Henny Penny

Henny Penny Forms for Parents

WORK IN PROGRESS…….. stay tuned for updated forms!

Contact Us: You can contact Henny Penny by sending a message to hennypennynurseryschool@gmail.com.

Our History

Henny Penny Nursery School is a part of First Church in Salem, and has been welcoming children and families for over 60 years. We're the oldest running preschool North of Boston!

About Our Program

We offer a morning preschool program Monday through Friday for children between the ages of 2years 9months - 6. Our morning schedule runs from 8:30 - 12:00, with early drop-off at 8am for an additional fee. Families may choose any combination of 2, 3, or 5 days. Henny Penny attempts to closely follow the Salem Public Schools calendar, with exceptions.

Staffing

All staff members at The Henny Penny Nursery School hold teaching certificates from Department of Early Education and Care (or are I the process of completing qualifications), and are current on CPR and Infant/Child First Aid training. Teachers are required to complete 15 hours of professional development annually. This helps to keep the curriculum fresh and up to date. The average student teacher ratio will be no more than 10:1.

Program Philosophy & Goals

At Henny Penny, we believe each child's development is unique. Our goal is to create an atmosphere where each child may grow socially, emotionally and physically. We believe strongly that children learn best through play.

Our program is a thoughtfully planned combination of teacher directed and child centered activities. The classroom is made up of learning centers and interest areas that provide opportunities for creative exploration and discovery, imaginative and dramatic play, block building, artistic expression, music, creative movement, and the development of pre-reading, writing, math and science skills.

Children are encouraged to take responsibility, make decisions and learn through play in mixed age groupings.

We aim to foster a true love of learning as we prepare our students for success when they enter kindergarten.

Curriculum

We write our own curriculum which is literacy-based and child-led. Our curriculum is designed around topics in Science, Math, Music, Language Arts and Social Studies. Standards, based on the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, and established to stretch students' intellectual growth while also being developmentally appropriate. No worksheets here! We believe children learn best through play, and all of our learning goals are met through play. We listen to the children, and develop play activities with their interests in mind.

DAILY SCHEDULE

  • 8am Early arrival for an additional fee

  • 8:30-9:00 Arrival & Free Play

  • 9:00-10am Choice Time

  • 9:50 Clean Up and Transition to our Morning Meeting

  • 10:00 Morning Meeting

    Songs, poems & fingerplays

    A quick “check in” with everyone

    Transition to washing hands.

  • 10:20-10:40 Snack Time

  • 10:40 - 11am Circle Time

    • Cognitive game

    • Calendar (not your traditional calendar!)

    • Story Time (Book of the day)

  • 11am - 11:15 Planned Learning Activities based on Book of the Day or season of year

  • 11:15-11:30 Music and Movement

  • 11:30- 12:00 Outdoor Play

  • 12:00 Dismissal

  • 12:00 - 1:30pm Lunch Bunch (Sept 2025)

SPECIAL EVENTS AND ONGOING ACTIVITIES

  • Henny Penny Family Fun Nights

  • Holiday Songfest 

  • Annual Spring Art Show 

  • Year End Celebration & Family Concert with Hugh Hanley

  • Parent Workshops