Looking for Westchester County early childhood programs or school settings for your little learner? Macaroni KID recently had the pleasure of touring The Indy Lab in Elmsford and we've been so excited to share more about their offers! Local mom and speech-language pathologist, Frida Matute, started the school during the pandemic and it's become a family affair! We especially loved the play-based approach, as well as the amazing setting for gross motor development.
The Indy Lab’s Highlights:
- Nursery & Preschool drop-off program, an “exceptional level of quality” with a 4-star rating by Quality Stars of New York: Now enrolling for the 2023-2024 school year!
- Cooperative Preschool Program: a grown-up and me introduction to preschool otherwise known as “mini preschool” which improves the transition into a drop-off program. Now enrolling for September 2023.
- Playful Literacy: our afterschool class focused on teaching early literacy skills through a play-based, phonics approach with an early literacy specialist. Classes begin in September 2023! Visit our “class” page to register by the summer.
- The Indy Lab Camp: our 6-week, half-day summer camp program for kids ages 3 to 5 starts July 5th. A few spaces remain open! Check our website’s camp page for openings!
Frida shares more about how The Indy Lab got its start and the many directions it is going with our readers below.
The Indy Lab started in the middle of the pandemic. Frida Matute, a speech-language pathologist and mom of two young children (now ages 3 and 5), had launched The Indy Lab back in 2019 after seeing children struggle with reading early on in kindergarten. As a language and literacy specialist, she wanted to address the growing need of parents to understand why their children were having trouble with reading. She knew that while many of her parents were well-read, they did not know about the huge controversy regarding the right approach to teach children how to read that was backed by the science of reading. Her solution was an after school program called Playful Literacy that taught children essential reading skills through play with a focus on structured literacyskills, or a step-by-step phonics program, while providing information and resources to parents about structured literacy and its importance. Her program was widely successful and growing in many schools in New York City, but when the pandemic hit, she had to make changes. While she offered Playful Literacy as an online class, many families wanted her in-person approach. She pivoted again and began offering her class with a spin that included themes and STEM-based projects. She offered a sensory, experiential hands-on experience that her students loved. Her students were having fun while learning and called her class, “ABC school.” That is when the start of her now nursery and preschool program began.
After reaching over 200 customers all over the world online and in-person, she and her team started looking for space to make their vision of a nursery and preschool program a reality. With the vision of child-led experiential play at the center, The Indy Lab launched a preschool program within The Play Place facilities in the fall of 2021 in Elmsford, NY. Now, the preschool is licensed and recently achieved a 4-star rating from Quality Stars of New York. The Indy Lab also started a grown-up and me program called The Cooperative Preschool for children between the ages of 12 to 28 months that slowly introduces older tots to the drop-off nursery and preschool program. This “mini preschool” experience takes the stress of a drop-off program away as children naturally transition by getting to know the center, the teachers and their procedures with time. With this growth, The Indy Lab has also partnered with a range of national universities including Northwestern, NYU, Mercy as well as with experts in other fields of child development and medicine including psychology, occupational therapy and music to offer high-quality educational programming to families.
The Indy Lab is off to a fantastic start. They plan to launch a Playful Literacy Magazine in the fall of 2023 for children getting started with reading as well as Indy Lab memberships that include workshops, grown-up and me programming and prenatal classes that are both educational and movement-based. Memberships will have different tiers to suit a family’s needs best with little worry about missed sessions due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances. If you would like to learn more about The Indy Lab, an early educational center, please visit theindylab.com.
FAQs:
What is the difference between preschool and daycare?
Preschool is specifically designed to offer an educational program to your child’s early learning with teachers who have early childhood education degrees. At The Indy Lab, we use the term “Nursery” to describe our 2’s programs: Goldfish and Green Frogs. We use the term “Preschool” for our Red Birds, Purple Cats, and Brown Bears cohorts. We offer more scaffolded and complex lessons as children get older.
What is your schedule for each program?
- Nursery and Preschool: Parents can elect from attending 2 days, 3 days or 5 days of the week. Students attend for either a half-day from 9:30am - 12:15pm or a full day from 9:30am - 3:15pm. Before care begins at 8:00am and after care ends at 3:45pm. Parents can drop-in for before or after care as needed.
- Cooperative Preschool: Parents will be offered membership packages by September. Memberships will be tiered with options for attending 2 sessions per week or unlimited with other offers such as workshops and parent events. Check our website for more information over the summer on this new option!
- Playful Literacy: Classes begin in the fall on Mondays at 4:30pm
What is your tuition for the nursery and preschool?
Our school’s tuition is posted on our website. Please visit: theindylab.com and click on the “preschool” option to download our tuition page.
How do I set up a tour?
To set up a tour, please e-mail us at info@theindylab.com. If you are on our website, you can also complete an interest form on the preschool page which will prompt us to reach out to you to set up a tour.
How do I apply?
Please click on the “apply here” button on the nursery/preschool page on our website. From there, we will contact you to ask you more information about your child and begin the admissions process.
Is there a deposit to register for school?
Yes. We require a $500 deposit that is non-refundable to register for school after June 1, 2023. However, you can make changes to your enrollment up to two weeks after the start date.
What is your curriculum and schedule for the nursery and preschool?
For more information about our schedule and curriculum, please visit our website: https://www.theindylab.com/homeroomprogram and https://www.theindylab.com/curriculum.
