The Children’s Cooperative Playschool is a small preschool with a home-like atmosphere and a low child-to-teacher ratio. We are a group of about 50 families who wish to actively participate in our children’s early school experience. The Co-op has been in existence for over 30 years.

We offer a family-oriented early learning experience for children one to five years of age. We strive to provide a safe, nurturing, and accepting environment in which children are encouraged to develop social, emotional, cognitive, and motor skills through play. The Playschool admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin.

General
We are located at the intersection of Pope and Ephesus Church Road. Our hours are from 9am to 1pm Monday through Friday. Our school year runs from August to June. We have a two week winter break and a one week spring break. In addition, the school closes for federal holidays and occasional teacher workdays. The Playschool offers a separate summer camp session.

Program Description
32-34 children attend the preschool each day in care of 5 teachers. Children bring their own lunches and snacks. Parents may choose between two, three, four and five days a week. The children spend some of the day all together and some of the day in small groups.

We offer a Play-based, and Child-Centered curriculum. This means that a day at Playschool involves much free play, both indoors and outdoors. Indoor free play is based around a series of Centers; Dramatic Play, Blocks/Building, Sensory, Art and Discovery/Science. The Children move among the centers as they choose. Lots of outdoor play is available on our playground.

A certain amount of structured time is also part of a day at our Preschool. The children get together for Circle Time, Good morning/Song time, as well as Arts and Crafts activities which emphasize art as a "process" of creative exploration and not as a "product." All of these activities are loosely tied to the Theme of the Week. The emphasis of all themes is on fun and enrichment. Further, themes are developed based on the interests expressed by the children. Our multicultural themes have proven particularly popular, giving the children a chance to visit different countries and cultures around the world. Cooking activities, field trips, and family celebrations are also regularly scheduled.

Our classes are structured as follows:
 

• The Dewdrops are one-year-olds and young two-year-olds. The ratio is four or five children to one teacher.

• The Sunbeams are two-year-olds. The ratio is five children to one teacher.

• The Rainbows are young three-year-olds. The ratio is seven children to one teacher.

• The Dragonflies are older three-year-olds and young four-year-olds. The ratio is seven children to one teacher.

• The Wildflowers are four- and five-year-olds. The ratio is eight to ten children to one teacher.

The Playschool aims to provide a safe and loving environment for our children, which encourages respect for people and things. The primary focus of our program is to provide an enriching learning experience through creative play. We approach all discipline matters in a positive manner, and support a non-violent environment. Under no circumstances is corporal punishment used.

Open House

Interested in learning more about Children's Cooperative Playschool?  Come to our Open House on Saturday, January 24th, 2009 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and meet our wonderful staff!

2008-2009
Academic Year

Currently, we are full and have no openings.

If you are interested in being on our waiting list, please note the following information:

1) Please email coopenrollment@gmail.com or call 403‑0121 for more information and to set up a tour.

2) In order to be placed on our waiting list, we must have a completed application form.  This form can be found at the bottom of our Admissions page. Waiting list placements are made based on the order in which applications are received.