A Letter From Our Director
Welcome to Park Children’s Day School!
At PCDS, we are always looking ahead as we prepare children for a rigorous educational career and to become kind, thoughtful citizens in their communities. Although it is hard to imagine how the world will change in the years to come, we do know that in order to succeed, they will need more and different skills and abilities than have previous generations.
Those skills include problem solving, flexibility, critical thinking, resilience, adaptability, the ability to work collaboratively, and, perhaps most importantly, creativity. All of these are central to our philosophy and curriculum.
Through dozens of opportunities at school each day, in our classrooms, in our expansive gymnasium, or in our frequent excursions to experience nature in nearby Central Park, we organize the children’s cognitive, social, and physical development through experiences that open children’s minds and encourage creative problem solving. Underscoring it all is a commitment to play-based education that is at the heart of every activity and interaction. It’s also why our children love to come to school each day!
More than half of PCDS teachers have taught at our school for between 20 and 40 years. These transformational educators have changed the lives of hundreds of children in many demonstrable ways. To that end, the relationship between child and teacher lies at the center of our school’s approach.
Each day, we learn from our children, from the process of teaching, from play, and from the close, integral involvement of our vibrant and engaged parent community. And each day, a part of our school is born anew.
I look forward to welcoming you to our school.
Betsy Newell
Director, Park Children’s Day School
Betsy holds a Master’s degree from Merton College at Oxford University and a Bachelor’s degree from Smith College.
