Practical Wisdom for Parents : Raising Self-Confident Children in the Preschool Years

This reassuring guide to navigating nursery school life-both at home and in the classroom-is the most comprehensive book on the subject. Nancy Schulman and Ellen Birnbaum draw on their decades of experience at the 92nd Street Y Nursery School to respond to parents' hunger for practical information on a wide range of topics, including:

• What to look for in a preschool
• Strategies for separation, discipline, toilet training, and bedtime
• The best toys, books, and activities at every stage
• How to stimulate your children without overscheduling them
• Ways to talk about difficult topics like divorce, illness, or death
• How to support your child's social and intellectual development

Schulman and Birnbaum have devoted their lives to listening to and understanding young children, and the advice they offer is as warm and humorous as it is comforting and wise.

Nancy Schulman has been the director of the 92nd Street Y Nursery School since 1990. She is also on the board of the Independent School Admissions Association of Greater New York, the Syracuse University School of Education Advisory Board, and the NYU Child Study Center Educational Advisory Board.

Ellen Birnbaum has been at the 92nd Street Y Nursery School since 1981, first as a teacher, for ten years as camp director, and as the associate director since 1997.