It's All About Play at Compass SchoolHouse in Westfield

Westfield, NJ -- It’s all about play at Compass SchoolHouse in Westfield.

Offering its play-based curriculum to children ages 2 months to five years old, Compass believes strongly in incorporating hands-on, real-life experiences into their students lives.

“In order to grow their fine motor skills it is important to play,” said Sue DeWeever, Executive Director at Compass SchoolHouse. “There is always a reason behind each activity, it is educational but hidden. We want kids to love school at this age. This is where their foundation is laid.”

Formed last year by the merger of Mother’s Morning Out and Westfield Cooperative Nursery School, Compass SchoolHouse in Westfield now has more than 170 students enrolled and offers full day kindergarten and preschool for children.

Mother’s Morning Out started in 1975 as a way to give moms a break. The Westfield Cooperative Nursery was started in 1969. Both groups were celebrating their anniversaries when they decided to join forces.

Compass was officially born in September 2015 and is attracting students from across Union County and even Somerset County as well.

“We have a child who comes all the way from Green Brook,” said Suzanne Pinto, Director of Operations.

Coming up with a name and logo was a collaborative effort with the community. Compass held a contest asking for suggestions.

The final decision came from multiple parents.

“The logo is a sun but it is providing direction for students and families for education,” DeWeever said. “The name Compass represents the direction for students. And SchoolHouse came about to represent our homey and traditional feel inside this cute building.”

Compass operates inside the First Congregational Church of Westfield at 125 Elmer Street. The board of directors is made up of parents who have or have had children in this program for years and are well invested in the future of Compass.

Education at Compass begins at 2 months of age for enrollment, which offers the opportunity to create a sense of family and community at the school.

“It really enables us to develop deep relationships with the family,” DeWeever said “We see them as infants and have them until they are 5 or 6 years old.”

The curriculum employed at the school really focuses on play and hands-on education to allow children to develop vital cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional skills. They make discoveries, build knowledge, experiment with literacy and math, and learn to self-regulate and interact with others in socially appropriate ways.

Lessons at the school including: cooking, writing letters to pen pals, learning to speak Spanish, learning to ride a surfboard, building blocks, creating a cave for polar bears to hibernate and so much more.

“Through play, learning is in-depth, concrete, and long-term,” Compass posted on its website. “Play offers young children the opportunity to put into action the ideas and processes being presented so that concepts and ideas make sense and the processes can be mastered.”

Parents also become part of the tight-knit community. There is a Parents4Parents network where parents can connect with others about school, events, babysitting and more.

Compass also offers many educational workshops for parents such as: planning for college, getting a good night’s sleep, potty training, CPR, diet (nutrition) or why won’t my child listen to me?

Additionally, the school offers many social events for families including carnivals, STEM fair, games nights and more.

Enrolling at Compass allows a lot of flexibility. Students can come for as long and as many days a week as they choose. There are many options to accommodate all types of families. And enrollment is open all year for students all around the area.

Scholarships are also offered for students to enroll.

For further information, visit Compass SchoolHouse at http://compassschoolhouse.com.

(Photos provided)