Programs for Three, Four, and Five
St. Therese Nursery School offers a full menu of early childhood options for families in North Haven and the surrounding towns of Northford, North Branford, and beyond. Children can join a three-year-old program on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a four-year-old program on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, or a five-day program that runs Monday through Friday. For the youngest learners, a playgroup for children under three gathers on Thursdays from 12:45 to 1:45 p.m., sixteen times from October through May.
The three-year-old classrooms meet Tuesday and Thursday mornings, with options for a half-day session that ends at 11:30 a.m., a session with lunch that runs until 12:30 p.m., or a full day that ends at 3:00 p.m. The four-year-old classrooms meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with a morning session that ends at noon or a full day that runs to 3:00 p.m. The five-day program is available for three-, four-, and five-year-olds, with both a full-day option ending at 3:00 p.m. and a half-day option ending at noon. All full-day programs include lunch and rest time on cots spaced apart, with nap items sent home each evening.
A Day in the Classroom
A morning at St. Therese begins with families lining up along the sidewalk circles, spaced apart, while teachers welcome each child at the classroom door. The director stands between the white fences to direct families to the correct entrance. Each classroom has its own entry point, marked by a lawn sign with the classroom letter. Once inside, children wash their hands at sinks fitted with automated soap dispensers and paper towels, then settle into the day's routine.
Center time anchors the morning, with stations for blocks, Legos, dramatic play in a kitchen area, writing, art, and sensory bins. Playdough is portioned into individual mini tubs so each child has their own tools. Pencil boxes, labeled with each child's name, travel with them to the writing center. Outside, children rotate to the playground in set blocks of time, with fifteen minutes between classes for cleaning. An outdoor classroom area with seating is available for snacks, lunch, or instruction on warm days.
Snack is served from labeled bins in the kitchen, with one staff member at a time retrieving items. Lunches are peanut- and tree-nut free, with utensils packed from home. After lunch, all-day children rest on individual cots placed head to toe. Dismissal mirrors arrival, with the same lineup and the same friendly welcomes from teachers.
Faith as the Heart of the Journey
St. Therese Nursery School is more than a preschool; it is the first stop on a child's faith journey. The school belongs to St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish in the Archdiocese of Hartford, and faith threads through every part of the day. Children pray together, learn about God's love, and sing good-bye to friends at the close of playgroup. The school's prayer captures the spirit:
Loving God, thank you for showing us the way to St. Therese Nursery School. This is where our faith journey begins with our teachers instilling love and patience into our precious hearts. May we all be loving and kind each and every day. Bless our parish and school community, together we create love and unity. Here at St. Therese Nursery School we learn all about God's love where learning is a journey, not a destination.
Director Michele Adinolfi signs every parent letter "In God's Peace," a phrase that echoes throughout the school's communications. The mission statement - "Learning is a journey, not a destination" - is printed on banners, shared in handbooks, and recited by staff and families.
Growth from Two Classrooms to Five
St. Therese Nursery School opened on October 30, 2000, with two classrooms, thirty students, and four staff members. Twenty-five years later, the school now serves close to one hundred students across three classrooms plus a pre-kindergarten program, with a staff of ten. A fourth classroom was added to meet the needs of more families, and a fifth classroom is on the way.
Over the years, the school has balanced the increasing academic expectations of kindergarten readiness with the developmental needs of young children. The staff pursues professional development to integrate academic skills in ways that are age-appropriate, and the school culture emphasizes kindness and acceptance above all. The school puts it this way: "we are here to develop kind and giving children that are accepting to everyone they encounter."
Health, Safety, and Snow Days
The school takes health seriously. Each morning, classrooms are sprayed with a cordless electrostatic sprayer made by Victory, safe for children with asthma. Tables and chairs are wiped with Lysol before and after each use. Cots are sprayed individually and stored with plastic covers when not in use. The HVAC system has been fitted with UV filters to clean the air.
Handwashing happens at every transition - arrival, before and after every center, before and after eating, before and after playground time, after the bathroom, and any time a child coughs or sneezes. Each sink has an Alexa-style device that plays music at twenty-second intervals so children wash for the right amount of time. Hand sanitizer with at least sixty percent alcohol sits at every sign-in log.
Children are temperature-checked at the door with an infrared forehead thermometer, and a parent records the reading. A child with a temperature over 100.4 cannot attend. If a child becomes ill during the day, they are brought to a meeting room outside the director's office that serves as an isolation area. Children must be fever-free and free of gastrointestinal symptoms for forty-eight hours before returning.
When winter weather hits, the director makes the call to delay or close. Decisions weigh the town's conditions and input from snow-plow operators. Closings are posted on WTNH News 8. On early dismissal days, all students leave at 11:30 a.m., with no afternoon class and no lunch served.
Tuition and Registration
Three-year-old Tuesday and Thursday mornings run $276 a month, mornings with lunch $334, and full days $517. Four-year-old Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings are $459, and full-day pre-kindergarten is $690. The five-day program costs $720 for half days and $1,001 for full days.
Tuition is divided into ten payments. The first is non-refundable and serves as the June payment. Subsequent payments are due on the first of each month from July through March. Payments made after the tenth of the month incur a ten dollar per day late fee, and accounts overdue by thirty days may result in dismissal. Siblings receive a twenty-five percent discount on the younger child's tuition. Online payments carry a four percent credit card processing fee; checks payable to St. Therese Nursery School may be placed in the drop box in the nursery hallway.
There are no reimbursements for sick days, snow days, or vacations that fall outside the school calendar. New students register online in mid-January, with current students re-enrolling through a separate link. Registration packets include health forms and an alternate student pick-up form. The playgroup is $250 for the year, with a maximum of ten students enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Parish Family
St. Therese Nursery School is part of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish, a Roman Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Hartford. The parish office is located at 44 Washington Avenue in North Haven. Families enrolled in the nursery school are encouraged to register with the parish. Sunday Mass and daily Mass recordings are available through the parish's YouTube channel.
The school follows the Archdiocese of Hartford's Office of Safe Environment protocols. All volunteers complete Virtus training and background checks. The director serves as the parish's site coordinator for these efforts.
The school is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., closed weekends and major holidays. Director Michele Adinolfi can be reached at (203) 234-9971.