Three private pre-schools are available to the parents of young children in Glen Ridge.

Pilgrim Nursery School, a community service of the Glen Ridge Congregational Church, believes in letting pre-school children progress at theirown rate, building confidence and a sense of self-worth. Activities, which develop skill-building and sequencing abilities, include creating original books and making focused studies of specific topics such as animals, seasons, foods, etc.

The teaching staff collectively boasts over 60 years of experience and low student-teacher ratio is maintained in all classes. The well-equipped, fenced playground is one of the finest in the state. A large assembly hall accommodates full school program feasts and shows.

The Nursery School at Christ Church works to provide an environment that will encourage each child to become his or her best self. The children create individual learning experiences from carefully chosen materials displayed on shelves which are arranged by interest area.

Many of these materials were invented by the school staff of professional educators; others were developed by Montessori, Stern, Piaget and other early childhood educational resources.

Middleton Early Learning Center is dedicated to excellence in early childhood education in a loving, nurturing atmosphere at a cost that young families can afford. At MELC, traffic patterns, interest centers and educational materials are arranged to meet the individual learning needs and interests of the children. The rooms are set up to spark curiosity and to encourage movement from one activity to another. The classroom has areas for mathematics, language, reading-readiness, role play, manipulatives, sensory-tactile materials, practical life skills, creative arts, social studies, block play, science, physical education, books and music.

The teachers have created a happy, secure stimulating environment where the children are encouraged to make choices, develop critical thinking skills, work independently and engage in the activities that will help them to grow. The teachers are experienced, professional educators that have been dedicated to our program for many years. Our teaching staff is the best part of our program. We also take pride in our low teacher-pupil ratio.