The Little Brooklyn Pre-K Center at 4222 4th Avenue

Opened in 2015, The Little Brooklyn Pre-K Center has three classrooms in a building shared with PS 516. (The pre-k center is separate from PS 516's own three pre-k classrooms.) Trips and activities are important here: children take frequent nature and neighborhood walks; they study Hermit crabs, grow lima beans and make their own recycling containers out of boxes and paint.

Families are welcome. Parents are invited to participate in a monthly activity at the center, share a book or teach a lesson based on their interest or expertise. They may drop off children as early as 7:50 am.

There is no dedicated playground. Instead, children take walks to a nearby public park or use an open, unused parking lot, alternating with children at PS 516.

The four Little Brooklyn Pre-K Centers (two in Sunset Park, one in Gowanus, one in Park Slope) are supervised by District 15's Director of Early Childhood, Maria Interlandi. A long-time Brooklyn educator and former assistant principal of PS 94, Interlandi takes inspiration from K-280, at the Bishop Ford School site in Windsor Terrace, which has a popular inquiry-based approach.

Pre-K centers are run by the Department of Education. There are more than 70 pre-k centers throughout the city, in schools and community centers.

ADMISSIONS: Visit The Little Brooklyn Pre-K Center website and Facebook page for more information. (Lydie Raschka, phone interview, November 2016)