Horace Mann School

Horace Mann’s Nursery Division describes an early-childhood program that treats children as active, competent learners and recognizes families as key partners, with days designed around rich experiences that build on children’s interests while sparking curiosity. Teachers collaborate to create a child-centered, hands-on, integrated curriculum (e.g., literacy, math, science, arts, music/movement) in which children investigate topics through observation, experimentation, and exploration. The Division also emphasizes social-emotional learning, including use of Yale’s research-based RULER framework, and highlights an emergent curriculum inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach that elevates children’s voices in shaping what the class studies.

Horace Mann’s Nursery/Kindergarten application is submitted through the Ravenna Admissions Portal (for 2026–2027, applications open August 4, 2025; application deadline November 15, 2025) and includes a non-refundable $60 fee ($25 for financial-aid applicants with a specified waiver code). Interviews are required, and to guarantee a child playgroup/interview and parent interview, families must submit the application and be scheduled by October 15, 2025 (later applicants may be offered interviews only if space remains). Kindergarten applicants must also complete the First Look Insights online assessment (registration begins September 15, 2025; results due January 15, 2026), while Pre-K and Kindergarten also require a confidential school report from the child’s current teacher; all required materials (including the parent statement and interview) must be complete by January 15, 2026. Financial aid is handled via the Clarity application (available after September 4, 2025; deadline November 15, 2025), and decisions are typically released in February (Kindergarten in the first week; Threes/Pre-K shortly after Presidents’ Weekend). The school notes a strict September 1 age cutoff for Threes/Pre-K/Kindergarten entry and requires Nursery Division students to be fully potty trained; the published Nursery/Kindergarten admissions materials do not state any formal waitlist process or explicit priority/preference categories.