Why KinderCare Is the Best New Daycare in Tribeca

Eight a.m., Greenwich Street, Tribeca. Commuters with briefcases and extra-hot coffees. French bulldogs and their owners out for their morning walks. And strollers—a lot of them—heading to coffee shops, Sarabeth’s for breakfast, and the ship-inspired playground (the S.S. Fun!) in Washington Market Park.

Tribeca’s evolution from industrial district to bohemian mecca to family-friendly neighborhood happened gradually, over decades. And now, just looking around, you can see kid-friendly touches everywhere, from children’s clothing boutiques to parks on nearly every corner.

So, when we were looking for a home for our new flagship center, it wasn’t a hard choice. Kids needed a daycare in Tribeca made just for them for when their families are at work. “Tribeca is a family-centered neighborhood in need of high-quality infant and toddler care,” says our Tribeca Center Director Lisa Bridge. “It’s a great neighborhood for a KinderCare.”

Want a sneak peek at our brand new center? Come on in and take a closer look: Here are some of the early learning philosophies that we’re bringing to life in our new Tribeca KinderCare center.

1. Every child should have space to thrive.

When toddlers enter this room, they know it’s designed just for them—because it is! Our toddler classroom (pictured here) is filled with toys at kid-eye level and places where tots can create, express themselves, play, and pretend. It’s also a “print-rich environment”: Books are readily available and words are everywhere, which help plant the seeds for strong literacy skills. It’s a perfect place for busy toddlers whose personalities are just beginning to emerge (sometimes with gusto)!

2. Creativity means more than drawing inside the lines.

We’ve got a Matisse in the making! While writing on the walls probably isn’t something you want to encourage at home (unless you invest in some whiteboard paint), you can at Tribeca KinderCare! We designed an entire wall just for drawing in our Tribeca center. For little ones, this fuels creativity, builds fine-motor skills, develops symbolic thinking, and creates a sense of community and ownership in the classroom.

3. Books are within easy reach of little hands.

No tall bookcases here! Placing books within easy reach makes reading super accessible—and that encourages book love! Instead of waiting for an adult to bring a book over, kids can initiate story time all on their own. When they’re little, we teach children how to be gentle with books and treat them kindly. We know that kids also learn to read by associating simple written words with objects. So, in our classrooms, we label things like chairs and tables to give kids a head start on their ABCs.

4. We like to play pretend.

ROAR! Playing with animal toys lets kids make new sounds and play pretend. Also known as dramatic play, playing pretend helps children work on problem-solving and social-emotional skills like cooperation—and it’s also tons of fun! When an adult is playing with a child, it’s important to get down to the child’s eye level (like our teacher in the picture above) to help them connect.

5. There’s no right way to play.

We let kids play their own way. That’s why we build plenty of unstructured play time into the day. Toys and learning materials in our classrooms are open-ended (with multiple uses) so kids can explore their imaginations. Who says trucks have to roll? Weighing his cars helps this little guy learn about cause and effect, and other foundational math and science concepts. (And he doesn’t even know he’s doing some Capital “L” Learning!)

6. Take time to craft outside the box.

Sometimes there’s no such thing as too much glue! Part of being a great artist is doing what you want and not playing by the rules. In art activities, we provide children with lots of different materials and let them decide how they want to be creative. This kind of independent thinking builds critical-thinking skills and self-reliance. In our classrooms, kids are encouraged to think outside the box. It’s all about the process, not the product.

7. We eat our fruits and veggies.

She thinks she’s just playing grocery store, but she’s also learning about healthy eating through dramatic play. But we have more than just pretend fruits and veggies in our centers! Our Nutrition and Wellness philosophy makes it all the way to kids’ plates, where meals are accompanied by fruits, veggies, and whole grains. We never serve a drop of juice in our Tribeca center (or any of our centers), because fruit is sweet enough to eat.

8. Caring for each other is key.

When children pretend to take care of a baby, they’re actually developing critical social skills that will help them become kind and empathetic friends later on. That’s why we believe in nurturing kindness in all kids, starting from day one! Our Tribeca center has plenty of baby dolls, toys, and learning materials that represent all children—it’s okay to play with whatever you want, whoever you are!

9. Yes—you can do it!

Developing fine-motor skills starts with simple toys—exactly what kids need when they’re just learning to solve problems and get those oh-so-cute little fingers to do what they want! Though they may seem “easy,” simple toys (like the one pictured above) teach little kids that they can take on a challenge—and succeed. By working through the toy with an adult by their side who can ask questions like “What color goes next?” and “Which one fits?”, children also develop important language and literacy skills.

10. When in doubt, act it out.

Kids have big feelings—and sometimes those feelings can be tough to cope with. Enter our family of adorable puppets, who make everything just a little less personal. If a child is having a hard time learning a behavior used in a social situation (sharing, for example), puppets are a great tool to help kids understand without making them feel bad. Teachers also use puppets to help kids learn how to manage and express their feelings in a positive way. Our Tribeca center has lots of puppets for teachers to use as tools for learning and storytelling—but when teachers aren’t using them, they’re available for kids to play with whenever they want.