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The Kensington Nursery School








March 2006
The Kensington Nursery School
66 Years of Families and Children
by Sara Phang
For 66 years, Kensington and area families and their children
have loved the Kensington Nursery School. The school, located
at 3202 Decatur Avenue, is tucked behind the Kensington Heights
Park.
Kensington Nursery School is the oldest co-operative nursery
school in Montgomery County, with classes for preschool children
ages 2 to 4 and an emphasis on family participation. The school
also provides an extended day program. It has 60 to 65 children
at any one time, with about 60 families contributing. KNS is
dedicated to providing a nurturing and enriching environment for
preschool children and their families.
Kensington Nursery School is an independent co-operative
institution, funded, staffed (besides three full-time teachers), and
supported by the parents of students. President Bonnie Lutz says
that we are proud of keeping tuition low because parents do a lot
of the work. Parents pitch in, overseeing class activities, cleaning,
and maintaining the school.
Families contribute snacks, art, and play materials, as well
as toys and picture books. In addition, parents contribute their
particular talents. A parent with artistic talents adorned the Sand
Room with paintings of fossils and living animals. One of the
childrens bathrooms features a deep-sea mural with brightly
colored fish swimming in blue water. One father built the shelves
for the picture book library.









continued inside
New Preschool:
Audubon Nature
Preschool
The Audubon Nature
Preschool is a 5-day program
for children who are 4 years
old by September 1 of the
entering year. Each days
program runs from 9 a.m. to
12 noon, September through
the end of May. The school
is located in the Edwin Way
Teale Learning Center at
the Woodend Sanctuary
of the Audubon Naturalist
Society (ANS) in Chevy
Chase, Maryland. The 40-
acre outdoor environment
and the Learning Center
serve as natural places for
language, artistic, and musical
expression, as well as scientific
observations and discoveries.
Activities also encourage
cooperative learning and social
competence. Leaders include
a teacher-director experienced
in early childhood education,
staff naturalists, and a Storyteller-
in-Residence. Information and
applications are available at
www.audubonnaturalist.org
or by calling 301-652-9188 x16 Gary Dittos Newsletter welcomes ideas and news items from community
members. The writers and editors are from Kensington Communications.
Sara Phang helped with this issue.
Kensington Nursery School
continued
Other parents manage
community outreach, the
school newsletter and web
site, and fundraising. KNS
ensures that parents who
co-op classes are aware of
the progressive philosophy of
the school. Working parents
negotiate time off to contribute
to the school. As Helene Segal-Turner, the Director,
says, we try to use our parents talents, whatever they
are.
This high degree of family involvement has proved
a formula for devotion to the Kensington Nursery
School, lasting through the generations. Alumni of
the school who remain in the Montgomery County
area enroll their children in the school. The schools
connections with the Kensington community are
reinforced by KNSs Fall Festival and its appearance
in the Labor Day Parade, as well as by school trips to
Kensington landmarks such as the Noyes Library and
the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department.
The school is the oldest co-operative nursery school
in Montgomery County, opening on November 27,
1939. Formed by Kensington parents, it was then called
the Kensington Play Group. It met in the Kensington
Junior High School near Saul Road and Kensington
Parkway, now the location of the Kensington Park
Retirement Community. At this time the school had 25
students and cost five dollars per month.
In 1940 the school changed its name to Kensington
Cooperative Nursery School and began meeting in the
Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church. A cake sale that
year raised $26 towards the operation of the school.
KNS moved back to Kensington Junior High for a few
years, and later, until 1957, met in private homes and
the parish house of the Christ Episcopal Church, the
Garrett Park Recreation Center, Mount Zion Baptist
Church in Bethesda, and the Homewood Recreational
Center.
Glimpses of the times are preserved in the schools
scrapbooks from the 1940s. During the Second World
War, the students participated in air raid drills and
rationing. To save paper, paper napkins for snacks
were cut into eighths. To save metal, parents sent
back the paper clips that went home with handouts.
After the war, the school collected old clothes to send
to Germany. The school acquired a Victrola, an early
brand of record player, in 1948-49. Students again
practiced air raid drills during the Korean War in the
early 1950s.
(This story of Kensington Nursery School will continue
in a future issue. Our thanks to the school for providing
the information and materials. For more information
about KNS and its programs, call 301-933-0041.)
Mulch Madness
St. Pauls United Methodist Church in
Kensington is conducting a mulch sale
to raise funds to support the youth group
and fund projects at the church. Shredded
hardwood mulch in 3-cubic-foot bags can be ordered for
delivery to your home for $4 per bag. At local prices this is
like having your mulch delivered for a penny per bag.
If you would like to take advantage of this convenient
delivery opportunity, please contact Paul Beck at 301-461-
4888 or at paulbeck01@comcast.net. Orders are being
accepted until March 26 for delivery the weekend of April 1.
Enjoy The Womans Club of Chevy Chase
31st Annual

Community Art Show & Sale
March 24, 25, & 26, 2006
FreeOpen to the Public
Friday from 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and
Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. At the Womans Club of Chevy Chase,
7931 Connecticut Ave., Chevy Chase, Maryland. This show
provides local artists an opportunity to exhibit their work in
a judged show. Lst year over 150 local artists submitted 320
works in varied mediums, including oils/acrylics, photography,
pastels, portraits, watercolors, miniatures, drawings, and
more. The show benefits the art scholarship program of the
Womans Club. Last year it supported $2,300 in scholarships
at Montgomery College and in youth art programs. For
information, call 301-652-8480.
Free Parent Education Program
Teaching Your Child To Care About Others
Monday, March 27, 2006, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
At the Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Road, Bethesda.
Sponsored by YMCA Youth & Family Services. Developing
your childs social interest or interest in the
interests of others leads your child towards the
positive goals of contribution and belonging.
For more information about this free event,
as well more parent education workshops,
call Pam Mintz, YMCA Parent Education
Coordinator, at 301-229-1347.
Linens Needed for
Interfaith Clothing Centers
Are you refurbishing your linen closet with new sheets,
blankets, towels, or pillows? Please donate your gently
used linens to the clothing centers provided by the interfaith
nonprofit Community Ministry of Montgomery County.
Drop off your donations at either the Interfaith Clothing
Center, 751 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville (301-424-3796)
or Upcounty Interfaith Clothing Center, 620 East Diamond
Avenue, Gaithersburg (301-977-1267). At the Kensington Park Library
Saturday, March 25, 2006 at 11 a.m. Small One-ders. Rhymes,
songs, and flannel board stories for you and your child. Ages
12 months to 24 months. Please preregister at 240-773-9515.
Saturday, March, 25, 2006 at 3 p.m. Israeli Folk Dancing.
The Or Ha-Olam Dancers present Israeli folk and circle
dancing. The entire family is invited to participate in several
of the dances. All ages.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006 at 11 a.m. Book Talk. Helen Sun,
a Kensington Park Library Associate, discusses Ha Jins War
Trash
. 11 a.m. to noon. Adults.
More Spring Events
Women Building Bridges.

Saturday, April 1, 2006, is the date of the
26th Annual Montgomery County Womens Fair. A
leading forum on womens issues, the Fair features
a wide choice of workshops, a keynote speaker,
exhibits, and networking opportunities. The Fair
will take place at the Bethesda North Marriott
Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, North
Bethesda, Maryland from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The
fee is $30 at the door. Call 301- 649-5551 or, for
program details and advance registration, visit
www.mcwomensfair.org.
The Caregivers Conference.
Wednesday,
May 3, 2006
.

The 10th Annual Caregivers
Conference, sponsored by the interfaith nonprofit
Community Ministry of Montgomery County, will
bring together leaders of community nonprofits,
congregations, and public agencies to discuss
resources and services for people in need. This
day-long conference will be held at Temple Beth
Ami on 14330 Travilah Road in Rockville from
8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information about
CMMCs services, including the Interfaith Clothing
Centers, visit www.communityministrymc.org.
The Audubon Nature Fair
returns to
Woodend on Sunday, May 7, 2006. Celebrate and
learn about the wonders of nature. The Fair features
fun activities for the entire family: activities, music,
and storytelling. Plus a food court, crafts and garden
marketplace, native plant sale, and organic farmers
market. 11