Our team is deeply dedicated to supporting families and children through the transition from Morningside into ongoing kindergarten programs. We believe that there is no single “best path” or “best school” for all children – instead, that there is a perfect fit for each child and family. We are proud of the diverse range of institutions that our students go on to attend, including public schools, independent schools, and Hunter Elementary.
Our Head of School, Alex Valentin, works together with our Exmissions Consultant, Tara Greaney, to create a comprehensive support program for families as they consider, apply, and ultimately “exmit” to an ongoing program. We provide each family with consistent and individualized support from start to finish, beginning in the spring of each child’s penultimate year before kindergarten. Some highlights include:
Personal Consultation with Alex and Tara beginning in May (18 months before your child will exmit) and continuing throughout your process
Morningside Alumni-Led Panels each autumn focusing on public and independent school programs, where past Morningside families share their experiences at ongoing schools
Morningside Independent School Info Fair with admissions directors from Manhattan independent schools
Exceptional school reports, made possible by our dedicated teachers and administrative team – all of whom take the time to connect with each child and provide invaluable anecdotes and information for the exmissions process.
Regular Event Digests sent to exmitting families, including information on independent school admission events and updates from School Search NYC, run by Robin Aronow – who is a wealth of knowledge about public school admissions.
-
Public schools: Run by the New York City Department of Education, these encompass the various P.S. programs as well as Gifted & Talented (G&T) programs, Dual-Language programs, and the Special Music School (SMS). Public schools also include charter school programs. Charter schools may have unique educational emphases or other special programs.
Hunter College Elementary School (HCES): Hunter is a unique program – it is not run by the Department of Education, but is publicly-funded and tuition-free. It has its own admission process with particular requirements and various rounds of interviews.
Independent Schools: These are schools with a tuition cost associated, often also called private schools. This group includes all independent (non-DOE-run) programs, including single-sex schools, religious schools, and others. Each school has its own admissions process, though ISAAGNY member schools’ applications have similarities.
-
Our team shares regular event digests with the current Exmissions group. We also encourage families to check school websites and social media pages – they will be your best source for up-to-date information about upcoming events, open houses, and application processes.
TARA GREANEY - EXMISSIONS CONSULTANT
Tara has more than forty years of experience in early childhood education and served as Morningside’s Head of School for five years before transitioning into a consultancy role. She is the author of Montessori at Home: A Practical Guide for Parents, and previously established and served for twenty-seven years as the Director of the Cravath Children’s Center - the first corporate childcare center in New York City. Prior to that, she was Director of the Early Program at The Caedmon School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Tara is one of the founding faculty members of the Infant Toddler Montessori teacher training program at the West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program (WSMS-TEP). She holds AMS teaching credentials at both the Early Childhood and Infant/Toddler levels and earned her M.S. in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College.
Morningside Montessori is a member of the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY). As a member, we practice the guiding principles of fair and professional admissions processes, both for our applying families, and for those applying to Kindergarten.
