This finding aid is made available for public use following the Universal 1.0 Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons designation.
This collection is located on site.
This collection has no restrictions.
This collection is organized into two series.
Founded by Columbia professors during the 1930s, Tompkins Hall originated as an intimate, part-time, parent cooperative nursery. The play-based program for three- and four-year-old children afforded children opportunities to develop peer relationships, play creatively with materials, and integrate into a group experience, all while in the care of a group of parents and a teacher. Through working in the play group, parents learned about child development and supported each other in their parenting lives. During the 1980s, the play group gradually expanded to become more of a school setting. Hours expanded, and early childhood educators became the primary leaders of the school. In 1992, Tompkins Hall incorporated a toddler program. In the fall of 2007, Tompkins Hall once again expanded, this time to include an infant program.
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Tompkins Hall Nursery School Records; Box and Folder; University Archives, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Meeting minutes, constitution, by laws, administrative records, financial records, rosters and photographs documenting the activities of the Tompkins Hall Nursery School from the 1930s to the 2010s.
Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
This collection was processed by Jocelyn Wilk in Fall 2024.
Series I contains administrative records related to the running of the Tompkins Hall Nursery School. Materials include meeting minutes, rosters, financial statments, some correspondence, reports and memos distributed to the parents.
with gaps
Series II consists of photographs and negatives of the activities of the Tompkins Hall Nursery School. Images include children at play, holiday celebrations, class photos, staff images, and photo albums. Photos are both in black and white and color, mostly snapshots probably taken by Nursery School staff over the years. Photos come in a variety of formats and sizes.
Class of 1959
photos pasted to construction paper