St. Columba's Nursery School

★★★★★Tatiana Marshall

Our daughter is nearing the end of her second year, we've signed up for her third and because of her birthday, she's eligible for a fourth year and we are seriously considering it! The newly renovated playground is a showstopper but the teachers and admin are the real draw. With no cousins in the area and us moving back during COVID, we were worried about getting our daughter proper socialization and time with her peers. She loves school and the photos that teachers share during the day are a real testament to that!

★★★★★Jean Lee

St. Columba’s Nursery School has been a warm, welcoming and nurturing environment for our inquisitive and playful son for the past two school years. We love the amazing teachers and staff and the incredible dedication they have towards the children. They are highly qualified and more importantly incredibly loving. We visited many preschools and knew when we set foot on the St. Columba’s playground that we had found the right place for our son. It is even more amazing now that it has been renovated! We love the ethos of making time for outdoor play every day rain or shine and of fostering creative outdoor play. One of the things we have benefited the most from as a family has been the incredibly warm and welcoming community of families at the school. We have grown friendships not only for our son but also for ourselves. Parenthood is a journey and having a community of friendship to travel with through it is a major blessing. Finally — if I had to choose one word that describes our son’s experience at St. Columba’s it would be joy. There is truly no other place like it in the area that we have found.

★★★★★Sara Harr

This school is a treasure and I’m so sad my daughter is in her 3rd and last year! The 2 best parts are the teachers and the commitment to letting kids be outside and be kids when they are so little. The playground is amazing and has maintained tons of natural elements to let them explore, improvise, and get dirty. Every year we have felt really nervous and sad to leave our teachers and move on to the next class, and each year our daughter has immediately formed a close bond with her new teachers and we are amazed by their warmth, dedication, and thoughtfulness in class activities and projects. SCNS is a community treasure.

★★★★★Andrea Hill (Beyers)

We were initially drawn to St. Columba’s by the location, outdoor facilities and “no bad weather” policy. The school’s focus on outdoor education and play based learning are a great fit for our family and kids – and the enormous playground is unparalleled. What we didn’t expect was the incredible and supportive community within the school. The teachers, admin, and parents have truly created the “village” we wanted to raise our children with, and our entire family enjoys school events – from the pancake breakfast to gardens and grounds days to the new Spring Swing! The school offers (age appropriate) science and music to all students, which my kids adore and is full of friendly faces, from current and former teachers, to the admin and teachers who have never even taught my kids. They feel welcome, safe, and happy at school every single day. Additionally, the inclusive classrooms and focus on kindness have shown my kids how to be empathetic, thoughtful members of a community. The incredible and highly trained staff have instilled a love of learning in both of my children, who both go to school with a smile every day and come home eager to share what they learned. We feel very lucky to be part of the St. C’s community, and highly recommend the school to anyone looking for an amazing community for their preschooler.

★★★★★Emily Austin

I believe that St. Columba's nursery school is one of the best kept secrets in DC! I know it really well - I went there over 25 years ago and I've sent both my children. I've made many friends through the parent community and with the teachers and administrators. Actually - a funny story is that when I first sent my daughter to the school 4 years ago, it turned out that my own best friend from 25 years ago was coincidentally a fellow parent in the same classroom as my daughter! We re-connected and have enjoyed seeing our kids grow up together. St. C's tends to attract good people - the community is down-to-earth (not at all pretentious) and very kind (like the motto!) The first thing to say about the school itself is that the playground is HUGE and the curriculum encourages the kids to spend as much time outside as possible. There are a lot of fun "hidden" spaces like an outdoor amphitheatre (where they have some assemblies and classroom activities) and a small "hedge maze" of sorts. The outdoor space really encourages the right level of risk taking and independence. All year round, you can find the kids taking care of the chickens, digging up worms, gardening, and just running for sheer joy and exhilaration outside. I've looked at many preschools and daycare options and I've never seen anything like it. Secondly, the teachers are just amazing - without exception and the student to teacher ratios are really low. Every year, I've been surprised by how well the whole school knows my child. There is an innovative socio-emotional curriculum that starts with the bear cubs (age 2-3). The turnover rate among the faculty is incredibly low - so teachers usually end up knowing families and siblings very well. I feel so lucky to be a part of the St C's community & couldn't recommend the school more highly - especially if you are a parent who values outdoor time, play, and kindness!