guides

2022 Greater New Orleans Education and After School Guide

From Orleans to Jefferson Parish, find the best place for your kids!

By Lauren Ungar, Assistant Publisher August 19, 2021

Sponsored by

Carousel Preschool • Metairie • Ages 6 weeks - 5 years old 
At Carousel preschool, we care about our student's success. We provide our students with a secure social-emotional base and a solid learning foundation to prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. Starting in the infant room through Pre-K 4, our children are exposed to age-appropriate stimuli and activities designed to encourage their developmental growth.

Carousel Preschool utilizes Creative Curriculum and the CLASS framework which focuses on meaningful interactions, instructional learning, and critical thinking.

Gates Preschool • Metairie • Ages 3 months - 5 years old
No fees to apply • Apply online at gatesofprayercece.org

Congregation Gates of Prayer’s Gate Preschool is a Reform Temple-based program that welcomes all community members, of any faith. The school provides early childhood students with a foundation for learning by nurturing social and cognitive skills through the earliest years of development from infancy through Pre-K. Appropriate programming, including a Judaic component, respects each child and family member's dignity, worth, and uniqueness.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Green Preschool • Metairie • Ages 2 months - 4 years (continues through 6th grade) 
Green Preschool @Jewish Community Day School CDS provides a warm and joyful Jewish environment inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching.  We celebrate children’s strong, capable, and curious nature. Teachers facilitate learning through thoughtful, open-ended activities within intentionally crafted environments. Our dynamic, inquiry, and play-based program responds to the needs of the whole child at every stage of development. Green Preschool ensures each child is seen, heard, nurtured, and loved for exactly who they are.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Jesuit High School • Mid City • Grades 8 - 12th Grade
School Tours are August 23 - November 17 - Tours are available at 8:00 am and 12:00 pm and are offered daily. Tours are for current 6th and 7th graders. Join Jesuit for Blue and White Night on Saturday, September 25 at the John Ryan Stadium at 6:00 pm for students currently in grades 4th - 7th. Jesuit also invites you to come to Parent Information Night on Wednesday, October 13 in the Jesuit Auditorium at 6:30 pm; this event is for parents only. 

Don't miss the Middle School Students Jesuit High School Open House - Wednesday, November 3 at 4:30 pm - at Jesuit High School.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Jewish Community Day School • Metairie • Ages 2 months - 6th Grade 
Jewish Community Day School of Greater New Orleans is a coeducational independent school for students ages two months through 6th Grade. Balancing challenging academics with an enriching Jewish Studies program, a JCDS education is interdisciplinary, project-based, and holistic. Our small class size and differentiated instruction ensure each child is valued for their individual strengths. To learn more about our school, please visit jcdsnola.org or call 504-887-4091. We can’t wait to get to know you!

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Mount Carmel Academy • Lakeview • Grades 8 - 12
Mount Carmel Academy is a private, all-girls Catholic high school for grades 8-12 in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. It is conducted by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who have educated young women in New Orleans since 1833. The atmosphere of the school and the individual attention given to each student encourage and foster emotional maturity and spiritual development.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Raphael Academy and The Guild at Raphael Village • New Orleans • Grades K - 12 
A Waldorf-inspired school serving students in grades K-12 who may have Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down syndrome, or other developmental disabilities. We have a rolling admission policy and offer both private and group tours. 

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information.

St. Andrew's Episcopal School • Uptown • 12 months - 8th grade  
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School believes when students are educated in a safe, nurturing, and loving environment they build the self-confidence they need to grow their intellectual curiosity and build their social and leadership skills.  That’s why St. Andrew’s nurtures the whole child including mind, body and spirit. Interested in learning more about St. Andrew’s Episcopal School? Schedule a personal tour by clicking here: https://saesnola.org/admissions/visit-our-campus/

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information.

St. Mary's Dominican High School • Carrollton • Grades 8 - 12 
St. Mary’s Dominican High School, sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Peace, is a Catholic college-preparatory program for young women rooted in the tradition of prayer, study, community, and service. With Jesus at the center, the Dominican community preaches the Word, radiates joy, advocates peace, promotes justice, seeks Truth, manifests Catholic values, and ministers to others. Dominican High School is a Catholic, college-preparatory school for girls and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin. 

Open House - October 21, 2021 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm Prospective students and their families are invited to learn more about DHS! 

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information.

Ursuline Academy • Uptown • Ages 1 - 12th Grade 
Ursuline Academy is an all-girls Catholic school offering a strong educational environment from early childhood (Toddler 1) through a college preparatory secondary program (12th Grade). Founded in 1727 by the Sisters of the Order of Saint Ursula, Ursuline Academy enjoys the distinction of being both the oldest school for girls and the oldest Catholic school in the United States. Today’s Ursuline offers an education rooted in a tradition of formation and innovation, nurturing the development of the whole person – intellectually, spiritually, and physically. Ursuline students are prepared for leadership and service in the world they will inherit.

Virtual Open House - Click here.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 


Orleans Parish OneApp Information - Enrollment Open

Jefferson Parish Public Schools - Enrollment Open 

Crane Rehab Pediatric Center • Uptown • All Ages - Newborn - 12th Grade 
Crane Rehab Center is an outpatient, private practice specializing in pediatric occupational (OT), physical (PT), speech (ST), and applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapies. We provide individualized treatment programs for children with a variety of needs, as well as comprehensive programming for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder at both our Earhart Pediatric Therapy Center and our Center for Behavior, Language, and Learning in Uptown.  Additionally, we offer social skills enrichment programs throughout the year. We provide services in the clinic, school, and community settings, and utilize a team approach by collaborating with families, caregivers, educators, and other professionals.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

MOVE! New Orleans • Gentilly • Ages 4 - 12 
If your child is interested in moving their body, mind, and heart with friends and professional staff, this is the program for them! Parents love this fun, safe, and affordable program created by Coach Jason Church, a 4th-degree black belt with 27 years of experience. Here is what your child will experience at MOVE!'s school and afterschool programming:

STEM Projects
Brain Games
Group Movement Games and Challenges
Karate and Parkour
Holiday Camps
Kids' Night in at MOVE! (parents drop off kids for a fun social evening)

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Art Studies International • Old Metairie • Ages 8 - 14
Register your child for Art Studies International's Theatre Intensive Fall Session taught by founder Billye Constance, who has been writing, directing, and producing theatre for over 25 years.                    
The Theatre Intensive Fall Session with Mercury Theatre at Metairie Rd. presents "We Are Jazz", a story of the Jim Crow South in New Orleans Jazz scene as it explodes from the true democratic experiment with inclusion, diversity and solving social issues as big as Racism, Immigration, and Women's Suffrage. Thursdays, September - May 2021-2022 at Mercury Theatre Group on Metairie Rd.

"We Are Jazz" - $80 a month. Register Now!

Blooming Sounds • New Orleans/Online • Infants (0 months) - 8 years old
Blooming Sounds LLC is an online music center licensed by Music Together® and Canta y Baila Conmigo® to provide early childhood music and movement classes. Our classes are small, live, interactive, and meet weekly over Zoom and they take the stress out of getting to class. Families also receive a beautiful songbook, CD, digital download of the musical recordings, and access to supplemental materials online to keep the music and learning flowing all week!

Octave School of Music • Metairie • Ages 6 months and up! 
Offering music lessons for all ages and kids with special needs! Piano, Ukulele, Voice, Drums, Guitar, and More! Mr. Jay Broussard's private classes take your child where they want to go with lessons tailored to their interests. Have a child between 6 months and 4 years old? Try out our fun Zumbini classes that happen once a week. 

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information.

River Ridge School of Music & Dance • River Ridge • Ages 18 months - Adults 
The River Ridge School of Music & Dance was established in 1978 and offers private music lessons and dance classes to kids, teens, and adults in Jefferson and Orleans Parish. Programs include lessons in piano, guitar, voice, drums, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, flute, clarinet, saxophone, composition, preschool music, theory, ballet, hip hop, tap, contemporary, musical theater, tumbling, summer camps, and more.

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

School of Rock • Metairie • Grades K - 12 
At School of Rock, student health and safety is the top priority. We offer both online and socially-distanced in-school lessons. Students in our online, one-on-one music program are taught using School of Rock’s revolutionary education method in a secure, virtual lesson room. Where schools are able to conduct in-person music lessons, we have created strict guidelines for cleanliness and distancing. Both options utilize School of Rock's proprietary Method App™, SongFirst® approach, and Method Books™, culminating in a comprehensive music learning experience that is fun, educational, and safe.

Vue Crew After School• New Orleans • Ages 5 - 10 
Fall is back, and so is Vue Crew—Longue Vue’s student garden club. Students ages 5-10 can spend Tuesday and Thursday afternoons at Longue Vue learning about plants and insects, seeding and pruning, playing games, making nature-themed art, and freely exploring the gardens. This semester, we will go back to basics, planning and planting our own garden bed and learning about organic gardening techniques. Students will watch their plants grow from seed to salad and learn all about why we love growing our own food! Contact Mariah Theobald at education@longuevue.com

Visit our Directory Page for our Facebook, Website, and Contact Information. 

Audubon Nature Institute Virtual Community Connections Series 
Virtual Education and Activities!

If you need educational or just inspirational free New Orleans content at home, connect with our very own Audubon Nature Institute's Virtual Community Connections Series. The series started in March 2020 in response to the Covid-10 shut-downs. 

Click here to access this incredible, free collection from the Aquarium and the Zoo. the Audubon Nature Institute's Facebook Page to access the virtual community connections videos for your child. 

WWII Museum Electronic Field Trips 
Join the Museum for award-winning interactive webcasts on compelling WWII topics.

Electronic Field Trips are streamed directly into your device—no special technology required. Focusing on the national impact of World War II, take your children on a cross-country tour of historic sites while examining fascinating artifacts and exhibits at The National WWII Museum. Hosted by student reporters, Electronic Field Trips will help your kids understand how the war affected young people just like them.

Check out the recordings of our Electronic Field Trips here.

Archery (FREE Lessons)
Every Thursday at 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm for ages 8 and up!

Joe W. Brown Park
5601 Read Blvd.
New Orleans LA 70127
(504) 658-3052

Swing by the archery range every Thursday to unwind, learn a new skill - or both. It's free! A certified archery instructor will always be on hand, providing thorough safety instructions and plenty of tips about technique and form.
Make a reservation here: nordc.org/calendar. Be sure to set the filter to the left that says Programs to Outdoors. You may bring one guest per reservation when space is available.

Note for parents: If you have more than one child, please make an additional reservation, which can be within the same time slot, using a different email. Location: Joe W. Brown Archery Range. Take second entrance into the park from Read Blvd. Range located behind the Spartan Field House near the playground. Important Info: Ages 8+.  All equipment is provided. Must bring signed copy of COVID-19 Liability Waiver and Release form. Call Joe Brown Park at (504) 658-3052 or visit the website https://nordc.org/activities/outdoors/#CANOE.

Crescent City Farmers Market - Uptown
Tuesdays 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

Tulane Square Parking Lot (Formely called Uptown Square)
200 Broadway Street
New Orleans LA 70118

Mingle with local chefs and visiting school groups, and stock up on fresh, local and affordable fruits, veggies, seafood and more. They've got everything you need to create healthy, hearty meals. More Info crescentcityfarmersmarket.org

Lafreniere Park Farmers Arts Market
Every Wednesday from 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Buy local! Check out the farmers market every Wednesday 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Lafreniere Park. Great family fun! Come get your flavor on and do what the locals do - eat fresh. Fresh vegetables and fruit, other food items, arts, music, and more. Located by Shelter 6. Easy to spot - you'll see all the tents! More info here.

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden at City Park 
Expose your children to art! The sculpture garden features work by more than 90 sculptures, including works from several 20th and 21st-century master sculptors. NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden is free and open to the public seven days a week, 10 am to 6 pm. Enjoy!

Parent's Hour with the Parenting Center
Every Wednesday from 10:00 am - 11:00 am

Virtual via Zoom
This group is held on Wednesdays alternating between morning and evening sessions. Check the website for the exact time. Join The Parenting Center to talk about what is going well and not so well. Share your ideas about parenting and learn from other parents. It's your time to talk! This class is facilitated by a Parent Educator.

Who
Parents of children aged 0-17 years old

Cost
FREE

How
To register for this class, visit our website chnola.org/theparentingcenter or call 504-896-9591