About Trinity Nursery School:
Trinity Nursery School is a non-profit, non-sectarian preschool in Collinsville, CT. We are an outreach program of Trinity Episcopal Church. The school is open to all children who meet our requirements, and has been educating children for nearly 50 years. We follow CT’s Office of Early Childhood Statutes and Regulations and we continue to follow NAEYC’s emerging criteria and annual ECE standards.
TNS serves families from Canton, Burlington, New Hartford, Torrington, Avon, Simsbury, Farmington and beyond.
Trinity Nursery School offers a developmental, child-focused preschool program for 3- and 4-year-old children. We believe in planning our curriculum around each child and focusing on that child’s individual stage of development. We are committed to providing a quality preschool experience to children of all abilities and developmental levels. TNS promotes school readiness and a lifetime love of learning!
A terrific group of dedicated, creative and energetic teachers leads TNS students. These instructors have been with us for many years. Our teachers are certified educational professionals, all with 15 to 30 years of experience in early education.
If you are looking for a fun and nurturing learning environment for your child, with experienced teachers who focus on both social and academic development, we invite you to learn more about Trinity Nursery School.
Please contact us to arrange a tour of our school and spend time exploring our site to learn more about our programs and philosophy.
Our History
Trinity Nursery School was founded in 1964 by a local mother, Alice Barnhart. Together with other parents in the Trinity Episcopal Church parish, she asked the Vestry to include an outreach nursery school program, as none were available in town at the time. The church, which was in the process of relocating the entire structure, approved the preschool proposal and included a new parish hall to host the school in the construction planning.
Alice worked with the other families to form a parent committee, and Trinity Nursery School opened its doors to all preschool-aged children in Canton and surrounding communities in 1965. The school reached full capacity, with a waiting list to spare! The school was run not only by preschool teacher Mrs. George Sottile but with the volunteered support of parents.
From the beginning, the community worked together to allow TNS to flourish. Donations from area merchants, parishioners and families yielded an outdoor playground for children, with donated railroad ties, walking planks, toys and a cupboard for equipment.
Though many years have passed—some alumni now enroll their own children in the program—the school continues to build on that foundation of community support and parental involvement. Children continue to enter our doors with enthusiasm to explore and learn about the vast world around them. The community, parents, teachers, committees and Trinity Episcopal Church members continue to support us with love and support.
Our Curriculum
We base our curriculum on the theories of Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. Our primary goals are to provide a happy and positive first experience in school and to reinforce every child’s self esteem. We provide activities that are developmentally appropriate and nurture healthy relationship skills and the ability to function as part of a group. Much of our program is literature- or nature-based, and is aimed at the well-being of the “whole child,” stimulating the cognitive, emotional, social, physical and creative areas of development. We also provide gradual awareness of the larger world (family, neighborhood, school, town, state, country, world). In our program for 4-year-olds, we facilitate and monitor readiness for kindergarten. At TNS, we pride ourselves in providing a quality preschool experience to children of all abilities and developmental levels. We follow Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood Statutes and Regulations and we continue to follow NAEYC’s emerging criteria and annual ECE standards.
How We Operate
The daily operations of our school are run by the TNS Parent Volunteer Committee, which is comprised of parent volunteers, teachers, the church rector and a vestry liaison. The parents of existing and incoming TNS students are asked to volunteer at the school. This not only keeps tuition and other expenses low, it allows families to directly influence and enhance their children’s experiences. Parents may be asked to fill new or vacant positions on the TNS Parent Volunteer Committee and/or participate in one of the volunteer sub-committees. Members of the Parent Volunteer Committee include Committee Chair/Co-Chair, Teachers, School Treasurer, School Administrator, Maintenance Chair, Publicity Chair, Special Events Chair. The board meetings are held once a month and all parents are welcome to attend.
Our Outreach Programs
Helping others establishes a deep sense of compassion and reinforces character development in our students and their families. We continue to raise money for various community and outreach programs, such as Heifer International, The Connecticut Human Society, and The Canton Food Bank.
