Updated February 2021: The Dock Street Pre-K Center located at 25 Dock Street in DUMBO is the only stand-alone Pre-K center in District 13 offering free Universal Pre-K (UPK). The school has four classrooms with 18 students and two teachers in each classroom adding up to 72 students. Watch their virtual tour here.
School hours are 8.20 am to 2.40 pm with free breakfast and lunch in the classroom (nut-free school). Mats are provided to students for the daily 40 minutes of nap time in the classroom. The school has speech, occupational and physical therapists as well as a nurse on site. There is a movement and dance room which students use at least twice a week depending on the weather. Recess takes place every day at the nearby pirate ship playground in Brooklyn Bridge Park or as neighborhood walks as the school has no outdoor space. They have the Bilingual Birdies Second Language Program and all students are learning Spanish. There is no after school program on-site.
The center has hired two cluster teachers beyond the classroom teachers, one for Dance & Movement and one for Music & Drama. Every classroom has a STEM Lab and an ABC Mouse Program. Teachers teach mathematics using the Bank Street Pre-K Explore Building Blocks Math Program and the researched-based Pre-K interdisciplinary Units of Study written by the Division of Early Childhood Education as curriculum.
The center gives priority to students living in District 13. You can apply for your child born in 2017 for free universal Pre-K starting February 24th, 2021. More information here.
To find out more about free universal Pre-K programs and private options in local preschools, download our exclusive preschool guide.
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