St. Columba's Nursery School

What St. Columba's Nursery School does

St. Columba's Nursery School is a private, nonprofit early childhood education provider operating a single campus at 4201 Albemarle Street NW in Washington, DC, serving children ages 2-5 through a play-based, developmentally appropriate curriculum. Founded in 1959 and operated as the largest ministry of St. Columba's Episcopal Church, the school has run continuously for over 65 years under the governance of a Vestry-empowered Board of Governors. The school enrolls children in two core programs — the Bear Cub Program (24-30 months, half-day or traditional day) and the Traditional School Day (2.5-5 years, 8:30am-2:30pm) — and layers on three auxiliary programs (Early Arrival, 3:30 Club, Stay & Play) plus an annual three-week Summer Camp.

The curriculum stack consists of the Creative Curriculum for studies-based learning, Second Step for social-emotional development, and We Thinkers for more advanced social-thinking concepts, complemented by weekly Science and Music & Movement enrichment. A defining differentiator is the school's formal inclusion programming, led by a dedicated Director of Inclusion & Student Support, that intentionally serves children with disabilities and learning differences alongside typically developing peers. Facilities include a recently renovated (Summer 2024) playground with custom play structures, gardens, and a chicken coop, supporting a stated minimum of 1.5-2 hours of daily outdoor time.

The business model is tuition-driven and subscription-recurring, with published 2026-27 rates of $17,460-$21,370 per year for core programs and add-on auxiliaries ranging from $1,150 to $9,000 depending on program and frequency. Revenue is supplemented by the Piggy Bank Fund annual giving program (online donations, recurring monthly gifts, stock, matching gifts) and a $75 per-applicant application fee. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via scheduled Talk & Tours (October-February), the school website, community events, and church-affiliated word-of-mouth referrals. The school employs 20+ faculty and staff under Head of School Kate Murphy (since 2020).

Name

St. Columba's Nursery School

Legal name

St. Columba's Nursery School

Website

https://stcolumbasnurseryschool.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Columba's Nursery School is a nonprofit, single-campus early childhood education provider in Washington, DC, serving children ages 2-5 through a play-based curriculum with formal inclusion programming for children with disabilities, operated since 1959 as the largest ministry of St. Columba's Episcopal Church.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Full-Day Nursery Programs (EDACACAD), Nursery School Wraparound Care (Extended Hours) (EDACACAG), Center-Based Toddler Care (18–36 months) (EDACAGAB)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Nursery school programs
• Play-based preschool
• Inclusive early learning
• Summer camp for children

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington, Washington DC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition - Bear Cub Classes: Tuition revenue for 2-2.5 year old program with half-day and full-day options. Half-Day (5 days): $17,460/year; Traditional Day (5 days): $21,370/year.
2. Tuition - Traditional Day: Tuition for 2.5-5 year olds attending 5 days per week from 8:30am-2:30pm. Rate: $20,100/year.
3. Auxiliary Programming: Early Arrival (8:00-8:30am), 3:30 Club (2:30-3:30pm), and Stay & Play (2:30-5:30pm) offered as add-on programs. Revenue ranges from $1,150-$9,000 depending on program and frequency.
4. Summer Camp: 3-week summer camp session for 2.5-5 year olds at $1,350 total. Includes water play, creative arts, outdoor exploration, and pizza parties.
5. Piggy Bank Fund (Annual Fund): Annual fundraising from parents, grandparents, alumni, parents of alumni, and friends to support school operations and programming. Includes online donations, checks, text-to-give, recurring monthly gifts, stock donations, and matching gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Columba's Nursery School is a private, nonprofit early childhood education provider serving children ages 2-5 at a single campus in Washington, DC. It delivers play-based, research-driven instruction through its Traditional School Day (5 days/week, 8:30am-2:30pm) and the younger Bear Cub Program (2-2.5 years), supported by an inclusive education model that integrates children with disabilities and learning differences. Revenue is generated through annual tuition, optional extended-day add-ons (Early Arrival, 3:30 Club, Stay & Play), a $75 application fee, a 3-week summer camp, and an annual Piggy Bank giving fund.

Product overview

St. Columba's Nursery School is a single-site early childhood education provider offering a unified play-based program for children ages 2-5. The core offerings include the Traditional School Day program and the Bear Cub Program for younger toddlers (24-30 months). Auxiliary programming includes Early Arrival, 3:30 Club, and Stay & Play for extended supervision needs. The school also operates a seasonal Summer Camp. All programs emphasize the Creative Curriculum for studies-based learning, Second Step for social-emotional development, and extensive outdoor play. The school serves as the largest ministry of St. Columba's Episcopal Church and has operated since 1959.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional School Day Program Full-day (8:30am-2:30pm, Monday-Friday) play-based early childhood program for children ages 2-5, including Circle Time, Choice Time, Read Aloud, outdoor play, and weekly Science and Music & Movement enrichment. Tuition is $20,100 per year for the 2026-27 school year.
• Bear Cub Program
• Summer Camp 3-week summer camp for ages 2.5-5, scheduled June 8-26 (no camp 6/19), 8:30am-2:30pm. Includes daily water play, creative art projects, outdoor exploration, sand and water activities, creek exploration, gardening, and games. Priced at $1,350 total.
• Piggy Bank Fund (Annual Fund)

Quantifiable outcome

• Children learn to make and be a friend
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Growing Minds Center for Child and Family TherapyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 November 2025Child & Family Therapist Orly Zimmerman led a parent education workshop on potty learning for school families.
• St. Columba's Episcopal ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. Columba's Nursery School is the largest ministry of St. Columba's Episcopal Church. The Vestry empowers the Board of Governors to oversee the school. The school is aligned with the Church's mission and values, including commitment to being an anti-racist nursery school, serving others, and ending homelessness. Children participate in 'Get Together' (similar to Chapel) weekly.
• Friendship PlaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly service learning program where children create snack packs that are delivered to Friendship Place, a neighboring non-profit supporting people experiencing homelessness. Children learn about homelessness in developmentally appropriate ways.
• St. Philip's Child Development CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual holiday drive collects gifts for underserved children at St. Philip's Child Development Center in Anacostia.
• DC Diaper BankminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool community collects diapers for the DC Diaper Bank as part of service learning and community outreach.
• The River SchoolminorOthersNancy Schwartz, Director of Inclusion & Student Support, previously served as Director of Preschool Programs at The River School before joining St. Columba's in 2021.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Barrie School: Silver Spring, MD (DC metro) progressive private school with a Lower School serving early childhood. Comparable on progressive, play-based pedagogy in the DC metro market.
• Sidwell Friends School: Elite DC private Quaker school with a Lower School serving young children. Comparable premium DC positioning but serves a much broader grade range and endowment.
• Norwood School: Bethesda, MD private school (DC metro) with a Lower School serving young children. Comparable play-based progressive values in the DC private school market.
• Georgetown Day School: DC progressive private school with a strong early-childhood division. Overlaps in progressive/inclusive values and DC private-school market but serves a much broader grade range.
• Lab School of Washington: DC private school specializing in students with learning differences. Comparable on the inclusion-of-learning-differences mission but operates K-12 rather than preschool-only.

Emerging players

• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Largest for-profit provider of employer-sponsored early childhood education with multiple DC-area centers. Competes for the same families with extended-hours care and corporate-subsidized tuition, though differentiated by scale and corporate model.

Regional players

• Primrose Schools: National private preschool franchise with select DC-area locations. Comparable age band and tuition band; competes primarily on convenience and extended hours rather than inclusion specialization.

Direct peers

• National Child Research Center: Long-established DC private preschool (founded 1928) serving young children with a research-based, play-oriented curriculum; directly comparable in mission, age range, and DC private-school positioning to St. Columba's.
• The River School: DC-area inclusive preschool serving children with and without learning differences; explicitly cited in St. Columba's data (former employer of Director of Inclusion Nancy Schwartz). Closest direct comparable on inclusive mission and age band.
• St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School: Episcopal-affiliated private day school in DC serving early childhood through middle school. Comparable on Episcopal/church-affiliated mission, DC location, and private-school pricing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st.-columba's-nursery-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St. Columba's Nursery School