We have had the best experience with Cambridge Nursery School. We have sent both of our children to CNS - my daughter and son each started at CNS when they were almost 3 (one two years before the other). Over the last 3+, we have had the best experience at CNS. The teachers are incredibly kind, the facility is adorable, and the community is warm and loving. I couldn't have imagined a better preschool experience for our family. Our kids are lovingly cared for, we have made incredible friends, and we are thrilled to be a part of this community. CNS is the best! read more

This preschool is magic. The minute I turned off Avon Hill street and entered the gate, I was immediately captured by this school's charm. And it's not because the building is new or the toys are state of the art. The school, the staff and the community feel comfortable, authentic and genuine. It's exactly what I was hoping to find for my child's preschool experience. We have been thrilled by our experience here. The staff is incredible. They are super attentive to each individual students' needs and they work hard to make sure everyone feels safe, comfortable and nurtured. Every day my daughter reports with enthusiasm about Yoga with Katie, a special pumpkin project, music with Mr. Phil, constructing outside, or a new song that she starts belting out. Though there is just the right amount of structure and routine to the day, no two days are the same. Not only is my daughter making friends, but our entire family is gaining a community. The returning families and the school's staff make a tremendous effort to foster community. What a difference it makes at pick up and drop off when everyone knows not only each other's kids and parents, but also each others' providers, little siblings, grandparents and dogs. I cannot recommend this amazing neighborhood co-op highly enough. As you think about preschool for your child in Cambridge, schedule a tour and come check this place out. read more

We are so lucky to have found Cambridge Nursery School. We were nervous that our child wasn't quite yet ready for school and it has been absolutely beautiful watching him really thrive in this warm, loving, engaging environment. Where do I even begin? The teachers are absolutely amazing and he talks about them constantly at home. They all seem to have a sixth sense about what the kids need. For example: On mornings when our kid seems to be having a little bit more difficulty saying goodbye, one of them inevitably notices and comes over to us to help with the transition: Whether that's taking him to a window to wave bye, or reading a book with him, or whatever it is that he seems to need that morning. As another example: Our kid gets really nervous around other children, which is one reason we weren't sure if he was ready yet for preschool. The teachers have gently suggested activities for him with other kids, on days when it seems like he's in the mood for it, while leaving him to play on his own whenever that's what he needs. As a result - he has slowly started to warm up to some of the other kids, and has not been stressed at all about it. The curriculum is exactly what a preschool should be. The kids are free to play and explore and the teachers follow the kids' interests when designing class projects. As a result our kid absolutely loves school: It's stimulating and fun. But there's still just enough structure that I feel confident our kid will be ready for grade school when he gets there. But the thing that really makes CNS special is the parent co-op structure. We're a family of 2 working adults and I was worried it would be difficult for us to make this work. But it has been an absolute joy and blessing to be able to be a part of our kid's classroom, and I have treasured the extra time I get to spend with him. But it also helps us to see what his school days are like. For example, when he comes home saying he wants to "do the numbers" and then is upset because we don't have pipe cleaners, I know exactly what he's talking about. I've heard from the teachers that it helps them too - when they see how parents interact with their kids it gives another layer of insight into the kid. Overall the parent co-op structure helps teachers and parents work more smoothly in tandem to support each kid in exactly the way they need. I really can not recommend Cambridge Nursery School enough. It has been the perfect school for our kid and our family and I am so grateful that this institution exists. There really is nothing else like it. read more

CNS is the epitome of play-based early education and we cannot imagine a more warm or nurturing first school experience for our two children. The main factors that set CNS apart for us are the physical space, curriculum, staff and community. The school is housed in a recently renovated, architect-designed schoolhouse with an enormous outdoor yard. The spacious interior is warm, inviting and flooded with natural light. In addition to shelf upon shelf of toys and arts/crafts materials, it houses a library, oversized sand table and climbing loft. Outside, a play structure, tree fort, pretend kitchen and huge sandbox provide for hours of daily entertainment. The schools commitment to play based, child-centric learning is absolute. While there is a structure to the day and objectives for learning, the kids drive what happens at CNS. The teachers respond directly to their interests and incorporate them into the most incredible activities. Imaginary rockets are launched, cardboard boxes are turned into a network of tunnels and houses, canals are dug in the sand, dinosaurs are chased through the schoolyard, paints are mixed and splattered, flowers are searched for on neighborhood walks... The teachers are truly the heart of the school. They bring decades of experience and multiple masters degrees between them and all of them have been at the school for many years or decades. Their skill at handling conflict, big feelings and behavioral challenges is nothing short of miraculous. Our son's social and emotional development flourished under their care and our family did too. CNS is not just a home for our kids, but for our entire family. Becoming part of a co-op gave us (major) pause, but the commitment has been a much lighter lift than expected and the benefits unexpectedly huge. We cherish this short window of time where we can have such an intimate role in our kids educations. We've also met so many wonderful families and could not appreciate the benefits of having a community of parents in the trenches of early parenthood with us! We can almost always count on seeing a CNS family at Raymond Park. In addition there are many wonderful low key events at the school including a monthly "Pizza Friday & Movie Night", rainy day weekend playdates and of course all the birthday parties (you can host yours at CNS!). Our oldest is now in elementary and thriving. Our youngest just started at CNS and we are looking forward to two more years there. We cannot say enough good things about the school and how transformative the experience has been for not just our kids, but our entire family. read more

Our daughter attends Cambridge Nursery School and we absolutely adore it. The staff is very experienced, long tenure, and caring. The building itself is nestled into a dead end, making the space safe and lovely. There is fantastic outdoor space, this was a Huge benefit for us that the school has such amazing outdoor space without going anywhere, very safe. The school community has been overwhelmingly welcoming. When we drop off our 3 yo our 1 yo comes and everyone is so kind to her, knows her name, includes her. We can't wait for our youngest to attend too. Our daughter is learning so much, is strong verbally and emotionally. We feel truly lucky to have found CNS. read more

Cambridge Nursery School - Photo of the annual Halloween block party, our littles were Dino's and the whole community was there! It was excellent. - Preschools Near Me - Cambridge, Massachusetts

A dedicated and caring staff that is attuned to the individual needs of children, allowing them to grow and thrive

We couldn't be happier with CNS! The teachers are fantastic, and our daughter is thriving. Love the parent community, too. Feels like a quintessentially idyllic early years environment where everyone cares so much about the kids. 10/10 recommend. read more

CNS has been an instrumental part of our lives for the past four years. My son and daughter each attended for two years. Play based, outdoor exploration every day, cooperative model allowing us to participate in our children's first school experience. We have developed lasting friendships with staff and families. Couldn't recommend more highly for a wholesome, child and family, community centered preschool experience! Mother to A age 6 and M age 4 read more

CNS has been a wonderful experience for our whole family. It is so clear that our 3 year old daughter is known and appreciated there. She loves CNS and has been enriched by the play-based environment they provide. The teachers are nurturing, playful, dedicated, insightful, and knowledgeable. They really see the kids and meet them where they are. Our daughter clearly feels so safe and cared for there. It is also a delight to parent help alongside the teachers and watch their expertise in action. I have learned so much! CNS has a predictable and developmentally appropriate schedule for the kids. I love seeing what creative and exciting choices greet the children each morning from sensory play, art, fine motor and gross motor activities, dramatic play, blocks, etc. Children also benefit from weekly music and yoga classes. Our daughter enjoys teaching us songs, yoga poses, and mindfulness techniques at home. We are all benefitting! The teachers also bring exciting themes into the classroom based on child-led interests and questions such as dinosaurs, the ocean, and the body. These themes are seamlessly woven into the classroom throughout the day and help inform choice-time activities, read-alouds, small group activities, songs, group projects, and even yoga poses! We can't recommend CNS enough and are looking forward to another year! read more

We recently moved back to Cambridge and were incredibly lucky to find a space at CNS for our 4 year old. The school is exactly what everyone hopes their child will get to experience--small, intimate, warm, safe, nurturing, and full of wonder. I love that the new building feels like a house but is perfectly designed for small children. Tucked away on a hill at the end of a quiet dead end street, with a large outdoor play area, it's a perfect sanctuary for kids in the middle of the city. Since the school operates as a co-op, I have the opportunity to help in my daughter's classroom approximately once a month, which has allowed me to get to know her classmates and teachers so much better and observe all the friendships developing at the school. I am consistently amazed by the thoughtful and gentle ways that the teachers find to help the children navigate their emotions and the complex social interactions with peers and adults. My daughter has learned so much about kindness and being part of a community and her love of art and music and imaginative play has exploded over the course of this year. She also loves the yoga they do and is always practicing her poses at home which is adorable! CNS is such a wonderful mix of the perfect space, wonderful people, and amazing curriculum. I would definitely recommend that anyone looking for a preschool call to schedule a tour or attend one of their open houses. You may just fall in love with the school like we did. read more

It was an absolute joy sending our son to Cambridge Nursery School. By happy coincidence, it was the closest preschool in our neighborhood, but it also turned out to be the best choice for our son among the schools we visited. CNS fulfilled our most important criteria for a preschool: caring, experienced, intelligent and thoughtful educators. This was immediately apparent when we met Janet (program director), as well as the teachers. Initially, we weren't sure if three years old would be too young to start our son in a preschool program. One of us is a stay-at-home parent, so we didn't have daycare needs. For us to start him in a pre-school program at an early age, we felt the school would have to provide enrichment beyond what we could provide at home. However, we wanted a program that was play-based, where he could still be a kid and enjoy happy hours playing outside, exploring nature, making arts and crafts, and learning how to interact with other children without any academic pressures or structured expectations. As first-time parents of a very sensitive son, we also had some anxiety about him leaving the home environment for the first time. However, the experience of the CNS staff quickly put us at ease and we felt complete trust with our son in their care. The staff at CNS complies with the highest standards of early childhood care and we knew that they had proper protocols in place to deal with any situation. As a parent-teacher cooperative, CNS also allowed us to be more involved with our child's education. Having seen how quickly his two years at CNS flew by, we are so grateful that CNS's collaborative nature gave us the additional time with our son. Yes, this required some additional work, but it was a pleasure volunteering in the classrooms and helping with projects around the school. It fosters a great sense of community and allows your child to see the importance of hard work and being a contributive member of society. CNS is housed in a very cozy, but bright and updated, building that functions almost like a one-room schoolhouse. It sits tucked away in the beautiful Avon Hill neighborhood and has amazing longevity, and a progressive history, as the oldest (female-founded) cooperative preschool in the country. All of this is impressive and charming, but it should be stated that the entire staff of CNS is devoid of pretension. You will not find a more down-to-earth, welcoming group of people. Your children's days willl be filled with many smiles and laughter, but on the days when they act out (as any preschool child will do) the staff will be firm, yet nurturing, and will expertly guide them and provide constructive advice when solicited. The staff certainly helped us through many trying times! Now that our son has graduated from CNS, we can say that our expectations were not only met, but were far exceeded. The only problem with being part of such a wonderful community is moving on. We have so many special memories: walking our son to and from school throughout the seasons, chatting with the teachers about our daily lives, getting to know other parents at pot-luck dinners and school work days. We are forever grateful that our son's early school years were spent in a place that was so idyllic and special and that we got to experience some of the innocence of childhood again, through his eyes. It's not surprising that many neighbors and friends who have sent their children there (or have attended themselves!) have nothing but the highest, fondest praise for Cambridge Nursery School. We could not imagine a better preschool and will always have dear, happy memories of the little house on the hill! read more

When your child attends CNS, your family will gain a community. It is a parent co-op so each family holds a job that supports the school. In addition, each family is scheduled to parent help during the regular school day 4 or 5 times per semester. The commitment is truly minimal compared with the gains! The teachers are top notch. I am on my second kid going to CNS and I have learned so much from these loving and experienced professionals. The core program runs from 9-12, 5 days a week. At first I was nervous when my first child attended - I wasn't sure he was ready for five whole days. However, the routine of it was great for our family and I quickly expanded his day until 1:00 to include lunch. There are also early morning and extended day options. In all, I cannot say enough about how amazing CNS has been for our entire family. We have made great friends and have been well supported as we navigate parenting young children. read more

Cambridge Nursery School has been so wonderful for our family. We chose CNS because we wanted a preschool program for our daughter that would be a gentle transition to kindergarten, where she could develop relationships with teachers and peers in a caring, play-oriented environment. She entered the pre-K Butterfly class as a somewhat hesitant four-year-old, and although most of her classmates had already been together for a year in the younger Caterpillar class, it was no time before she was happily participating as if she'd always known them. That's a testament to the teachers, who have such a solid handle on the social/emotional development for this age, and who do such a lovely job of guiding the class. CNS has given our daughter everything we wanted, and more: outside time every day, tons of play time with peers, music and yoga instruction, and a loving, supportive first school environment. In the past five months she has absolutely blossomed. We are so grateful to the whole CNS community for welcoming us! read more

We love this school and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a respectful, child-led, play-based nursery school. The class sizes are small, and the learning environment is quite intimate and personal. The feedback that we get about our daughter has helped us tremendously with our own parenting and with choosing our next school for her. Over the years, friends of ours have sent their kids here - kids who are now adults and are still good friends with their classmates from Cambridge Nursery School. It's a wonderful community. read more

We enrolled our 4 year old daughter in the pre-K "Butterfly" class and she is positively thriving. The teachers and staff are excellent, communicative, and do a wonderful job of creating a nurturing environment where our child can grow and explore. The community is upbeat and engaged, and we truly enjoy being part of the CNS family. read more

Cambridge Nursery School is an exceptional place. It has provided a top-quality early education for my daughter and an incredible community for our entire family. Being involved with CNS has been among the most rewarding experiences I've had as a parent. Looking forward to sending my youngest daughter there, too! read more

I wish my daughter could stay 3 forever so she could always attend CNS! I am an educator and have visited more than 10 preschools in the last few years. CNS stands out as a thoughtful and loving place. My daughter's teachers were trained educators who were gifted at creating meaningful and creative curricula and managing kid dynamics positively - all the time. Teachers created a calm and nurturing environment, and got to know and appreciate my child quickly. I would consider having more kids just so I could send them to CNS! Well, OK, there is not quiet enough caffeine in the world for that. read more

CNS (Cambridge Nursery School) is both a fabulous nursery school and community. Our 10-year old's best friends are still the friends she made at CNS. We have had three children, all different from each other, attend CNS and each has had an amazing experience. The families have become our close friends. It is truly a magical place that allows children to learn through play and exploration in a beautiful and unique setting. We can't wait to send our baby in two years. read more

Cambridge Nursery School is such a special school to be a part of! Having worked with children in Canada, England, and Hong Kong, I felt fortunate to come across CNS when moving to Boston. The families are just amazing! They come together to form a real community -- the children benefit so much from having the school and family working hand in hand. Great school! read more

Sending our sons to CNS was our very best early parenting decision--for each of them, because they had their first school experiences, and made their first school friends, in this wonderful, safe, caring, and magical schoolhouse on the hill--and for us, because the CNS community was an amazing resource. Being a part of this cooperative community taught us so much about supporting our children's learning, and has given us the confidence to be active participants in our children's education as they move up in school. A truly warm and nurturing place. read more

This is an amazing nursery school. Our 4-year-old is in his second year there. He wakes up every day and asks when he is going to school. The staff is energetic, creative and completely in tune with the children. Since this is a parent coop, you get to know the other parents, which creates a wonderful sense of community. Children write stories together and then perform them. They regularly have visitors from Habitat, and music and yoga classes every week. We feel luck to have found this fantastic preschool! read more

Fantastic preschool in a brand new building (see pictures). Our son graduated last year and our daughter is currently attending. CNS offers a great program, the kids learn a lot while having fun and the staff is amazing! It is a parent cooperative school so families are very supportive of each other. read more