2015 Business Person of the Year

The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce 17th  Annual Dinner Dance and Awards Celebration – 2015 Honoree, Nancy Brophy, for the Business Person of the Year

Nancy Brophy is the founder and owner of the Tom Thumb Preschool

Nancy Brophy 2015 Honoree for Business Person of the Year

Yorktown Chamber of Commerce 17th Annual Awards Celebration

Nancy has been developing the Tom Thumb Campus for over 47 years and still not finish. She founded Tom Thumb as a private school in 1965. She has continuously expanded and enhanced the Tom Thumb Preschool to keep pace with her innovated preschool programs to its present facility of today.

In 1985, she included Dynamic Gymnastics. The campus serves children from 2 years old (Thumbelina), 3 to 5 years (Tom Thumb) and up to 18 years old at Dynamic Gymnastics. In addition, the campus offers an after-school program (Stay & Play) for elementary school children and summer camp (Catch Us If You Can).

Nancy’s goal is to provide the highest quality educational services to improve our society by helping our children reach their full potential. She is committed to her belief, “Children have their own special strengths that time and play will reveal“.

Senior Director Nancy Brophy

Nancy Brophy

Nancy Brophy is proud to be an educator and secondly a business woman that has built her business specifically serve the educational needs of children. To learn more about Nancy Brophy read the Northern Westchester Examiner’s July 21 article by clicking on Decorated Preschool Educator Going Strong 47 Years Later.

Congratulatory Mention by the Local Business Community that Knows, Likes and Trusts Nancy Brophy

Michael J. Grace, Supervisor, Town of Yorktown, message, ” We congratulate Nancy Brophy as recipient of this year’s Business Person of the Year. As owner and director of Tom Thumb Preschool, Nancy has been providing quality preschool child services to our Yorktown community for almost 50 years”

Hon. & Mrs. Salvatore A. Lagonia and Non. & Mrs. Gary J. Raniolo congratulates Nancy Brophy

Saidel & Saidel Attorneys at Law congratulates Nancy Brophy

Mount Kisco Medical Group PC congratulates Nancy Brophy

Rosanna & Al Capellini congrats to Life Achiever Nancy Brophy

New York – Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital congratulates Nancy Brophy

Events to Remember congratulates Nancy Brophy

Unicorn Contracting Corp. congratulates Nancy Brophy

Comfort Heating, Inc. congratulates Nancy Brophy

RGI Properties, Inc. congratulates Nancy Brophy

Harrison Apar Field of Dreams Foundation congratulates Nancy Brophy

Putnam County Saving Bank congratulates Nancy Brophy

Field Home A Community of Caring Services congratulates Nancy Brophy

2015 Thank You Notes from Tom Thumb Parents

2015 Thank You Notes from Tom Thumb Parents

thank you note from michelle about theie happiness with Tom Thumb

Thank you note from Michelle

This year we received a large number of thank you notes and cards. Nancy Brophy choose the top 7 “thank you notes” to publish on the website.

These notes are the voice of our customers and we consider them as valuable feedback with an important message to share with the public.

Click on parents-2015-thank-you-notes to read these original notes by our Tom Thumb parents.

Stay & Play Now Offers Gymnastics

Gymnastics classes are now part of our After School Program.

Starting in September 2015, Tom Thumbs Stay & Play Program will provide optional gymnastics classes.

  • Parents have requested this change as a fun skill activity for their kids
  • It is easy to include gymnastics as part of a kid’s after-school schedule
  • Lakeland School District students are eligible for bus drop-off for our after-school program with optional gymnastics
  • Parents may select a gymnastics class from 1 to 3 times per week
Last Years Mini Olympics

Tom Thumb students at Dynamic Gymnastics having fun

Stay & Play students participating in gymnastics classes are escorted 50 feet to Dynamic Gymnastic by our staff. Students will receive an initial assessment, collaborated improvement plan, and supervised workouts by Dynamic Gymnastics coaches. Students will appropriately use all Dynamic Gymnastics equipment and facilities as designated and supervised by the coaches. After the gymnastic class, the students are escorted back to Stay & Play by staff.

Stay & Play provide a fun and secure environment with healthy snacks, a homework table, playgrounds, an indoor gym, games, music, and dance. Now, we offer optional gymnastic classes for our current Stay & Play students and any new students that join this fall. Pickup by parents is as late as 5:30 PM.

Please call our office (941) 528-5600 for further details on how your child can enjoy a convenient and fun after-school program at a very reasonable price.

The Wizard of Oz at the Paramount In Peekskill

The Wizard of Oz at the Paramount In Peekskill

Dear Nancy,

Hope all is wonderful.

We wanted to share some exciting news with you.

Gabbie Sansone, (former Tom Thumber) has been cast in the feature role of Dorothy Gale in the Musical version of The Wizard of OZ for Jan 16 , 17 and 18th at the Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill NY.

Gabbie at 15 is the same age as Judy Garland when she played the movie role and as seen on Chanel 5 News the Authentic Yellow Brick Road is in Peekskill New York, right here in the Hudson Valley !!! Wizard of Oz Author L. Frank Baum attended Military school in the Hudson Valley and it is said the Area was the true inspiration for the book.

Gabbie Sansone, a Mohegan Lake resident & Tom Thumber, said playing Dorothy is a real treat.
I love Judy Garland and I love the movie,” Sansone said. “It’s an honor to play her part. I just hope to live up to it.”

Gabbie has been fortunate enough to land a few TV spots and to perform off-Broadway, also she did a European Tour over the summer all the while keeping her straight-A grades.

As a Tom Thumb Alumni – We believe much of Gabbie’s early introduction of music along with creative play and study at Tom Thumb helped to give her the early foundation and confidence in performing.

We know whether she is destined for Broadway or the Boardroom Gabbie will always be a Tom Thumb Kid.

Hope to see you soon, Wishes for a blessed Holiday!

Best
Deborah and Gabbie Sansone

 

Here’s a video of Gabbie singing songs from Anne at age 11 at the Paramount Center for the Arts, Peekskill NY.
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The Power of Play

Tom Thumb Cornerstone Philosophy

Learning to me has always been an adventure that brought me excitement and satisfaction as a student growing up and later as a teacher and Director of Tom Thumb. When I opened the doors of Tom Thumb Preschool in 1968, I firmly believed in the principle of “The Power of Play” as the cornerstone philosophy of our school. I have always preferred to call it, “Play is Child’s Work”.

The Power of Play

“The Power of Play” is a valuable learning method to capture a child’s attention while pursuing a fun experience. During my teaching career, it has been reinforced countless times the best way for children to learn is to allow students to take personal responsibility of the learning activity and wanting to do it. Over the 40 years at Tom Thumb, it has demonstrated the most effective, natural and intuitive way to harness the curiosity and the willingness for kids to explore and learn.

Our Tom Thumb facilities of classrooms, gym, theater, library, art & crafts room and 3 outside playgrounds have been refined over the years as learning spaces to foster and support our idea of “Play is Child’s Work”. We encourage free-play, where the child takes the initiative to decide on the type of play and with whom. We see free-play, especially strong in the playground, where a child wants to play ball with other children or prefer to play alone on the monkey bars. Without adult intervention, children decide among themselves the game to play, rules and teams. It’s always wonderful to witness and see children play and interact.

It’s been my goal as Tom Thumb’s Director to instill this way of thinking in children that learning is exciting and a fun effort of curiosity to find out something new and result in a feeling of accomplishment. I just hope our children will never lose this precious paradigm of learning as a personal activity they want to do.

With this in mind, I have come across 3 useful articles while listening to NPR that discusses how “The Power of Play” can aid in child development. Please click on the links below to learn more.

Scientists Say Child’s Play Helps Build A Better Brain

When Kids Start Playing To Win

Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills

Opening Hours have been Rolled Back to 7:00 AM

Previously we announced a change to Tom Thumb’s Opening Hours. Due to┬áthe extremely small demand by parents that have registered for the 2014 – 2015 school year for these new opening hours,┬áwe are now rolling back the start time to our original time of 7:00 AM.

Tom Thumb Preschool Before School Care will remain open at 7:00 AM. as the start time. This includes our Stay & Play Program for Elementary school-aged children starting from the 2014-2015 school year.

Tom Thumb Preschool logoFor the 2014-2015 school year, Tom Thumb Preschool’s Operating Hours are from 7:00 AM to5:30 PM.

 

If you have any questions about our new operating hours that start this fall, please call Carol (914) 528-5600 or email her at carol@www.tomthumbpreschool.dev.cc

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