Paradise Valley Cooperative School

When entering PV coop this morning my girls were greeted by a smiling, friendly Director. She got down on her knees to my girls level, gave high fives and was as excited to see them as they were to see her. We walked to the girls classrooms, my 2 year old couldn't wait to see all the exciting learning stations that were ready for her to explore. My 4 year old was excited that she could continue learning about bugs in the live science center that her wonderful teacher created for the children. I was greeted by another teacher that doesn't even teach my girls and she was excited to share with me the no sew aprons that she was crafting with the children today as they were going to be cooking in her classroom today. This is a fantastic small school, that is very child focused. There is a genuine love and concern shown for every child that walks through the door. I love the community of teachers and parents that work together to give the children such a wonderful learning enviroment to grow in each day.
--Submitted by a parent

I am also a teacher with two children who attend PVCS. When it came time to put my 2 year old in preschool, I visited every type of school on every corner in a 15 mile radius of my house because I was very particular about what I wanted my child(ren) to get out of the "preschool experience". After visiting at least 20 schools, I knew the minute I walked into PVCS that it was the school for us! That was 3 years ago and the program has just amazed me (and my kiddos!!!) every since! As a teacher myself, I understand the importance of these early foundation years and how what our preschoolers are doing today will shape what type of student they become in the future. I can say with complete confidence that the 'Creative Curriculum' used by this school fosters happy, eager, excited and confident little learners. My children feel so much love for their teachers because they know they are truly cared for and fully nurtured both emotionally as well as academically!!! Even though the have long days at school, they still don't want to leave when I come pick them up. That couldn't be a better feeling as a parent!! PVCS is like our second family and we couldn't be happier there!
--Submitted by a parent

I am a professional educator and picky parent of a sweet 4-year-old boy. I chose Paradise Valley Cooperative School after months of research and visits to no less than 15 other preschools. This school was the one that stood out from the rest because of their dedicated, experienced, caring, energetic staff and director, and the fact that the kids and teachers all seemed to really love being there. The class sizes are small, which means every child is special and receives lots of individualized attention. My son is greeted warmly every morning by every adult in the place.The children are happy and are truly learning. I feel good about my choice, and I know every day that I bring my son to this school that it will be a good day.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a proud, involved father of this wonderful, community -oriented preschool that nurtures, educates & embraces my children on a daily basis. Last year was a tough transition for our little school when the previous Director/Owner up and left without any warning. The new Director (and former preschool teacher of over 15 years) took the helm to find a mess behind the wheel. With that being said, parents & teachers rallied to keep this special school a magical place and I am happy to say that this year couldn't be better! Everything has been deep-cleaned, painted, buffed & shined. Classrooms have been made over, teachers retrained on the curriculum & smiling faces are everywhere. Of course every single staff member has been printed and CPR/First Aid certified...licensing has been twice this month alone (both while I was picking up my children from the "bad afternoon daycare" program) and even they can testify that all is in order with paperwork. I know all of this because this is a co-op, which means parents are encouraged to be highly involved...and so we are. We invite anyone with doubt to come check out this special school for yourself because we are simply wowed everyday.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of two children who have attended PV Co-op. Although there are some wonderful loving teachers, our experience with the school as a whole has not been great. It is pretty run-down, does not appear to be very clean, and I do question the qualifications of some of the staff. If you are in this area and looking for a preschool, there are several others that are much more desirable, are cleaner, and have educated, qualified teachers. We have recently switched schools and could not be happier we did.
--Submitted by a parent

I'm not quite sure what the last two reviews are talking about. I am a parent to three children that have been here, the oldest has been in care since she was 16 months old and we absolutely LOVE IT!! The teachers are caring wonderful people and I leave every day knowing that my children are in the hands of people that love and care for them as I would. Go check out the "bad daycares" and other schools because as far as I am concerned there is no alternative. The director is the reason my children are here, she is truly interested in the best for all of our kids and has such an amazing warmth and ability to nurture. The teachers are wonderful, as my kids unfortunately have had a bit of a rough year every teacher made a conscience effort to watch for any changes and be understanding that they might need a little extra attention. The classes are small and developmentally appropriate. I don't have enough good things to say about this school!!
--Submitted by a parent

Many of the "good" reviews on this site were written before the new owner/director took over. Since then, the school has completely gone downhill. The facility is old and not well maintained, the morning teachers are great, but in the afternoon, the school becomes more like a bad "daycare" where inexperienced staff are more into texting on their phones than interacting with the children. The director is very unprofessional and inexperienced. I definately would not recommend this school.
--Submitted by a parent

This facility is very unprofessional. I would definitely consider another school to put your child in. We received poor afternoon care. The owner was made aware of the situation(s) and did nothing to change what was going on. Not sure that all the teachers are fingerprinted and background checked either???
--Submitted by a parent

If you want to be part of a community this is the school for you. Parents are friendly and involved. The teachers truly DO care about the children. They know the children very well and adjust for what best fits that child. It is under new ownership (which is a good thing). The owner was previously with the school and is friendly, open and knows each child by name. You can feel good about sending your child to this lovely, warm learning envirnnment.
--Submitted by a parent

Wonderfully developmentally appropriate school! Small class sizes, caring teachers, great school!
--Submitted by a parent