These are pictures from Julian's first day at Co-op Nursery School. He's been going there for a little over a month now and absolutely loves it (as do I). It's a very loving enviornment that fosters each child's unique personality and learning style.
Right now Julian is starting to make connections with other kids in class. His teacher and I both noticed that he tends to play with the girls more than the boys - Teacher Marsha says it could be because he is more verbal than most boys his age and can probably better communicate with the girls. Some of his favourite things to do while in school are playing in the "make believe" selection -- there Julian can be anything from a doctor to an astronaut to a daddy/big brother to all the baby dolls available; building trains or cities; making crafts; and munching at snack time!
For those of you who don't know what a Co-Op Nursery School is, I'll explain:
It's a private, not-for-profit pre-school run completely by the parents. Our son's school receives absolutely no school funding and relies on the parents commitement and enthusiasm to provide an enriching educational enviornment where it is fun to learn and grow. The particular school we send Julian to is play-based (Along the lines of Montessori Play-based).
Some of the requirements we have to meet in order for Julian to attend the Co-op:
1) One member from each family (This can be an aunt, uncle, parent(s), grandparent, etc.) works at the school one day a week (I work Fridays) assisting as a teacher's helper along side with the teacher and teacher's aid. At any point in the day there are 2 teachers and 6-8 parents in the class helping. Although you are only required to work one day per week, parents (and family members who can provide a NEGATIVE TB test) are welcome to stay anytime, anyday. So if any of the Grandparents would ever like to join Julian in class, you are more than welcome. (Just remember to bring your TB test, please.)
2) Each family is required to participate on a committe board (I'm on the Fundraising Committe) and on top of fulfilling my committe obligations, we also do 4 hours a year of fundraising work.
3) Attend a once a month Parent-Ed class. These classes go over your child's progress/strengths, school curriculum and also teaches parenting skills/tools that will help foster the relationship with your child and their development (Jer does theses classes).
4)Each family is to complete a once a year school clean up for four hours (Painting, cleaning, gardening, etc.)
5)Provide a healthy snack 3-4 x's per year.
In the beginning I think what really appealed to Jeremy and I about this particular school was the deep involvement that is required of each family. Julian has never been in daycare or even really stayed with anyone, so I felt very nervous about leaving him at 3 yrs old and sending him on his way to preschool all alone. Most preschools do not allow parents to drop in to see their children because they think it's disruptive to the class, while this school welcomes and requires it!
At this school we know exactly what he does each day -- what he likes, how he interacts with he adults/children, what he's good at, what we need to work with him on. We also get to know each parent involved in our son's life and the kids who he is growing up with. Everyone at the school knows how to handle each child because we are there with them everyday and know their quirks. Each parent treats everyone's child as if they were their own. It's a very reassuring thing to know on the occasion when I do leave him. There is also the added benefit of watching other parents problem solve and handle certain situations (eg, tantrums, hitting, not sharing) and bringing it into our own parenting style.
Anyway, we just loveeeee the co-op and couldn't be more excited about having the opportunity to be apart of Julian's preschool experience. I think because of our involvement in Jules' education now, we will always want to be and continue to be heavily involved in Julian's school in the future.
You can't really see just how big this building is, but it goes back quite some ways. The whole building is just one big classroom. There's only three groups of classes for this entire school -- Group A is for 2-3 yr olds, Ju is Group B, and next year Ju will be in Group C for 4-5 year olds, which I think makes a total of maybe 40 children at the school. Each Group has their own days and/or morning/afternoon spot.
Behind the school is a nice size play area with a sandbox, paint area, junglegym, a bike trail AND an adorable child sized barn complete with a loft.
