School Profile

At St. Columba’s Nursery School, we see each child for their individual strengths and abilities. 

Every child is changing and growing along a developmental continuum. We meet each child where they are in that continuum and challenge him or her with new and varied experiences. 

Our approach to teaching and learning involves discerning a child’s level of development and challenging him or her with new and varied experiences.

At St. Columba’s Nursery School, we guide and support our children as they grow, learn about and explore the world around them and become eager collaborators in the classroom. We believe the best preparation for school and for life is to help children learn to take care of themselves and their belongings, express themselves in acceptable ways, and give and take in friendship and collaboration.

Children need space to grow in mind, body, and spirit, which is why we spend ample time outside every day. Our large, well-equipped playgrounds feature assets unparalleled in our area: paved areas for riding vehicles, wide-open slopes for sledding, places to dig and burrow, sandboxes, garden beds, slides, climbing structures, and swings.

Our nurturing teachers ensure that our classrooms and outdoor areas are ready for play each day. We put out engaging materials that invite children’s learning and exploration.

Since 1959, St. Columba’s Nursery School has offered a haven for early childhood, embracing play as a child’s most natural and effective way of learning. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At St. Columba’s Nursery School, we believe that our differences truly strengthen our school community. All children and families are accepted and valued at St. Columba’s. Diversity encompasses race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender identity, language, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. 

We very thoughtfully and intentionally include and serve children with a range of disabilities and learning differences in our early childhood classrooms. Children are seen for their unique abilities and strengths. We want all children to know that they are loved and that they belong. We do more than accommodate, we celebrate!

Church Partnership

St. Columba’s Nursery School is the largest ministry of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, and in the spirit of hundreds of years of Episcopal educational tradition, we welcome children and families of all faith traditions or none at all. While formal religious instruction is not part of our early childhood programming, we are aligned with the mission and values of St. Columba’s Episcopal Church. We are also partners with the Church in our efforts and commitment to being an anti-racist Nursery School, to serve others, and to end homelessness. We “live God’s love” at the Nursery School by making a friend a being a friend to all.

Service learning is an important component of our programming. Each month, families send in food items and the children put together snack packs with the classroom. Volunteers deliver the snack packs to Friendship Place, a neighboring non-profit organization that supports people experiencing homelessness, for distribution. Children learn about homelessness in a developmentally appropriate way and the different ways that we can help those who need support. We also engage children and families in an annual holiday drive for underserved children at St. Philip’s Child Development Center in Anacostia, and collect diapers for the DC Diaper Bank. 

Children also participate in Get Together (our version of Chapel). During Get Together, our preschoolers gather each week to learn about important social-emotional skills through puppetry, texts, and songs. Get Together is guided by Second Step, a social-emotional curriculum for preschoolers. Children learn how to identify and manage feelings, how to invite a friend to play, the importance of being kind to one another, and much more!