This year has gone by so quickly, it feels like our school year has just started and already we are saying goodbye as the children embark on the next step of their journey. They have grown guided by Christian love, acceptance and friendship. Watching them grow over this past year has been a rewarding experience for everyone. We will miss each and every one of them and hope they return to visit us often. Our memories will continue forever.

Our family fun day this year was our Birthday Celebration for our Panda Mascot. This very special Panda Birthday Party marked the 25th Anniversary of CPNS. Not only did we celebrate during our family fun day, we also had a special celebration during church and coffee hour in May. Alumni, friends, and students were invited to celebrate this occasion with the entire congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury. We were so happy to see many of you helping us celebrate. Thank you all for sharing in the first 25 years of CPNS.

This summer we will be offering our very first Summer at CPNS program in July for two weeks, July 6 – July 10 and / or July 13 – July 17 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon every day. It will be based on our developmentally appropriate CPNS curriculum and taught by our own CPNS teachers. Each day will be a new adventure filled with music, literacy, art, science and math. Please stop by and visit.

Beginning in September, we will be offering several enrichment programs. They include Art & Literacy, Math & Science, Music and Movement and a new one “Power of Play”. All enrichment programs are also open to any children that attend part-time kindergarten programs. They could spend part of their day with CPNS. There are limited openings in all of our enrichment programs, so please call or e-mail with questions or to register before school starts in September or as early as you know when your child will be attending kindergarten.

Our goal here at CPNS is to develop happy, adjusted, secure individuals in a climate of freedom, but with discipline, affection and positive reinforcement in a Christian environment. We have also introduced this past year a new curriculum resource that will provide our students with everything they need and more for success in Kindergarten as well the success needed to be lifelong learners.

If you are interested or if you know of anyone who may be interested in our preschool we have just a few openings for the school year 2009-2010 beginning in September. Please call Janice at 655-8663 or send us an e-mail at CPNSchool@comcast.net for additional information.

Everyone at CPNS would like to thank the parents for sharing their most precious possessions with us. We hope you have a wonderful summer and may God continue to bless you and your families.

HAPPY SUMMER! Your Friends at CPNS

CPNS is a non-profit Christian preschool founded in 1984 by the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury. Our history is outlined here.

Our Nursery School is administered by a nine member Board comprised of Church Members and other individuals from the surrounding area with backgrounds in personnel, finance, education and administration.

While we are not a cooperative school and do not require parents to contribute hours of service, we do offer many opportunities for parents to participate in their child's nursery school experience. Our parents are encouraged to share their experiences, ideas and feelings.

CPNS is state licensed by the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services and holds professional membership in the New Jersey Education Association and the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children.

We believe each child comes to us with God given gifts and talents. God has created each child with love and unique qualities.

We are committed to affirm each child's special gifts and help each child grow developmentally in an environment bounded by Christian love and caring.

It is our school's goal to develop happy, adjusted, secure individuals in a climate of freedom, but with discipline, affection and positive reinforcement.

Our curriculum offers diversified opportunities for your child to develop positive feelings about themselves and others through a Christian environment.

The curriculum objectives of the 3 and 4-year-old programs are:

1. To foster Physical Development (large and small muscle coordination, perceptual motor skills, etc.).
2. To foster Social and Emotional Development (building self image, relating to peers, functioning within a group, teach character through the "Teaching of Moral Values" such as kindness, honesty, loyalty and respect for people and property).
3. To foster Cognitive Development (guiding each child to observe, question, make decisions, begin problem solving techniques, build skills in reading and math readiness, participate in artistic, dramatic and musical experiences, etc.).
4. To foster Religious Faith (provide experiences designed to help each child learn about God and Christian values, observing Christian holidays with primary emphasis on the religious nature over the secular, etc.).

The curriculum objectives of the 2 ½ year old program are:

1. To help each child adjust to the school setting (ease the transition from parents to teacher).
2. To show each child that school offers activities and satisfactions different than those at home (motivate the child to listen, follow directions, and accept basic rules).
3. To help each child establish cooperative social skills (participate in group activities, to share and cooperate).
4. To awaken each child's interest in a variety of areas (physical skills, communications, art and science).
5. To instill in each child a basic understanding of God's Love.
6. To teach character education through the "Teaching of Moral Values" such as kindness, honesty, loyalty and respect for people and property.

Our 3 and 4 year old program teachers hold degrees in Early Childhood Education and/or Elementary Education and are college certified.

A Teacher and an Assistant Teacher oversee each class.

Our student/teacher ratio is 12 to 2 in our 2 ½ year old program, 14 to 2 in our 3-year-old program and 16 to 2 in our 4 year old program.

The CPNS staff is encouraged to witness their faith in Jesus Christ through the love shown for the children, their dedication to each child's development, and their daily interactions.

Any child who is 2 years old by April 15th may enter our 2 ½ year old program.

Any child who will be enrolled in kindergarten in two years is eligible for our 3-year-old program. Any child who will be enrolled in kindergarten in one year is eligible for our 4-year-old program.

Priority for admission shall be as follows:

1. Currently enrolled students.
2. Children of members of the First Presbyterian Church of Cranbury and/or siblings of currently enrolled students or siblings of alumni.
3. All others.

All 3 and 4 year old program students must be toilet trained.

Morning sessions are 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Afternoon sessions are 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

A non-refundable fee must accompany the CPNS registration form. This fee will be applied to the yearly tuition if openings are available and the child is enrolled in our school. If there are no openings at the time of registration, your child's name will be placed on our General Waitlist. The registration fee will be refunded if you are not offered a place within our school by the first day of school.

The annual tuition fee for each class, our payment schedule, and General Waitlist information is outlined on the registration form. Or email cpnschool@comcast.net.