Kinder Gan Preschool, 120 Parker Ave, Maplewood, NJ 07040, US

South Orange Country Day School was established 40 years ago, but it was taken over by a new owner, Annemarie Maini, in December 2007. She's made some changes to the building and outdoor play area — which can be seen by NJ Transit commuters on the stretch of track between South Orange and Mountain stations. She took out playground equipment made of tires and the driveway in the backyard due to safety concerns. Though South Orange Country Day School no longer has Montessori accreditation, its phonics-based curriculum is still influenced by that philosophy. The school offers nursery school, Pre-K and kindergarten, and has enrolled special-needs children. Sixty percent of students are from South Orange and Maplewood; the rest are from surrounding communities like Newark, West Orange and East Orange.