Welcome to REACH - Community Nursery School

Team Leader: Jill Hoefler (jch84@cornell.edu)

Site Supervisor: Shari Hubbert

Location: 309 Highland Road, Ithaca, NY 14850

The Community Nursery school is a nonprofit, nonsectarian cooperative preschool in Ithaca for children ages 3 to 5. CNS operates daily from 9AM-1PM; we are seeking tutors for any time frame during this period. Schedules can be split into smaller time blocks with 3 hours shifts like from 10AM-1PM ideal for the coordinators. The first priority would be to cover lunch bunch each day from 12PM-1PM. Another helpful time to have tutors would be from 10:30AM-11:30AM, as kids finish up eating and go to story time and then need help going outside.

CNS follows a daily schedule which allocates time for unstructured activities so there is an opportunity for the children to appreciate a routine and engage in free play during the day. The tutors would assist with teacher-led activities during circle time, story time, show and tell, and various crafts. The children get a chance to go outside when the weather is appropriate, or go to an indoor play room when it is not. Because the school is a cooperative, there is a parent in the classroom every day to help out the teachers. All the parents are involved in planning for the school and there is a true community spirit emitting from this cooperative effort which establishes a positive learning environment for the children.

This is a great place to choose for REACH because of its positive environment and the opportunity to directly influence young minds during initial development. The kids really enjoy having college kids around and love it when we read to them, push them on the swings, and help out with the craft of the day. The staff and the parents are also very appreciative of getting help with the little hands!