University Plaza Nursery School

On Monday all three classrooms had their first “garden workshop” of the 2026 growing season at the . The Blue Room prepared the UPNS plot by pulling out weeds and spreading compost around it. They used shovels, buckets and rakes to make the plot just right for the Yellow and Orange Room to sow seeds. The Yellow and Orange Room first poked a hole in the soil using this special ruler. Then they sprinkled seeds in the holes and gave them a healthy drink of water. We will have more garden workshops in the upcoming weeks with farm manager Melissa. Thanks Melissa !

Orange Room children loved exploring shadow puppets after a performance of The Three Little Pigs, by the Ecuadorian shadow puppet troupe, Imagine Nation.

Loyan recently attended the World Forum Foundation, World Forum on Early Care and Education. The international conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Loyan spoke on a panel, enjoyed meeting Educators and change makers from around the world, and got a better perspective of Early Childhood education through a global lens.

Please enjoy this gallery of some of the crafts the children in the Afterschool Program made with Delmy during the Winter Semester. More crafts to come this Spring ! If interested in signing your child up, ask Ali for details. 🦄 🐘 🐲 🦁🐸🐙🐍🐞🐰

Huge thank you to Esha (Kid’s mom) ( ) for creating this most amazing rug for the Yellow Room cozy corner. Esha met with the children earlier in the school year for their ideas about pictorial elements they’d like the rug to have , and based on what the children told her, she designed such a sweet rug ! The first picture is the children making drawings for a thank you card for Esha, and the second picture is our new rug ! Check out for more beautiful rugs !

To kick off their new unit on transportation, the Blue Room children participated in a sensory art activity called car painting. This hands-on experience involves the children “driving” toy cars through paint to create unique, colorful tire tracks on their paper. 🚙🚗🚕

Superheroes of the Yellow Room ! 💛

What is something the UPNS teachers did during the snow day ?
1.) Loyan built a snowperson
2.) Ali took a snowy walk. She was amazed by the size of some of the snow drifts at the end of her block
3.) Jorgie shoveled snow with family
4.) Carrie played with her baby in the snow
5.) Natalie ventured out in the snow to the supermarket
6.) Usha sent pictures of the snowy world outside from inside her apartment building, all warm and cozy

On February 12th, the teachers of UPNS gathered on the steps of City Hall along with teachers and directors from other NYCEECs (New York City Early Education Centers)/ CBO (Community Based Organizations, as well as with politicians and Early Childhood Care Center owners from across 5 bureaus to fight for our rights as early childhood educators. The contract our schools have with the DOE is faulty. We have not had a COLA (cost of living adjustment) in 5 years and are we need pay parity NOW. Why are we not being paid the same for the same work as our counterparts in DOE buildings ?! Why don’t we get a city pension and city benefits ? Why does the city underfund our programs ? How can expand the 3-K/Pre-K program to include 2-K when these existing programs are not adequately funded ?! Please help to spread the word and contact your local representatives !

The Orange Room has been studying water.💧 Last week the children got to play outside in the snow almost everyday. ❄️ ⛄️ In the classroom, children made some ice cube paintings! So colorful!

At UPNS, we welcome parents into our classrooms to lead special activities and share their traditions. This past week, the Blue Room children were excited to welcome Caleb’s mom, Tara, who is a former concert violinist.

Tara demonstrated how to play the violin and performed a variety of music, ranging from classical pieces to children’s favorites like “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Five Green and Speckled Frogs.” The children enjoyed singing and dancing along to the performance. 🎻💙