Battery Park City Day Nursery
215 South End Ave.
212-945-0088
This bright, downtown child-care center accepts tots from 1 to 5 years old and employs a mix of developmentally appropriate instruction and playtime (weather permitting, in a sunny outdoor space). Group activities focus on language and vocabulary-building. Morning, afternoon, and full-day programs available for $465 to $1,200 per month.

Ridig the slides at Bright Horizons Children's Center. (Photo Credit: Kristine Larsen)

The Brownstone School
128 W. 80th St., near Columbus Ave.
212-874-1341
For over 40 years, the Brownstone School, located in, yes, a classic brownstone, has been a second home for Upper West Side tadpoles. Prekindergarten activities—storytelling, music, reading, and movement—are available to children ages 2 to 5; an after-school program offers cooking, poetry, and drama clubs. Instructors have master’s degrees in early-childhood development. Bonus: There’s an outdoor play space, complete with a double slide and monkey bars. Prices for a ten-month term range from $5,250 for two half-days a week to $16,170 for five full days. Student-teacher ratio averages six to one.

Buckle My Shoe Learning Center
40 Worth St., near Church St.
212-374-1489
230 W. 13th St., near Seventh Ave.
212-807-0518
bucklemyshoe.org
For 23 years, Buckle My Shoe has supervised children aged 3 months to 51⁄2 years, building on the Reggio Emilia approach, which encourages plenty of parental involvement. Instructors at the two locations (one in a sunny, nine-classroom facility on Worth Street and the other in a carriage house in the Village) get kids ready for kindergarten with activities that include letter and sound recognition, team playing, and social-skills building. Parents register during open houses that run through August, and weekly tours are available. Prices for the full-time ten-month term are from $14,250 to $15,900, depending on the age and number of visits. Student-teacher ratio varies with age groups.

Children’s Community Workshop
4821 Eighth Ave., at 49th St., Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-435-3769
Children ages 2 to 5 have plenty of space to roam at this 25-year-old center. From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., preschoolers learn the alphabet, listen to stories, and play outdoor games in the backyard; each month is devoted to a theme (in the rainy days of last April, they learned about plants and how weather makes things grow). Around 50 children register per year; parents pay $112 a week per child, with no obligation to stay the full term. Student-teacher ratio is around six to one.

Columbus Preschool & Gym
606 Columbus Ave., near 89th St.
212-721-0090
Children ages 2 to 5 are introduced to science, woodworking, cooking, and dramatic arts at this five-room center. Toddlers (6 months and up) and kids up to age 12 can also take junior gymnastics lessons from a certified tumbler on staff. During the ten-month preschool program, prices range from $6,500 for two days a week to $14,750 for five days a week. Applications may be requested by calling the school. Student-teacher ratio varies with age groups.

Educare Early Childhood Center
484 Second Ave., at 28th St., second fl.
212-679-2393 (ages 2–5)
320 E. 26th St., near First Ave.
212-779-2650 (ages 5–10)
bellevuedaycarecenter.org
Recently awarded the Department of Education’s Outstanding Early Childhood Program award, this 32-year-old program accepts 100 children per term. Youngsters play with building blocks, dance, and color, or learn computer games, play with instruments, and explore woodworking. Prices range from $7 per hour for 2-year-olds to $6 per hour for 3-to-10-year-olds; parents can opt to pay monthly rates, which range from $391 for part-time care to $900 for full-time. Student-teacher ratio ranges from three to one to six to one.

Manhattan Kids’ Club
21 E. 13th St., near Fifth Ave.
212-741-7292
Manhattan Kids’ Club II
629 E. 14th St., near Ave. B
212-533-1977
The preschool program at these multiroom centers offers field trips to the Central Park Zoo and the aquarium, plus baking classes, movement classes, music, Spanish instruction, and computer games for children 3 to 5 years old. The center takes infants as young as 3 months; monthly prices range from $645 for two days a week to $1,400 for five days a week. Student-teacher ratio varies with age groups.

Pike Street School Age Day Care Center
P.S. 2, 122 Henry St., at Pike St., Rm. 109
212-587-0912
Older children (ages 6 to 12) study, cook, sew, tumble, and visit museums during Pike Street’s after-school programs, which generally run from 3 to 6 p.m. during the school year. About 110 children are registered per year and are separated (by age group) into five rooms. Parents should contact the school for prices. Student-teacher ratio is eleven to one.

Red Balloon Day Care Center
560 Riverside Dr., near 125th St.
212-663-9006
With an outdoor play deck and indoor gymnasium, Red Balloon offers children ages 2 to 5 plenty of space to romp and flex. The 32-year-old program is located in a Columbia University–owned residential apartment, where each age group has its own classroom. There’s also a kitchen and a big library for beginner readers; about 48 kids are registered at a time. Prices for the five-day-a-week program are $1,270 a month for 2-year-olds, $1,050 for kids 3 to 5. Student-teacher ratio varies with age groups.

Tickles Daycare, Inc.
165 Sterling St., near Bedford Ave., East Flatbush, Brooklyn
718-703-0547
276 Rutland Rd., near Rogers Ave., East Flatbush, Brooklyn
718-771-2061
Owner and director Patricia Johnson opened her smallish East Flatbush center ten years ago, providing preschool and after-school programs to little Brooklynites. There are 26 kids split into two five-room homes, one for infants ages 6 weeks to 2 years, the other for kids 3 to 5. Instructors usually start the day by discussing current events (weather, sports, news) and end with math, arts and crafts, computer learning, and a little exercise and dance. Weekly prices are $150 per child. Student-teacher ratio is about five to one.