Firststep NYC

Founded in 2013, FirstStepNYC is a great choice for Brownsville families. It receives high marks in all areas on the city’s pre-k Quality Snapshot, and is featured in our “What to look for in a pre-kindergarten program” video.

Warm and supportive teachers use every opportunity to help kids learn.  In the video, a child can be seen clicking blocks together to make a sequence from 1-10 with a teacher’s assistance. Two girls examine a hermit crab and the teacher holds it up so they can see the hermit crab’s “antennae,” and describes the job of the antennae. In the block corner, a teacher uses words such as “construction” and “ramp” to boost a child’s vocabulary.

The head teacher reads a book aloud in a strong, appealing voice as kids sit on a rug fully engaged in the story. Teachers use songs and chants to help kids move safely from one activity to another.

The classrooms, housed inside PS/IS 41, are tidy and attractive, with big windows, and kid-sized bathrooms connecting two classrooms. Recess takes place in a lovely courtyard right outside the door stocked with tricycles, balls, wagons and other equipment designed to strengthen a child’s muscles and coordination.

ADMISSIONS: Priority given to siblings of children already enrolled in PS/IS 41, and children and siblings of students currently enrolled in an SCO program. (Lydie Raschka, web reports, video, school data, January 2018)