A Brick Church School Classroom, 1950

The Brick Church School began on October 7, 1940 when six children arrived at the Old Parish House. Their first teacher was Mrs. Lane Boutwell. By November, the class had grown to ten. In the spring of 1942, Emily MacCormack became the school's first Director. At the same time, Paul Austin Wolfe, The Brick Church's senior minister, asked the Session to approve $500 for the burgeoning enterprise to purchase essential equipment. The teachers made the rest from orange crates salvaged from neighborhood stores. The nursery school was the first weekday school in a New York City Presbyterian Church, and learning from Dr. Wolfe's successful example, other churches followed suit. Because of the war effort mothers who were active volunteers needed help with child care and by 1943 the school's enrollment grew to fifty. One result of the war years was the proliferation of early childhood programs, and the New York City Board of Health became active in establishing standards for licensing these schools.

Though academically sound, The Brick Church School did not pass the fire safety provisions because of lack of fire escapes and was about to be closed in December, 1946. Two events led to its survival. The first was that Mrs. Andrew Carnegie, a Brick Church member and neighbor on East 91st Street (Carnegie Hill), offered to share half the expense of the construction of a new Parish House. The second was that the teachers were energetic and flexible so that during Christmas vacation they moved their classrooms to temporary quarters: the Kindergarten to the then unfinished Chapel, the Senior Nursery to the Choir Room on the balcony, and the Junior Nursery to the Deacons' Room on the second floor. Despite the disruption and inconvenience, the school survived and on October 4, 1949 the children moved into the well equipped new space. Only the orange crates were left behind.

Leaving School 1950

The school continued to prosper in its new quarters. After 31 years of leadership, Emily MacCormack retired, and was followed by Catherine Woodbridge as interim director. Joyce Dupee next led the school ably for seven years. She was succeeded in 1983 by one of her head teachers, Lydia Spinelli, who became the school's fourth director.

Fundraising commenced in 1987 with the school's first auction and continues with this biennial event and, since 1990, the Annual Fund Appeal. The success of the school's fundraising efforts has directly impacted both the quality of our early childhood program and our ability to meet and exceed our commitment to financial aid. The generosity of our parents has enabled us to hire more teachers, a consulting psychologist, a speech and language consultant, a learning specialist, and provides longevity increases and bonuses for teachers. Additional fundraising allowed for improved administrative offices, a new classroom and faculty resource room as well as improvements to the building and roof play area, and the addition of special equipment such as computers. Created in 2003 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Lydia Spinelli's leadership, the Spinelli Fund for Professional Development provides resources for teachers to attend graduate school, workshops and conferences, study grants for research and travel, and fees to join professional organizations to grow and enrich themselves as educators. After completing a strategic plan in 2005, the Faculty Fund was created in 2006. The interest from this endowment fund is enabling the school to recognize its faculty through improved compensation.

In 1990, The Brick Church School underwent an intensive self-study and in January 1991 it was accredited by The New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), the second early childhood school in the state to achieve this honor. The school joined the National Association of Independent Schools in 1994 and was reaccredited by NYSAIS in 2000 and in 2005.

Responding to a large increase in the number of young children in the congregation and on the Upper East Side, the school added a necessary afternoon class in 2004-5. It was concluded during the strategic planning process that this pilot program should continue and another afternoon class was added in 2007, changing the structure of the school so that there are now five threes classes — three in the morning and two in the afternoon. There are four fours classes and one fives class in the morning so that all four and five year olds have the option of attending three afternoons a week in addition to the morning. The increase in enrollment allows the school to continue its efforts to be as inclusive and diverse a community as possible, another primary goal of the Strategic Plan. Responding to the increased size of the school and the growing demands of ongoing school placement, the school hired Marie Fabian as assistant director in 2005 and Emily Boucher as associate director in 2008.

The School's commitment to professional development has enabled many teachers to visit the early childhood schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy.  As Brick became more and more interested in incorporating the best aspects of the Reggio approach into its program, the desire for an art studio grew.  The success of the 2009 spring auction and an anonymous matching gift made it possible to construct a studio on the 6th floor terrace of the Old Parish House in the summer of 2009. The greenhouse structure which is also a Green building in design and detailing has lots of natural light, great views and an outdoor work area.  It is a space that will inspire children on many levels and provide teachers a unique environment to nurture their creativity.

Buoyed by the strong support of The Brick Church's senior pastor, the Session of The Brick Church and a very committed Day School Committee, the school forges ahead, embracing the opportunities and challenges of the 21st Century.