Rooted in Love, Growing in Learning
A creative and nurturing early childhood program serving children 6 weeks to 5 years in the heart of Bernardsville, NJ.
The Palmer School is a nurturing early childhood education center for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years, fostering social, intellectual, and emotional growth through exploration, creativity, and play. The Palmer School emphasizes holistic development, building confidence, curiosity, and independence in a warm and welcoming environment.
Administration
Shannon Vincenti
Director
Carole Dietrich
Office Manager
Carole Dietrich has been a dedicated part of The Palmer School community for over 25 years. As Office Manager, she plays a vital role in supporting daily operations, staff coordination, and family communications. In addition to her administrative expertise, Carole is a professional photographer and generously volunteers her time each year to take student portraits. She is also a licensed real estate agent in New Jersey and Florida. Outside of work, Carole enjoys traveling and has visited most of the United States along with several international destinations.
Heather Conroy
Assistant Director/Group Leader
Program Highlights
Nature Club Wednesdays
The Nature Club focuses on outdoor, nature-based learning that fosters curiosity, empathy, connection to the environment, and hands-on discovery. Through a mix of structured and unstructured play, students will develop important skills in observation, fine motor coordination, and social interaction. The goal is to create memorable experiences that will enrich learning and foster a lifelong connection to the natural world.
Each session will be seasonally themed. For example, students will explore their surroundings with activities like “What do we see? What can we find in our playground?” etc. The program is tailored for children between the ages of 3-5years and is held on Wednesdays from 2:00-3:00pm
Hot Lunch Program
We work with Catering Solutions which offers hot and cold meal options that are available each day that school is open. They offer a number of healthy add-ons, a regular meal plus healthy snack options, whatever your child’s need, they have a solution. Parents create an account through Catering Solutions, order online, and submit payments through their secure website. https://www.mycateringsolutions.net/
Pizza Wednesdays: The Palmer School has pizza delivered each Friday from Dominic’s Pizzeria. Students may order, one , two, or three slices to have for lunch each Friday.
Students always have the option of bringing their own lunch from home if they prefer.
Updated Playground
Our newly updated outdoor play area is designed with both fun and function in mind. Featuring rubber mulch and durable astroturf, the space offers a cleaner, safer surface that supports active play and easier maintenance. Whether climbing, running, or engaging in imaginative games, children have plenty of room to move, explore, and build important social skills in a secure and thoughtfully designed environment.
Enrichment Programs
From Jr. Sports to seasonal activities, children enjoy a variety of experiences that enhance learning and build confidence.
