Play-Based Preschool & Pre-K in Belmont, MA
BCNS Preschool is a nonprofit, Reggio-inspired preschool at 130 Common Street in Belmont, Massachusetts, serving children ages 2.9 to 5. We have been here since 1971, and children come to us from Belmont, Watertown, Arlington, and Waltham. Every child’s day is built around a morning class. Families who need more can add care from 8:15 AM until 5:00 PM.
Preschool and Pre-K Classes for Ages 2.9 to 5
Three morning classes, grouped by age and readiness rather than birthday alone: two preschool classes for ages 2.9 to 4, and a pre-K for ages 4 to 5 that is also our transitional kindergarten year for children with fall birthdays.
For younger children, Stay & Play is a Monday morning class for ages 1.9 to 2.9 with a caregiver alongside.
Our Classes
From half-day preschool & full-day pre-K to extended-day options, our schedules flex to fit your family.
Summer Programs
Our seasonal programs keep children exploring, creating, and connecting all summer long.
Our Days
Take a sneak peek into a typical day at BCNS Preschool, where play and exploration shape joyful learning.
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Child-Led, Play-Based Learning
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Family Partnership
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Nature & Neighborhood
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Warm, Experienced Teachers
A Full Day, If You Need One
Preschool schedules rarely match working hours, so ours are built with flexibility in mind. Early Care opens at 8:15. After morning class, Elm Extended Day begins with lunch from home and small-group project work, with pickup at 2:30, 4:00 or 5:00 PM.
Stacked together, that is an 8:15 AM to 5:00 PM day, and you enroll only for the weekdays you need.
A Preschool Where Curiosity & Community Grow Together
What Reggio Emilia Looks Like on a Tuesday Morning
Our curriculum is not decided in August. Teachers watch what children are actually preoccupied with and build weeks of work from it. A question that keeps coming up at the snack table can turn into a month of drawing, building, counting and writing about it.
The room does work too: natural light, real materials, and things at child height so a four-year-old can start something without asking permission. Children’s words and drawings go up on the walls, so learning is visible to them and to you.
Every Other Monday in the Woods
BCNS partners with Mass Audubon’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, a few minutes away in Belmont. Our Birch pre-K children spend every other Monday morning there with their teachers and Habitat naturalists, tracking animals, watching a pond change through the seasons, learning to move confidently over uneven ground. For Maple and Oak, Habitat naturalists come to BCNS to lead nature sessions in our own outdoor space.
Music, gym and literacy enrichment run alongside, all covered by a single annual fee: no separate sign-ups, no permission slips.
Teachers Who Stay
Our educators hold degrees in early childhood education, and several have master’s degrees. What matters more is that they know your child specifically: what helps when your child is overwhelmed, which friendship is going through something this week.
A School Families Are Part Of
BCNS was founded in 1971 as a cooperative, and the community that came from it is still the thing families talk about most. What has changed is the obligation. Participation today is genuinely optional: read to the class, help at an event, join a committee, or simply drop off and pick up. It is not a second job.
Serving Belmont, Watertown, Arlington & Waltham
Families from all over Greater Boston choose BCNS for its small class sizes, nurturing staff, and community-centered philosophy. We are conveniently located near major commuter routes and walkable neighborhoods in Belmont.
Hear From BCNS Families
Parents describe BCNS as warm, welcoming, and transformative. Their stories highlight the deep sense of connection, joy, and growth that define our school community.
Come and See
Tours run during the school day, so you see the classrooms with children in them. We are at 130 Common Street, Belmont, MA 02478, ten minutes from Arlington and Watertown centers and a short drive from Cambridge, Waltham and Lexington.
Morning tuition for 2026–27 runs from $6,830 a year for three mornings to $10,650 for five, with Early Care and Extended Day priced separately by weekday. We are a nonprofit, and scholarships of 15% to 30% are available based on family income. If cost is the thing standing between your family and this school, say so when you visit. That conversation is a normal one here.
Enrollment for 2027-2028 opens soon!
Secure your child’s spot in our warm, play-based, Reggio-inspired preschool community in Belmont, MA.
Our Story
Founded more than 50 years ago as Belmont Cooperative Nursery School, BCNS Preschool carries forward a long tradition of child-centered, community-driven early education. Our history shapes who we are today.
