Who We Are

History and Traditions

History

Founded in 1966 as St. John’s Community Nursery School, a non-profit/non-sectarian Preschool opened in St. John's Church on Main Street in Hingham. In 2004, we changed our name to Hingham Nursery School and parents, former parents, and the greater community came together to raise funding and search for a new location for our school. In 2006, we opened the doors to our schoolhouse at 1101 Main Street, made possible by our dedicated parents and the supportive Hingham community.

To date, over 2,000 students have spent their preschool years with us. And we are proud to have students today whose parents were also once students. Hingham Nursery School is proud to be a part of the tradition of strong schools in Hingham. We are a private, non-profit Nursery School open to families in Higham and the surrounding South Shore communities.

Traditions

Hingham Nursery School has many annual traditions that the students look forward to each year. The school traditionally hosts a Touch-a-Truck event for the surrounding community in the fall. Special Persons Week is a wonderful time for the children to welcome loved ones to join them for a day at school. Each classroom celebrates Parade Day, and our Pre-K classes enjoy Bike Day in the spring. We have a closing picnic each year on the last day of school, as a way to bring everyone together to celebrate the end of our year together. Each child also has the opportunity to leave a lasting impression at the school by participating in Tile Day, where they create a handprint tile that is then hung on the wall of the entryway to our school. HNS Alumni often enjoy coming back to visit school to find their handprints so they can see how much they have grown!

Artwork by Mary Ann Gaul

History & Traditions

As a stay at home Mom, my main priority in choosing a preschool was to find a place that was nurturing and warm and provided comfort to my child as they entered a new stage of learning and independence. I have been a parent at HNS for almost a decade and as my youngest of four enters her final year of preschool next year, I’m certain that within the walls of the little red school house she will continue to grow, as well as learn essential social and classroom skills that will serve her well in the future. I am also confident that she will enter kindergarten with a strong sense of independence as well as a love for learning, just as my other three HNS graduates did. I cannot say enough positive things about the kind staff, the cordial atmosphere, and the overall experience at Hingham Nursery School!

Jessica R.

Mission and Philosophy

Mission

Hingham Nursery School is committed to providing a nurturing environment

that fosters the growth and development of each child.

In all that we do, we respect the individuality of children, giving them the gift of time

and the tools they need to grow into themselves.

Philosophy

The philosophy of our school is based on the well-proven educational theory that a child interacting in a developmentally appropriate environment will develop socially and emotionally while gaining cognitive and physical skills, which form the foundation for their later school experience.

Hingham Nursery School is committed to providing a nurturing environment that fosters the growth and development of each individual child. Young children learn best through hands-on, open-ended activities that encourage exploration and wonder. In all that we do, we respect the individuality of your children, giving them the tools they need to grow into enthusiastic lifelong learners.

Our curriculum is supported by classrooms whose configuration allows a child to explore all the areas, each with a variety of materials, appropriate for their age and stage of development. Our commitment is to facilitate a child’s learning through process-based, rather than product-based experiences.

Mission & Philosophy

Faculty and Staff

Kristin Gruber-Grunert
Executive Director

Kathleen Snow & Amy Fox

2 Morning 3 Year-Olds

Lisa Kisting & Kristen Nicholas

5 Morning Pre-Kindergarten

Kristen McArdle

School Administrator

Elena Olin & Ally Hart

3 Morning 3 Year-Olds

Kristine Haas & Jenny Packard

3 Morning 3 Year-Olds

Autumn King & Allison Hall

5 Morning Pre-Kindergarten

Joy Gregorio

Controller

Faculty & Staff

Board

Board of Directors

The management and fiscal policies of Hingham Nursery School are set by the Board of Directors. The Board consists primarily of parents who serve a two-year commitment. Board Members traditionally serve on one or more committees designed to ensure the continued successful operation of Hingham Nursery School. We have operated with a balanced budget since our inception.

The Board meets once a month with the Director to set policy and to plan events throughout the year.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Executive School Director: Kristin Grubert-Grunert

President: Abbie Tedeschi

Vice President: Kimberly Brown

Treasurer: Kate Ferraguto

Secretary: Anna Coffey

BOARD MEMBERS

Maggie Catalano

Rose Donovan

Carson Judge

Jen Newell

TEACHER REPRESENTATIVE

Elena Olin