Children's Workshop School (The)

The Children's Workshop School PS 361 (cwsnyc.org) is a great example of why small public community schools should be celebrated. In 2025 it has two classes per grade, 3K-5th. As a first grader, my child skips to school and gives hugs to their teachers from their past three years there, whenever they run into them around school. Even as a sometimes quieter kid, they are extremely comfortable there and it gives me great joy to hear that they regularly contribute to all classroom conversations.

I attribute much of this to the school's attention to transitioning kids into the school environment. They use a very intentional introduction to all the different areas of the school and to all the school staff. And it's at the appropriate speed for their age group, whether they are 3-K, Pre-K or K. The focus on classroom commitments in which students agree to a set of rules as to how they treat each other is real. And the weekly school-wide and families-welcome Community Meeting with all the kids (and parents) eager to hear who has earned a Kind Act certificate!
In Pre-K there is a big focus on families. Each one gets to choose a date when they take an hour to share something (hobbies, heritage, etc) about their family. Even the grown-ups get excited to hear in the week's summary what someone's family shared with the class...oh and the delicious onigiri, taralli, hamantaschen, etc. that these family sessions end up introducing kids to along the way!

In Kindergarten and1st grade you'll see kids with a little toothbox necklace that their Principal has bestowed upon them for the tooth they just lost. My own child spent many a "choice time" in kindergarten making drawings for their Principal.

And yes there is the science of reading and a real focus on reading readiness so that in kindergarten it all comes together. The Bridges math curriculum is like nothing I knew growing up. All the games make math fluency emerge in a very fun way. Then there's the movement classes, music, drumming, yoga, dance, theatre trips, hydroponics lab, community garden workshops, computer classes, multi-night trips for 4th & 5th graders and interesting (affordable) after school clubs. And so much more--but you'll have to take the school tour to have enough time to hear about all the rest straight from the teachers that lead them. Or read their book, published in 2024, In Their Own Voices: Let the People Who Do the Teaching Do the Talking

Social Studies is an especially unique experience here. In first grade they explore waterways and take field trips to visit them firsthand in NYC. Have you been inside The Little Red Lighthouse on the Hudson River? Or walked over Harlem River on The High Bridge--the city's oldest standing bridge. Even as an adult these were eye opening adventures for me too.

The building has history and great big windows for natural light. The yard and playground are enjoyed by all ages.The library is an architectural work, meditative and full of books representing a cross-section of cultures. And the block room where they get to work extensively on a project.

There is a strong Parent Teachers Association and many fun events throughout the year that celebrate academic achievements, cultural heritage, and build community. The annual public surveys that DOE use show strong satisfaction among both families and teachers. It's a gem of a school.