All students entering grades K- 5 must take an entrance exam.

Building: (as of the 2022-2023 School Year)

*All locations are closed Saturdays & Sundays.

Our average class size is 18 students, but it may also depend on the program itself.

All students are required to wear their uniform, which must be labeled with their name, throughout the academic year (September – June). Preschool children must also have an extra set of labeled clothing as required by the NYC Health Code. The center is not responsible for stolen articles or improperly marked clothing.   

Boys: Yellow shirt, green pants, green cardigan & #83 plaid tie.

Girls: Yellow blouse, #83 plaid v-neck or bib-front jumper, green cardigan, and #83 plaid tie.

Academy Girls (3rd grade and higher): yellow blouse, #83 plaid skirts, green blazer, and #83 plaid tie.

A price list from Ideal can be found under "Other Documents" for our "Documents & Forms" section of the Overview. Our uniforms are also sold by Cookies.

On Fridays, Pre-School children are not required to wear their uniforms. Instead, they can dress down in our Cortelyou Shirts and appropriate attire, such as jeans, dresses, pants, etc. Children are not permitted to wear articles of clothing that contain lewd or offensive language and symbols. The summer months (July & August) are typically dress down.

Elementary School students MUST wear their gym uniforms and Cortelyou Shirts on Fridays.

Summer Camp students should come with their camp t-shirts everyday throughout the summer.

Yes. Currently, birthday parties are only held on Fridays. If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday with his/her classmates, you may have permission to do so provided we are notified at least one week in advance of the day you’d like to celebrate.

Lunchtime or the afternoon snack period are the only times when this activity will be allowed. The hosting parent may bring in party favors, grab bags, and/or provide a festive, nutritious meal that meets the Department of Health standards. In the past, class parties have been a welcome treat for the students. We would be happy to offer suggestions or assist in any such planning.

Parents hosting birthday parties must refrain from including peanuts or anything containing peanuts in party favors, grab bags or food. Some children are extremely allergic to peanuts and peanut products, and will have an allergic reaction should they eat or come in contact with these products.

Also, please do not include toy guns/weapons in party favors or grab bags. While we understand that these are toys, any implication of violence is not condoned at Cortelyou.

Payments can be made in cash, check, money order, credit/debit card or certified check. PLEASE NOTE: There is a service charge for making payments with a credit/debit card.

Our EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) program allows parents to provide us a payment method that will be used to automatically process payments for when they are due. Service charges for Credit/Debit card payments still apply. However, there is no service charge for checking/savings account payments (ACH)! Please click here for a sign-up form or contact us for more information.

Note: As of 2020, CECC is encouraging the use of more contactless payments due to health & safety precautions, including: 

Tuition is due by the 5th of every month. There is a late fee of $50 if tuition is received after the 5th ($30 for After School). If payments are not received by the 15th of the month, your childcare services will be subject to suspension.

Please visit the "Tuition & Financial Aid" tab to learn more about our partnership with Children's Scholarship Fund, who provides scholarships to families in need from Kindergarten Through 5th Grade.

Based on the CACFP Income Eligibility Guidelines, families can either qualify as Free, Reduced for Paid for meals provided. However, there is no separate charge for the meals that are provided regardless of how the family qualifies.

It's delicious! Faculty, staff and students all eat from our cafeteria, where we serve everything from barbeque chicken to Lo mein. Hot breakfast and lunch are available every day, with many healthy snack choices. There are vegetarian options available and we also have "Meatless Mondays" each week. Students can choose to bring lunch from home, or eat available school meals. See a sample menu here!