Operation

The Nest’s hours of operation are 8:15am to 5pm.

The school operates on a year-round basis with the exception of breaks and holidays.  Dates for breaks and holidays are noted on the school calendar and generally follow the Atlanta Public School calendar. Families who do not need childcare during the summer months of June and July can opt for a 10-month schedule.

Our Classes

The Nest Nursery School has four classrooms, for the following age groups:

  • A class for infants (Yellow Room) ~ 8 children
  • A class for 1-year-old children (Green Room) ~ 12 children
  • A class for 2-year-old children (Orange Room) ~ 14 children
  • A multiage class for 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children (Blue Room) ~ 19 children

Children are assigned to classrooms based on their age at the beginning of the school year. The birthday cutoff for entry into classes is September 1. However, the school reserves the right to make class placement decisions based on the best interests of the individual child and the school.

Looping Policy

Because we believe strongly in the value of relationships, we try to move children between classrooms in a process called “looping,” in which a group of children and educators remain together for two or more consecutive years. We aim to have each class transition to the next age group together at the beginning of each school year. Typically at least one teacher from each class will move up with children in order to maintain the strong relationships that have formed the previous school year.

Flow of the Day

Working with young children involves honoring routines. Young children learn through reinforcement and consistency, so daily life and all the tasks involved are just as important as special experiences.

Through routines, children learn how to contribute to their community, work alongside others, and take care of their environment. Our Flow of the Day outlines the order of our routines on a given day. Of course, there are times when this flow is altered, but this is the schedule the children will learn to expect, providing a sense of security.

Yellow Room (Infants) Orange Room (2-3 year olds)
8:15 Drop Off 8:15 Drop Off
9:00 Morning Nap 9:00 Outside Time
10:00 Morning Snack & Diapers 9:45 Morning Snack
10:30 Small Group Work 10:15 Pottying / Diapers
11:15 Outside Time 10:30 Small Group Work
11:45 Lunch 11:45 Lunch
12:15 Diapers 12:15 Pottying / Diapers
1:00 Afternoon Nap 1:00 Nap
3:00 Diapers 3:00 Pottying / Diapers
3:30 Afternoon Snack 3:30 Afternoon Snack
4:00 Evening Nap (if needed) 4:00 Outside Time
5:00 Pick Up 5:00 Pick Up

Planning for Experiences

Teachers provide planning sheets for the week, documenting the topics coming up in the classroom and the experiences they will set up to further the children’s research. Below you will see examples of planning sheets.

Downloads (PDFs)

Classroom Experiences

The Nest uses a platform for communication called Storypark. On this platform, teachers are able to share snippets of the day for families to see, as well as contact them individually. Below you will see some examples of stories which were shared by teachers.

Downloads (PDFs)