Nursery Day School

Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School

Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School (SPNDS)

Welcome to the Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School! We’ve been serving families and learning joy with the children of Swarthmore and nearby communities for 70 years. We offer a play-based preschool and kindergarten complement program centered on emergent curriculum. The programs run five mornings a week with an optional lunch bunch available. We also have a Play Pals program for our two-year-old friends that is a shorter morning and is the perfect introduction to the preschool setting.

SPNDS Art Show: Every Spring Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School celebrates the creativity of its students with an art show for families. Click in the link above to watch a video of one of our favorites.

2022 SPNDS Art Show: Every Spring Swarthmore Presbyterian Nursery Day School celebrates the creativity of its students with an Art show for families. Click in the link above to watch a video of one of our favorite shows from 2022.

View the 2025 – 2026 SPNDS Programs & Fee Schedule by clicking here.

View the 2025 – 2026 SPNDS Application by clicking here.

View the 2024 – 2025 SPNDS Calendar by clicking here.

Enrollment for the 2025-26 School Year

Enrollment opens January 21 for current or alumni families and February 3 for new families. Applications are available by clicking here.

SPNDS Admissions Policies and Procedures: to read important information about our Admissions Timeline for the 2025-2026 School Year, Admissions Policies, and Important Notes for our Kindergarten Complement Program, click on the button below.

SPNDS Admissions Policies & Procedures

Admissions Timeline for the 2025-2026 School Year:

December 2024 through January 2025 – tours for prospective families
January 4th – Open House for prospective families
January 17th – Applications will be available on our website and in the SPNDS office
January 21st – January 31st – Applications can be submitted by current and alumni families
February 3rd at 8:00 am – Applications can be submitted by new families
February and March – Contracts will be sent to admitted students on a rolling basis
April 7th – Waitlisted students will be contacted by email
June 15th – all enrollment paperwork, including a medical form and vaccination record, must be received to hold your spot for September

Admissions Policies:

Admission, the provision of services, and referrals of families shall be made without regard to race, gender, religion, disability, national origin, immigration status, preferred home language, gender identity or sexual orientation, marital status, or family structure. Efforts are made to include children with special challenges when we can meet their developmental needs.
Students are admitted on a first come, first served basis. The Director reserves the right to balance the classes as necessary.
Most of our programs fill on the day we open registration. Priority will be given to applications handed to the Director or Administrative Assistant when we open at 8am. After that, applications submitted by email, mail, or our drop box will be opened.
Each application is only considered for the upcoming school year. Waitlisted students who wish to attend the following year must reapply.
Current students must be up to date on tuition before applying for the following year.

Important Notes for our Kindergarten Complement Program:

We have limited space available in our Kindergarten Complement classes. We suggest that you apply in February rather than wait for the district lotteries.
Contracts for admitted students may be delayed until the district lotteries are held.
You must select either AM or PM Complement on your application. Please select the program you want based on which district kindergarten you requested. We will do our best to switch your registration after the lottery if necessary.
Please note that we offer two complement classes in the afternoon but only one in the morning. Therefore, we will have more space available in our PM complement program when we open registration in February.

More About SPNDS

SPNDS adheres to the developmentally appropriate practices and standards established by the National Association for the Education of Young Children; we have been accredited by NAEYC since 1998.

SPNDS is inclusive: children and teachers of all races and religions are welcome. Students with physical and/or developmental disabilities are accepted if the school can adequately meet their needs. Scholarships are given to children whose families need help with tuition.

We view the child as a whole, developing being. All areas of development—social, emotional, cognitive, and physical—are of equal importance. We help children express their individuality while learning to respect the rights of others.

Our teachers design their programs with the knowledge that children learn best from taking an active role in the process. Thus, much of what is provided allows the child to manipulate, discover, experience, and create. The teacher serves to guide this process by planning an environment based on the varied interests and developmental levels of each child, and by being a source of support and information.

Outdoor play is an important part of our program. The apparatus, wheel toys, and building materials are designed to develop a wide range of gross motor skills—and the playground offers the opportunity for interacting with a multi-age group of children.

We realize that families entrust their children to us at a very early age. In response to this trust, teachers endeavor to create a supportive atmosphere respectful of children’s feelings, needs, and concerns. We respect the integrity of each family with its own patterns and preferences. Our hope for our children is that they will grow to be happy, relaxed, self-confident people who are eager to learn.