ABOUT US

PTP has a new Director! Welcome Elisa Cordero!

Elisa Cordero is the new Director at Peace Through Play. She graduated with a Masters in Education in Germany 2014. She also teach at the German Language School Westwood on Saturdays. She has over a decade experience working with children and believes children need a healthy environment, lots of nature and fresh food. She offers positive guidance and teaches children to live in the moment. Wanting to make a difference in the world through providing children with this kind of environment is what drew her to this work. She loves being able to impact their young minds. Many parents are working as hard as they can to provide a good life for their family. She wants parents to be able to leave their children in a good situation with the staff at Peace Through Play, knowing their children are taken care of emotionally and developmentally. She is very happy to be the new director and to align her vision with Peace Through Play Nursery School.

Her personal hobbies and life are rooted in healthy food and active outdoor activities.

Alan Berger, Founder, Owner and former Director, lives his passion!

Ever since 1992 when he became involved in the inclusion movement - placing children with disabilities in regular education settings with support - Alan wanted to direct his own inclusive preschool where all children are welcome. This dream became a reality in September 2001.

With a Masters Degree in special education and early childhood, Montessori experience, a background in ethical education and a desire to give young children the best education possible, Alan brings an eclectic background to the philosophy of Peace Through Play.

In 2009 Alan was extremely honored to be awarded The Champion in the Trenches Award by Child Care Resources of Rockland.

Alan has two grown and wonderful daughters, one that at the age of 32 has been working at Peace Through Play for the last ten years. He is married and lives on the school property. Owning and directing Peace Through Play Nursery School is his greatest passion in life.

Testimonial from Kate Ayzenberg

Our family was introduced to Peace Through Play in 2015 by an acquaintance whose child attended the school. We were looking for a preschool for our oldest son who was curious, shy, empathetic, and kind – and we wanted to ensure we found somewhere that would nurture those qualities in a gentle and loving way. He was our first, and since he didn’t go to daycare from an early age, it was an adjustment for us as parents too: it was so important to us to feel a deep trust for the people in whose care we would leave him. Thank goodness we found Peace Through Play because they checked every single box and then some. The teachers are warm, gentle, and loving toward our children but it is evident that all of them challenge themselves intellectually outside of the classroom and bring that knowledge to our children’s level in creative ways that interest them. Students work and play together collaboratively and are given room to independently develop relationships with one another, with peaceful conflict resolution modeled as needed.

One of the absolute best qualities of PTP is their outdoor play area and how they utilize it throughout the seasons to encourage exploration and activity within the children. I love that my kids come home exhausted after a long day of outdoor play on nice days, and even my older children beg to visit the playground when picking up the younger one(s) for a quick run through.

Since finding PTP in 2015 and sending our first child there, we have enrolled all four of our children, sometimes two at once, when the time came for them to begin preschool. Our youngest is entering her second year there now and we have chosen this school over our town’s fully-funded UPK program because we believe so deeply in the value of what they are giving our young children. At the same time, we lament the fact that this type of play-based education is not more widely available in our area. I will add that during the years our children have attended, the school’s leadership has changed hands once due to retirement, but our high regard for them has not wavered and we are so grateful for the wonderful people who give their time and energy to creating such a fantastic environment.

THE STAFF of PEACE THROUGH PLAY