NORWICH — The Norwich YMCA is starting their nursery school program once again after being shut down by the pandemic for nearly a year and a half.

Registration is currently open for three- and four-year-olds. Preschool Director Katie Voss said the children must be turning three by November 30 of this year to be eligible for enrollment. The program allows for 18 students total, according to Voss.

"We allow up to 18 [children], to keep it manageable. We'll have myself and an assistant, and then if we have the full 18 we'll have another assistant as well," said Voss.

Class schedules are flexible, and parents can choose one of three options for enrollment. Currently, the YMCA Nursery School offers Monday through Friday, Tuesday and Thursday, or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedules. Class times are from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

Registration packets are available at the YMCA front desk, or online at www.norwichymca.com. The enrollment deadline is September 1, and the first day of class is September 9.

Voss said parents can expect an enriching environment for their children, where there is a focus on hands-on learning and interpersonal skills.

"We'll do community field trips, we do a lot of learning through play, exploratory learning, and there's a lot of sensory hands-on learning that we'll do. We'll do early letter and number recognition, literacy skills, math problem solving," said Voss. "And just a lot of social skills, learning how to get along with others, and how to navigate the world with other people, and diversity."