Quick Summary
ABC Preschool has served families since 1956, building relationships that now span multiple generations. Some former students have returned as parents to enroll their own children, reflecting decades of trust within the Queens community. While early education has evolved, ABC Preschool has maintained its focus on play-based learning, safety, qualified teachers, and strong family relationships while expanding its programs and facilities to meet the needs of today’s children.
When a family sets out to find the best preschool Queens NY can offer, they are rarely just comparing brochures, since what most parents really want is a place they can trust with the most important little person in their life. Longevity is one honest signal of that trust, and it is not something a school can fake or rush.
We have been welcoming children in Woodside since 1956. Over that time the neighborhood has changed, the families have changed, and early education itself has changed, yet a good number of the parents enrolling with us now are the children and grandchildren of families we served decades ago. Here is a look at what that kind of continuity actually takes.
Rooted in Woodside Since 1956
Longevity in a New York City preschool is genuinely rare, since programs open and close all the time, and the ones that last tend to do so for a reason. Our doors on Laurel Hill Boulevard have stayed open through almost seventy years of change in Queens.
That staying power is not an accident. It comes from doing the ordinary things reliably, year after year: keeping children safe, treating families like neighbors, and building a program that parents feel comfortable recommending to the family down the block. A preschool that manages that quietly becomes part of the fabric of its neighborhood.
What Three Generations Really Means
It is one thing to say a school is old, and another for a parent to hand you their child because you once cared for them. That is the part we do not take lightly.
Across the years we have watched former students grow up and come back as parents, choosing the same classrooms and playground they remember for their own toddlers. When a grandparent, a parent, and now a child have all spent their early years in the same building, it says something no marketing line can: that the experience was worth returning to. That kind of loyalty is, more than anything, the measure we hold ourselves to.
What Has Stayed the Same
Plenty about early education has evolved since the 1950s, but the things that make a preschool feel safe and loving have not, and those are the things we have protected.
We have always run on a warm, family-like feel rather than an institutional one, where teachers know each child by name and parents are treated as partners. Our approach still rests on the simple idea that young children learn best through play, with hands-on activities that meet each child where they are. And we have always held to real standards, staying licensed by the NYC Department of Health and aligned with Department of Education expectations, so that warmth never comes at the cost of safety or quality.
What Has Grown Over the Years
Staying the same at heart has not meant standing still, and a school that lasts this long has to keep investing in the experience it offers.
Today’s ABC looks after children through several stages, from our toddler program in Woodside for the youngest learners up through our 3-K for All program and our Pre-K for All program for ages four and five. Along the way the campus itself has grown into something few city preschools can match: a seven-thousand-square-foot outdoor playground, an on-site kitchen where a licensed chef prepares fresh meals each day, an indoor gym for active play, and a dedicated performance stage where children put on shows for their families.
Why History Still Matters When You Choose a Preschool
A long track record is not the only thing that makes a great preschool, but it is a signal worth weighing seriously. It means a program has been tested by time and by thousands of families, and has kept earning its place.
For parents comparing options across Queens, that history offers a kind of reassurance that a brand-new program simply cannot. It says the teachers, the routines, and the safety practices have all been refined over decades of real children and real families, rather than theorized on paper. When you are deciding who gets your child’s first years, that hard-won experience counts for a great deal.
Come See Where Three Generations Grew Up
A preschool’s history only means something once you feel it in person, in the classrooms, the playground, and the way the staff greet your child. If you are looking for the kind of preschool Queens families come back to, we would love to show you around. Call ABC Preschool at (718) 672-2424 to schedule a tour and see whether our Woodside home feels right for your family.
FAQs
What makes a preschool the best choice in Queens, NY?
The best preschool for your family blends safety, warmth, qualified teachers, and a program that fits your child, rather than any single flashy feature. Look for proper licensing, a play-based approach suited to young children, clean and secure facilities, and staff who clearly know each child. A long, stable history in the neighborhood is another strong signal, since it shows a program families have trusted and returned to over many years.
How long has ABC Preschool been operating?
ABC Preschool has served families in Woodside, Queens since 1956. That nearly seventy-year history is one of the things families tell us they value most, because some of the parents enrolling their toddlers today attended the school themselves as children. Longevity like that reflects a program that has kept earning the trust of the neighborhood across several generations rather than a newer, untested operation.
What programs do you offer for young children?
We care for children through several early stages, including a toddler program for our youngest learners, a 3-K for All program, and a Pre-K for All program for four- and five-year-olds. We also run an eight-week summer program during July and August. Each stage uses a play-based approach and shares the same facilities, from the outdoor playground to the on-site kitchen, so children grow up in a familiar, consistent environment.
