New Nursery School to Open in Stony Brook

When she was searching for nursery schools for her own children, Sarah Gounaris said she found schools that she liked – but not schools that she loved.

So the Commack mom, who has a degree in child development and years of experience working in preschools, decided to open her own.

"I’d been thinking about starting one for a few years and I just decided it was a great time to do it with my kids at preschool age. I could do a school that has everything I want for my kids," said Gounaris, who along with husband Tom has a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son.

Her preschool center, Mill Pond Nursery School, will open this summer for summer camp and then will start regular sessions in the fall of 2013. The facility is the parish house of All Souls Episcopal Church in Stony Brook – formerly the home of Mill Pond Preschool, which closed in 2010. The new preschool will not be affiliated with the church, unlike the previous school.

Mill Pond Nursery School will offer programs for two-, three- and four-year-olds in two- or three-hour sessions. The maximum number of students per class will be 10 children in the two-year-old class, 12 children in the three-year-old class, and 14 children in the four-year-old class.

Gounaris said she and her husband have completely renovated the interior spaces at the school, and have added new outside play equipment as well. The school will be a peanut-free school to make it safe for kids with that type of allergy. Teachers will be state certified, the snacks will be organic, and the educational setting will be play-based – including lots of art, music, cooking and outdoor play.

"There will be fun things for the kids to do to learn concepts," Gounaris said. "I don’t think kids learn very well when you recite something and have them recite it back to you. There’s no sitting at tables and doing homework. ... It’s all play based here."   

Gounaris will operate Mill Pond Nursery School as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, with a mission of helping parents save for their children's college education. Parents who open a "529 Plan" education savings account will get back a check from the preschool for 5 percent of their tuition dollars at the end of each school year.

"We want to give back to the community," she said.

While not being from the Stony Brook area has been a challenge in getting the word out about the new preschool, Gounaris said she hopes families will be able to relate to her as a parent herself.

"I understand what it’s like to find someplace safe and great for your kids," she said.