History

For two generations, caring and warmth, combined with educational excellence for the young child have flourished as guiding principals of Winnetka Community Nursery School.

Photograph from Winnetka Children's Fair - July 24, 1951

Winnetka Community Nursery School was founded during the Second World War to care for children whose mothers wished to take some part in the war effort. Until 1961, it was an all-day nursery, providing both a morning-only program for children in the community, and a morning, lunch and afternoon program for those children whose mothers worked outside the home.

In 1961, the full-day program was discontinued due to limited demand. The morning program consisted of four groups including a group for children with special needs. The special needs class was discontinued when special education was adopted formally by the Winnetka Public Schools in 1968. In 1975, the full-day program was reopened to meet the needs of the community. The program was further redefined in the 1990's when the full-day program was divided into a morning and an extended-day program.

Today, the school offers half-day and full-day programs and serves older two-year-olds through four-year-olds, also offering auxiliary programs such as an art and music class.

In 1999, the Winnetka Historical Society recognized the historical importance of Winnetka Community Nursery School’s response to the needs of children and community in This House is Ours by George Brodsky.