Schedules and hours
School holiday and snow day care
The days the public schools close and almost no employer does. Published in September for the whole year, so you can plan around them instead of discovering them.
The New York City school calendar contains a surprising number of days on which a school-age child has nowhere to be. Mid-winter recess, spring recess, professional development days, the days either side of a holiday — none of which correspond to anything in an adult's leave entitlement.
We run those days for school-age children at $95, from eight in the morning until six, and we publish the whole list in September so that families can plan leave around them in advance rather than scrambling three days out.
What a holiday day actually is
Longer, looser and much more outdoors than a school day. Children who have been sitting in classrooms all term do not need another timetable, and the single most useful thing we offer on these days is space and time.
Mornings in the yard where the weather allows, or walking to one of the two parks within reach. Afternoons quieter — building, drawing, cooking, board games, and being left alone when that is what somebody wants.
No coach, no trips out of the neighbourhood, no theme. A holiday programme built around a schedule of activities is a school day with a different name.
Snow days, honestly
Places open at half past six, first come, first served. There is no advance booking for a snow day because nobody knows until the night before, and no priority list — a priority list on a snow day is a way of making a promise you cannot keep.
Once the room is full, the answer is no. That is a genuinely unhelpful thing to hear at seven in the morning with a foot of snow outside, and it is better than the alternative, which is exceeding the number of children our permit allows on the premises.
Register in advance if a snow day is a realistic problem for you. A registered family can be given a yes or a no in one telephone call; an unregistered one cannot be helped at all.
Our permit caps how many children may be here at once. Our permit states the maximum number of children who may be on these premises at any moment the programme is operating, set by the Health Department from the space, the teaching staff and the certificate of occupancy. That number counts children present, not children enrolled — so an hourly child takes up a permitted place in exactly the way a full-time child does. This is the honest reason we cannot always say yes to a drop-in, and the reason to be sceptical of anybody in New York City advertising unlimited same-day availability. It is a legal ceiling, not a scheduling preference.
Included as standard
What is included
$95 a day, 8:00am to 6:00pm
Booked by the day for school-age children.
A calendar published each September
Every day the local public schools close, for the whole year ahead.
Mostly outdoors
The yard, and the two parks within walking distance. Children who have sat all term need space more than a timetable.
Breakfast, lunch and two snacks
Cooked here, as on any other day.
No coach and no trips out of the neighbourhood
A holiday programme built on a schedule of activities is a school day with a different name.
Mixed ages, split where it matters
The yard works mixed. Quiet time does not.
Snow-day places from 6:30am
First come, first served, with a straight no once full.
Free advance registration
Which is what makes a one-call yes or no possible on a snowy morning.
When to make an appointment
Signs this is worth an assessment
- Your employer's leave allowance does not match the school calendar.
- You want the dates in September so you can book leave against them.
- Your child has been in our pre-K room and you would rather they came back somewhere familiar.
- A snow day is a genuine problem in your household rather than an inconvenience.
- You want a holiday day that is mostly outside rather than a programme of activities.
- You have younger children here already and want everybody in one building.
Holiday care — what it costs
- Booked by the day for school-age children, from 8:00am to 6:00pm. Snow days are first come, first served from 6:30am, and we will say no once the room is full rather than squeeze.$95 / day
Every rate on this site is published in full on the tuition page, including the ones that make us look expensive. Meals, snacks, nappy changing, settling-in sessions and the whole curriculum are inside the weekly fee — there is no premium tier and no outside provider invoicing you separately for a music class. The two charges that are not in the weekly fee are registration, at $75 a year per family rather than per child, and late collection after 6:15pm at $1 a minute, which goes to the two members of staff who stayed. If your child is three or four, read the 3-K page before you read this one.
Questions we are actually asked
Holiday care — frequently asked
Which days do you run?
Every day the local public schools close and we do not — mid-winter and spring recess, professional development days, and the days around holidays. The full list is published each September for the year ahead so you can book leave against it.
How much is a holiday day?
$95 from 8:00am to 6:00pm, including breakfast, lunch and two snacks. It is booked by the day rather than as a block.
Can I book a snow day in advance?
No, because nobody knows until the night before. Places open at 6:30am on the day, first come first served, and once the room is full the answer is no. Being registered in advance is what makes a one-call answer possible.
Do you go on trips?
No coaches and nothing outside the neighbourhood. We use our own yard and the two parks within walking distance, with written permission and at ratio.
Is it the same staff as term time?
Diego runs these days, which means most of the children already know him from the pre-K room or from after-school hours. Keeping it small and familiar is deliberate.
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Before & after school
The two hours at each end of a school day that decide whether a parent can hold a full-time job.
$185 / week
Summer
Nine weeks of mostly being outside, in the yard and in the two parks within walking distance. No coach, no trips out of the neighbourhood.
$385 / week
Backup care
For the day your usual arrangement fails. Registered in advance, used when you need it, and honest about how often it is available.
$32 / hour
Outdoor play
Twice a day in almost all weather, in our own enclosed yard. The published exceptions are heat, ice, thunder and air quality.
IncludedTuesday and Thursday mornings, while the children are here
Come and see the room
A tour here happens during a session, in the room your child would actually be in, at the time of day they would be in it. You meet the person who leads that room rather than only the director, and you see the noise and the mess that are genuinely there. It takes an hour. If your child is three or four we will ask whether you have applied for free 3-K or Pre-K for All before we quote you a rate, because a good many families should not be paying us at all.