COMMON MAPS
Map version new-york activity top-down
Main site Contact
Menu
↑ parent activity group ·
research dossier

WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 131992185 · Form 990 · FY2024 · Large ($10M-$50M) · wsmsnyc.org
revenue
$15.1M
expenses
$15.3M
net assets
$29.1M
employees
90
volunteers
22
program ratio
77%
mission · from form 990

WE PREPARE CHILDREN TO BE RESILIENT, CREATIVE AND INDEPENDENT PROBLEM SOLVERS. WE ARE LEADERS IN TEACHING MONTESSORI PRINCIPLES AND INCORPORATE THE BEST PRACTICES OF MODERN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IN OUR CLASSROOMS.

profile · synthesized from sources

West Side Montessori School is a private Montessori school in New York City serving young children. It provides early childhood education grounded in Montessori principles, emphasizing independence, creativity, and social-emotional development. The school also operates a Montessori teacher education program to train and credential new educators.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $871K
    THIS ORGANIZATION ALSO OPERATES A MONTESSORI TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM, THE WSMS-TEP PROGRAM, FOR TEACHERS WHO WISH TO OBTAIN THEIR MONTESSORI TEACHING CREDENTIALS.
  2. #2 $12K
    PROVIDING GENERAL EDUCATION SUPPORT TO UNRELATED ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.
named programs · 4 · from sources

What they call their work

After Lunch Bunch (ALB)
Daily enrichment program for five-year-olds focusing on topics such as muscles, architecture, agriculture, geography, and culture to prepare for kindergarten.
Early Childhood Program
Montessori-based education for children ages 2.9 to 6, focusing on language, math, sensorial development, practical life, cultural awareness, and physical activity.
Twos Program
Specialized Montessori curriculum for two-year-olds emphasizing independence, self-care, social development, and a gradual introduction to classroom routines.
WSMS-TEP Program
Accredited Montessori teacher education program that trains and credentials educators in Montessori methods.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Montessori Education Programs 2 activities
    • Operate early childhood programs for infants, toddlers, and twos
      Provides Montessori early childhood education for children from 3 months to 6 years of age, including dedicated Infant Toddler and Twos programs. The school offers 75 childcare spaces across seven specialized environments and operates a facility at 212 West 95th Street designed specifically for these age groups.
    • Provide Montessori education for children from infancy through 8th grade
      Delivers Montessori-based academic and developmental programming for children from 3 months to 14 years of age, including early childhood, elementary, and middle school levels. The school enrolled 233 students for the 2025–2026 academic year and maintains a student-teacher ratio of 1:4 in the Twos Program and 1:5 in Multi-Age classrooms.
  • Summer Day Camp Programs 1 activity
    • Deliver summer and extended-day programming for enrolled children
      Offers summer vacation classrooms staffed by regular teachers and themed day trips to local parks and gardens. Also provides a late afternoon program with extended-day hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., including early drop-off and late pick-up options, running on either an 11-month or 9-month schedule.
  • Financial Aid and Scholarship Access Programs 1 activity
    • Offer tuition assistance and financial aid programs
      Provides tuition assistance to 20% of enrolled families through institutional funding and an annual auction that supports the Founders Fund for Financial Aid, ensuring access to education across diverse economic backgrounds.
  • Teacher Professional Development 1 activity
    • Operate Montessori teacher education and certification program
      Runs the WSMS-TEP Program, a Montessori certification program that trains over 100 student teachers annually and supports educators in obtaining Montessori credentials.
  • Children's Play and Motor Development Spaces 1 activity
    • Provide on-site facilities supporting child development and family engagement
      Operates a three-floor facility with dedicated indoor and outdoor spaces including a full-size gymnasium, rooftop play space with Snug Play equipment, traverse climbing wall, indoor play floor, and lactation room. Also includes a library/parents room and full-service chef’s kitchen that prepares meals for students.
  • Family-School Engagement Programs 1 activity
    • Support community and family engagement in education
      Engages families from multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious, and multilingual backgrounds and invites parents to share traditions with classrooms. Organizes parent volunteers through a structured leadership team of committee chairs and class representatives.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$15.09M
Contributions & grants$2.73M18%
Program service revenue$11.68M77%
Investment income$669K4%
Other revenue$13K
expenses
Total expenses$15.25M
Program expenses77%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising3%
Salaries & benefits$9.69M
Grants paid out$1.18M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$51.80M
Cash$3.87M
Investments$12.82M
Liabilities$22.74M
Net assets$29.06M
Liquid reserves13.1 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue +19.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
MIMI BASSO HEAD OF SCHOOL 40 $535K
MATTHEW BLOOM CFO 40 $244K
AMY STONEY DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS 40 $215K
MELISSA MACK ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR 40 $203K
LISANNE PINCIOTTI DIRECTOR OF TEP 40 $201K
KATHERINE FORDNEY EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR 40 $185K
NADINE CARROLL ASSOC. HEAD OF SCHOOL 40 $178K
GRETCHEN AMBERG SLACK HEAD TEACHER 40 $168K
board members · 17
  • ALEX WASCH — TRUSTEE
  • ANKUR KESWANI — TRUSTEE
  • ANNIE KIM — TRUSTEE
  • AVNER HUSEN — TRUSTEE
  • CHARLENE SU — TRUSTEE
  • CHRISTINA WANG — TRUSTEE
  • DANA BLISS — VICE-PRESIDENT
  • ELIZABETH MARTORELLA — TRUSTEE
  • ELIZABETH TYNDELL — TRUSTEE
  • ELLIE BURROWS GLUCK — PARENT REPRESENTATIVE
  • GEOFFREY KARAPETYAN — TRUSTEE
  • GREG FELDMAN — TRUSTEE
  • IVA MILLS — VICE-PRESIDENT
  • JOHN FREDERICK THYE — TRUSTEE
  • JORDAN BLITZER — PARENT REPRESENTATIVE
  • JULIA EMANUEL — TRUSTEE
  • KRISTIN CRAWFORD — TRUSTEE
relationships · 7

Who they work with

  • Loren DeNicola Partner — Head of School responsible for day-to-day operations and leadership, hired in 2025.
  • Nikki Chase-Levin Partner — President of the Board of Trustees, providing governance and strategic leadership for the school.
  • Parents Association Partner — Collaborates with the school to strengthen family connections and support school community engagement.
  • WSMS-TEP Network — Accredited Montessori teacher education program affiliated with West Side Montessori School, providing student teachers for the Late Afternoon Program.
  • WSMS-TEP Network — Montessori teacher education program operated by West Side Montessori School.
  • WSMS-TEP Program Partner — Teacher education program operated by WEST SIDE MONTESSORI SCHOOL to credential Montessori educators.
  • WSMSTEP Network — Shares branding and affiliation with WSMSTEP (West Side Montessori School Teacher Education Program), indicating a close institutional relationship.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Family and Community as Educational Partners
    methodology: family_partnership_in_education
    By engaging families as collaborative partners and modeling a kind, peaceful, and diverse community, the school enhances educational outcomes and social development because children thrive when learning is reinforced through consistent, respectful relationships at home and school.
  • Identity-Affirming and Process-Oriented Learning
    methodology: identity_affirming_education
    By cultivating a strong, positive sense of self through validation and visibility, and emphasizing the learning process over outcomes, the school builds intrinsic motivation and resilience because children develop confidence and a lifelong love of learning when their identities are affirmed and mistakes are normalized as growth opportunities.
  • Montessori-Based Holistic Development
    methodology: montessori_education
    By integrating Montessori principles with modern early childhood education practices, the school fosters resilient, creative, and independent problem-solving skills through a balanced focus on intellectual, social, and emotional growth because this integrated approach supports long-term cognitive and personal development.