Early Childhood

Preschool at HudsonWay Immersion School (HWIS) is unique. Our Early Childhood program offers 90 to 100% language immersion during the day and a supportive environment for students as young as 2 years of age. Our commitment to full immersion ensures that our students acquire advanced language proficiency.

The leadership of HudsonWay Immersion School has extensive experience developing model immersion programs, and we cultivate a diverse student body that enriches our community. HWIS celebrates all cultures, and holidays are enjoyed with parental involvement and participation.

The HWIS Early Childhood program offers:

  • a five-day preschool experience to maximize student social-emotional development and classroom cohesiveness
  • native-speaking educators
  • an enviable student-teacher ratio which allows for individualized attention
  • consistent encouragement, support, and resources for students


5:1


Student-teacher ratio for 2-year olds


7:1


Student-teacher ratio for 3-year olds


9:1


Student-teacher ratio for 4-year olds

Theme-based Learning

With the support of the award-winning Creative Curriculum® which provides context for learning content and language, HWIS uses theme-based learning in its Early Childhood program. Through hands-on discovery in language arts, math, science and social studies, children have the freedom to explore based on their own interests.

Our children also develop their fine motor and gross motor skills as they participate in projects using clay, playdough, blocks, painting, and other art activities. HWIS incorporates musical group activities such as singing, dancing and playing rhythm instruments to enhance the fun of school as well as the understanding of other cultures.

Social-emotional Learning

At HWIS, social-emotional learning is a core focus of the Early Childhood experience. We believe that helping young children experience and manage emotions, relate to one another, and make good choices are important foundational skills for life. The role of positive reinforcement cannot be overstated. It encourages children to take risks, and when they take positive risks, school becomes fun. Children learn they can succeed in school and in the wider world.

Parent Testimonial

Our daughter is in her second year at Hudson Way, and we're so grateful to have her in the program. She is thriving with her teachers and classmates. We chose the school to provide our daughter with exposure to another language as we only speak English at home. She comes home singing songs in Mandarin, and had already started translating words for us. At age 3, social and emotional support is just as important as language development, and her teachers have been really wonderful. She is so excited to go to school everyday and comes home happy. It really means the world to our family to see her grow through school.

For the time of covid: We were in the 2s program when New York City initially shut down during the global pandemic. Those early days were so chaotic as no one knew what to expect all over the city. However, we were so impressed with how quickly HWIS responded with an effective remote learning program. They very quickly developed their program with flexibility and a very large pool of resources... language and music videos, instructions for activities, worksheets, live classes and one-on-one instruction catered to the level of each student. Teaching two year olds on zoom is a challenge, and we really appreciated the approach taken by her teacher, Lucy, who brought empathy and flexibility to the situation.

- Kate Fletchall



Our experience at HWIS could not be better. Our daughter is in the Spanish program and she absolutely loves it. We do not speak Spanish at home (I've been trying to learn for 10 years!) and our daughter was already speaking better than me in her first year at the school (at 4-years-old!) Beyond learning a second language, the quality of academic instruction at the school is exceptional. The small class sizes allow for individualized attention and cater to the progression of the child, while allowing for group and class cooperation as well. Our daughter's teacher is amazing! She is knowledgeable, capable and nurturing, as well as accessible and proficient. She inspires our daughter to love learning and makes it enjoyable for her everyday. The community of the school including teachers, administrators, students and other parents is positive and supportive. We feel comfortable approaching any of them about anything and know that they listen. They have handled the COVID pandemic with great competence. Our daughter continues to go to school safely in-person, and the degree of education and socialization she is receiving far surpasses parents I speak to at other schools. This was also the case during the remote learning period in Spring of 2020. We were amazed at how smooth the transition was, and just how much actual learning was still happening.

- Sarah Niska’s
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