Pre-K Center At Bishop Ford School Site

Every day at the Pre-K Center at Bishop Ford (also called K-280), three- and four-year-olds don their outerwear, pick up their journals and venture into the world. On these "journeys," as their daily walks and field trips are called, they make snow angels, examine icicles, observe seasonal changes in trees or ponder construction signs that say "danger."

Opened in 2014 as a freestanding pre-kindergarten center, at first overseen by nearby PS 10, K-280 has a clear vision. It draws inspiration from the innovative Reggio-Emilia approach, which encourages kids to ask questions, explore, and express themselves through art, drama, music, writing, music and in other ways.

PS 10's principal Laura Scott and one of her retired pre-k teachers, Marlene Ross, shaped the vision of the center, putting in place a joyful, inquiry-based approach. Ross helped hire teachers who were open to what she calls "spontaneous learning," and trained and mentored them. She has a passion for this approach, which calls upon teachers to listen carefully to children's questions, and tap into their curiosities, and then to follow up with questions and activities that will deepen and extend learning. The center is now under the direction of Barrett Braithwaite, former assistant principal of PS 10.

The school serves roughly 400 kids in 21 classrooms. Parents are frequent classroom volunteers. They formed an active PTA in the first year, raised $10,000 for air-conditioners and light tables, and lobbied successfully to get an extra crossing guard outside the building where lumbering trucks merge onto the Prospect Expressway uncomfortably close to the school's entrance. The city quickly put in place lights and an official crosswalk.

A downside: The sturdy old building has gray high school lockers and no in-class bathrooms for young children, who have to walk (inside) the equivalent of a city block with an adult to use them. There is an outdoor area reserved for the smaller children. Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter and MS 442 also share the building. 

Admissions: Lottery. Priority to district 15 families. (Lydie Raschka, May 2015; principal update, 2024)