Marking Day Nursery's 20th Year

by Anusha Shrivastava

Children call her "Big Sara" even though she is very petite, standing all of four feet and a few inches. A handyman who came looking for her asked for "the little girl who runs the Day Nursery" even though she is a grandmother, sporting short salt-and-pepper hair. A colleague mildly hints at her being a "control freak." Young mothers see her as a role model. Her past pupils remember her as being "very sweet." Marcia Ellis, a teacher in her school, says she is best described as a "universal Mommy." She thinks she is just "a very organized person" who likes to "be present for everyone – parents, teachers and children." Clearly, Sara Seiden, the Director of the Roosevelt Island Day Nursery, is a woman of many parts.

Sara lives in Forest Hills with her husband of thirty-eight years, Henry Seiden, a clinical psychologist. She has two grown-up sons who are married. Sara studied in various public schools in New York and graduated from Barnard College. Armed with a degree from Teacher’s College at Columbia University, Sara took over the Day Nursery in 1979 when the school became an incorporated entity. She had been running her own nursery school for over eight years prior to this assignment. "I like to think I have grown a good school to which people send their children because of its merit and not only because it is a neighborhood school," she says.

Take, for instance, the case of Lauralee Schreiber. By her own admission, Lauralee is the "overprotective parent of a three-year-old." "I was willing to snoop around schools, unseen, before I could decide where to send Zo," she admits. "Sending one’s child to the correct school is the most passionate decision one can make because you are entrusting your child to someone else. For me, meeting Sara was the deciding factor, as she put to rest all my fears and apprehensions." That is the kind of confidence Sara Seiden and "her" school inspire in people.

Sara’s educational philosophy is very clear. "Education," she says, "should be child-centered and developmentally appropriate. I want children to feel that school is a happy, exciting place to be, where they can feel safe, successful and nurtured. Since this is their first school experience, it should be a happy one, where their emotional, social and cognitive development is taken care of. They should be able to make independent choices, interact and live with their peers and move smoothly to their next developmental stage." Helke Taeger, Sara’s administrative assistant of nineteen years, points out that Sara is particular about things that are age-appropriate. "She believes in hands-on experiments and fantasy playing. Some parents don’t see eye-to-eye with her as they feel this is not structured enough. Since she has strong opinions on the issue, there is some friction, but if there is one thing Sara is not, she is not meek."

Going on to describe Sara further, Taeger says Sara has "a lot of energy and has really extended herself. Roosevelt Island should count itself fortunate. Sara has created a nursery school second to none. She is fighting to get more aid for the school as enrollment is down. This is because of changing demographics. People in Rivercross have grown old, so fewer children attend from that building. Those who live in Manhattan Park pay such high rents that they can often not afford to pay our fees. Sara personally helps and guides parents so that they can apply for scholarships."

"She is great to work for, as she is very fair and very supportive." adds Taeger. "She has a way with children, being able to calm them down when they are upset or angry." Wanting to have direct contact with every student in the school, Sara takes a music class for them, where she plays the drums and recites nursery rhymes. "There is something delicious about kids," says she. "They are direct, warm and forthright, and that is why I love working with them."

Christina Kirkman, 15, and her brother, Michael, 14, went to the Day Nursery almost a decade ago. They still drop in to visit Sara. "My general impression as a child was that Sara was always there for you," says Christina. Michael thinks before saying, "Sara is a very tender and sweet lady who really cares for children."

Nellie Negrin Finnegan, a former school Board member and teacher whose sons went to the school almost twenty years ago, reminisces, "As part of the activities of the Board, Sara started the Kiddy Olympics at the school. Sara insisted that all kids would win, not just those who got the top three spots. Kids got wonderful pleasure out of it. Not only that, I remember that in all of this, Sara handled anxious parents very well, too. Sara is a rare combination of administrator who is professionally and personally very well suited to understanding and running a diverse organization. She has constantly worked to improve the physical setup of the school. Often, she had to go after the powers that be and, though she pushed them, she never alienated them. These efforts directly affected the quality of care the kids got."

Sara thinks the school is small enough as an institution for her to enjoy running it. "It is continually refreshing to work here. There are new challenges every day, so it is never boring. I am totally absorbed by it all and I think it is very satisfying work. My personal goal is to keep the school viable and a growing institution. The Island is endlessly fascinating in that it has a large international community, and I want to make the school a reflection of this nature."

Sara’s assistant, Helke Taeger, believes there should be "a parade for her on Main Street." For now, to show appreciation for all her efforts in running the school so well and to mark her 20th year at the school, a party is being organized for Sara on Sunday, May 1, at the Manhattan Park Community Room. The party will serve as a fund-raiser for the school. Tickets are $23 per person, and can be picked up at the Day Nursery, 545 Main Street. Drinks, hors d’oeuvres and dessert will be served. For information, 593-0750.