Westminster Nursery School History

The nursery school opened with 18 children in the fall of 1952, and was originally called the "Weekday Nursery School at Second Presbyterian Church."

Barbara Cook Clements was one of the founding board members, and remembers, "With the closing of Logan School, a private elementary school, several small groups of former preschool children were accommodated, some by Betty (Johnson) Groben in her home, and others meeting in parents' homes on a rotating basis with a teacher. To meet the needs of these children on a more permanent basis, Mrs. Groben and I approached the Session of Second Presbyterian Church requesting permission of the use of the Sunday School facilities for a permanent preschool." Both Betty and Barbara, along with another early board member Phyllis (Woodruff) Diephouse, were lifelong members of Second Presbyterian.

Early records reflect that the Session approved the new nursery school venture after "much discussion and convincing." Barbara remembers that the senior Session members (all male) had many misgivings about the appropriateness of mothers leaving their young children in someone else's care several mornings a week.

The school was open to 3 and 4 year old children of all faiths. It was governed by a board of directors, with a majority of the board being members of Second Presbyterian, and others being parents and community members. The school provided transportation for students, with Phyllis Diephouse acting as chauffeur in the early years, transporting most of the children to and from school.

By the late 50's and early 60's, the school had grown to the point where it had a waiting list. Afternoon classes were added to meet the demand.
In 1968, Second Presbyterian Church merged with Westminster Church, a smaller congregation from the city's west side. Westminster closed its building and the newly merged churches united at Second's William Street site, but took the name of Westminster Presbyterian Church. At the same time, the Weekday Nursery School changed its name to Westminster Nursery School.

In the early 90's, the school applied for and was granted a "Charter in the First Instance" from the New York State Department of Education. At about the same time, the school added a two day toddler class for two year olds. Three and four year olds can attend 2, 3, or 5 day sessions.