

Nestled along the East River on East 23rd Street, the British International School of New York offers a light-filled campus where children aged 2 to 5 build confidence, independence, and a love of learning from their very first day of school.

Our riverfront home in Kips Bay provides a peaceful environment for Preschool education while keeping families connected to the energy and culture of the city. Purpose-built Early Years classrooms are bright, colourful, and designed for exploration, with direct access to a private outdoor playground overlooking the water.

From the moment families walk through our doors, they discover a warm and welcoming community where every child is known, supported, and excited to learn.

Early childhood is a unique and important stage of development. Across our Nursery (3K) and Reception (Pre-K) programme, we celebrate what makes these years special:

Curiosity and play
Movement and imagination
Exploration and discovery
Growing independence
Joyful learning

Within our nurturing Preschool environment, children develop creativity, confidence, and the essential foundations for lifelong learning.

What Makes Our Preschool Unique?

Families choose the British International School of New York because our Preschool programme, spanning Nursery (3K) and Reception (Pre-K), offers a thoughtful balance of academic purpose, structured exploration, and exceptional emotional care.

Across both stages, children develop essential foundations in:

Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

Each day is carefully designed so children build the skills needed for future learning while still enjoying the freedom to explore their own interests. Our small, close-knit environment ensures every child is truly known, seen, and supported.

Teachers balance guided, adult-led experiences with rich opportunities for imaginative, child-initiated play, helping children feel secure, capable, and inspired.

Our Preschool, from 3K through Pre-K, is guided by the English Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), a respected framework centred on learning through play, relationships, language, and discovery. At BIS-NY, EYFS is enriched by the inquiry-based philosophy of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP).

For New York City families, this means an internationally recognised pathway that supports a confident transition into Primary school and beyond. Many parents value the opportunity to continue at BIS-NY after Pre-K, providing continuity and stability throughout their child’s education.

Learning happens everywhere

Bright, natural-light classrooms
Small-group spaces for focused learning
Private outdoor playground
Inspiring riverfront environments

Children move, question, investigate, speak, listen, and create every day, supported by specialist teachers in music, art, swimming, French, Spanish, and physical education.

Why choose BIS-NY's Preschool in NYC?

Purposeful & Playful Learning

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, blending child-led play with purposeful, structured activities.

Learning is thoughtfully planned across seven core areas, including literacy, mathematics, expressive arts, and understanding the world, supporting confident early development.

Specialist Teaching Every Week

Our youngest learners benefit from weekly lessons with specialist teachers.

Children enjoy learning with experts in French, Spanish, Music, Art, Drama, P.E., and on-site swimming, making each week engaging, varied, and developmentally rich.

Outdoor Adventures and Exploration

Children enjoy daily outdoor play on our private riverfront and urban garden.

Our Outdoor Exploration programme supports independence, creativity, and a growing respect for the natural environment, encouraging exploration in every season beyond the school grounds.

Wellbeing, Safety, and the Culture of Care

A child’s sense of safety and belonging is the foundation of learning. At BIS-NY, wellbeing is not a separate programme. It is part of every interaction, routine, and space a child experiences.

Our Culture of Care helps children feel safe to be themselves, safe to speak, and safe to grow. From the earliest years, students are encouraged to reflect on their feelings and experiences, building self-awareness and personal growth in age-appropriate ways.

Support in Early Years

Children are guided by teachers with a deep understanding of child development. Learning environments are warm, predictable, and designed to help young learners feel secure.

Small class sizes that allow individual attention
Strong student-teacher ratios so each child is truly known
Consistent routines that support emotional wellbeing

Safeguarding and partnership with families

Families can feel confident in a safeguarding framework aligned with international standards.

Ongoing staff training
Pastoral care embedded in daily practice
Open communication between school and home

This ensures that any concerns are addressed quickly and collaboratively.

Spaces designed for wellbeing

For young children, wellbeing also means having room to move, imagine, experiment, and rest.

Purpose-built Early Years enabling environments
Easy transitions between indoor and outdoor learning
Enabling environments are tailored to individual needs with sensory play and hands-on materials that encourage cooperation, resilience and independence

When families choose BIS-NY, they choose a school where children are supported socially and emotionally, as well as academically. This caring environment helps our youngest learners thrive from their very first days.

Our Manhattan Campus, a Preschool NYC Families Choose

Located at 20 Waterside Plaza in Kips Bay, BIS-NY offers a warm, inviting environment. The campus blends the calm of a secure waterfront setting with the energy of being just steps from the cultural heart of Manhattan.

Families from Gramercy Park, Murray Hill, Stuyvesant Town, the East Village, and across the river in Long Island City and Greenpoint choose BIS-NY because it is easy to reach while offering a peaceful environment rarely found in the city.

The Early Years environments includes:

Light-filled classrooms with views of the East River
A dedicated Early Years playground directly connected to the classroom floor, giving children exclusive access to the riverfront for outdoor play twice each day
Spaces designed for sensory play, exploratory activities, and quiet reflection
Access to shared school facilities, including the swimming pool, music rooms, art studios, libraries, and the gymnasium

Materials and activities are actively explored by children under the guidance of their teachers. This approach supports curiosity and understanding within a caring, structured framework.

Outdoor learning is a central part of life at BIS-NY. In addition to daily playground time, children explore the Urban Garden and take part in growing Forest School experiences, where nature becomes a setting for confidence, cooperation, and discovery.

The result is a setting that feels cosy yet expansive, offering young learners comfort while encouraging exploration and a love of learning.

Two Stages of Our NYC Preschool: Nursery (3K) and Reception (Pre K)

Nursery (3K, ages 2 to 4)

Our Nursery, also known as 3K, is often a child’s very first school experience. At the British International School of New York, we make this transition joyful, reassuring, and engaging, helping families searching for a trusted 3K school in New York City feel confident from the very beginning.

As one of the leading 3K programmes in NYC, we understand how children at this age learn best through movement, imitation, exploration, and play. Each day is carefully designed to nurture:

Independence and self-confidence
Communication and early language
Collaboration with peers
Early problem-solving through hands-on activities2

Children actively engage with a wide range of materials that encourage curiosity, discovery, and essential developmental growth.

Learning experiences in our 3K programme in NYC include:

Sensory exploration and imaginative play
Early mark-making and creative expression
Music and storytelling
Outdoor adventures
Small-group moments introducing early numeracy and literacy in natural, playful ways

Within our warm Preschool environment, children learn to express themselves, share ideas, and build meaningful friendships.

Our 3K school in NYC also establishes comforting routines that help children feel secure and confident in their surroundings:

Morning welcomes and circle time
Snack time and cooperative play
Rest moments and outdoor exploration
Swimming lessons
Specialist art and music instruction

These daily rhythms create predictability, support emotional wellbeing, and allow children to thrive.

Additionally, phonics starts in Nursery with phonological awareness, Phase 1 of our Phonics Programme.

Above all, Nursery at BIS-NY is a place where children feel safe to try, safe to explore, and safe to grow.

Reception (Pre K, ages 4 to 5)

Reception, also known as Pre-K, builds on the foundations established in Nursery and brings greater structure, challenge, and purpose to each day. At British International School of New York, families looking for an exceptional Pre-K school in New York City find a programme that balances academic growth with strong emotional support.

As one of the most distinctive Pre-K programs in NYC, children will:

Expand early literacy and mathematics skills including daily phonics tuition
Deepen inquiry-based learning
Grow in independence, concentration, and confidence

Teachers guide students through more advanced experiences while keeping learning engaging and age appropriate. Children continue their phonics journey, enjoy early reading and writing, story-building, vocabulary development, simple mathematical reasoning and collaborative investigations.

Learning remains active, creative, and hands-on, with a clear progression that prepares students for a confident transition into Primary School and the expectations of the years ahead.

Students also benefit from the full range of BIS-NY facilities and specialist teaching, including:

Swimming lessons
Specialist art and music instruction
Enriched outdoor learning opportunities

It is a year of remarkable growth. Children leave Pre-K as capable, independent learners, ready for Primary School and motivated by a genuine love of learning.

Life at BIS-NY for Young Children

Physical Health, Outdoor Learning & Forest School

Time outdoors is not an extra at BIS-NY; it is an essential part of who we are.

Our students benefit from daily access to our riverfront playground, regular use of our Urban Garden, and participation in Forest School experiences where children build independence, problem-solving abilities, and a deep respect for the natural world.

Outdoor exploration helps children:

Develop physical confidence through movement and freedom
Experience changing seasons and weather firsthand
Strengthen creativity, imagination, and teamwork
Build resilience by navigating new environments

Whatever the weather, our youngest learners are encouraged to step outside, breathe deeply, and grow.

A Day in the Early Years

Our days follow a predictable rhythm that helps children feel secure while leaving room for curiosity and discovery.

A typical day includes:

08:15 - Soft start
08:45 - Morning meeting
09:00 - Learning sessions
10:05 - Snack and outdoor play, followed by specialist learning
11:45 - Lunch
12:15 - Outdoor play and afternoon lessons
15:15 - Home time

We are also pleased to offer an After School Club until 5:30pm, providing flexibility and convenience for families.

More about our Preschool

Delving Deeper: The 7 areas of learning

We follow the Early Years Foundation Framework, a program which focuses on developing 7 core learning areas through age-appropriate exploration.

The 7 areas of learning are explored daily through dynamic and engaging projects which offer children opportunities to explore areas of interest around their units of study.

BIS-NY Bees also enjoy Outdoor Education and specialist teaching in French, Spanish, Art, Drama, Music, Dance and P.E (including on-site swimming).

What are the 7 areas of learning?

Communication and language
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive art and design

A strong partnership with families

Family involvement is central to our school community. We value:

Open communication between parents and teachers
Strong relationships that support healthy development
Programs that honor each child’s interests and strengths

Every child is supported to feel seen, respected, and encouraged.

Tuition

For the 2025/2026 school year our fees are as follows:

Nursery 3s Program – $44,250
Birthdays between 1 Sep 2021 & 31st Dec 2022

Reception (Pre-K 4s) – $49,500
Birthdays between 1st Sep 2020 – 31st Aug 2021

Application Process

Please check our Application Process page or contact us directly here.

Extracurricular Activities

Students at BIS-NY enjoy a wide range of extracurricular activities, including competitive sports, creative clubs, and after-school programs that support personal growth and teamwork.

School Choir

Chess

Basketball

Swimming

Track & field

Soccer

Early Years Services

Join Our Early Years Community!

Schedule a personal tour or inquire today to learn more about Nursery and Reception at The British International School of New York.