Mountain View Parent Nursery School

This school is a truly amazing place. My son absolutely loves Teachers Claire & Wilma, who are both so loving, caring, and supportive, not only to the children but to the parents who have separation anxiety as well. The grounds of the school are spacious, beautifully maintained, and give the feeling of a private park. There are a lot of parent duties, but if you are able to make the commitment, this adds to the feeling of community at the school as every family really takes a deeper interest in the running of the school and sets the stage for involvement in your child's education. Very clean as bathrooms, carpets, etc. are cleaned twice a day! Compared with other co-ops,the grounds are more spacious & the overall feeling is more comfortable and less hectic because there is only one group of children at the school at a time. There is a very sweet protocol that I took for granted until I realized it is unique, but every day the students greet the teacher and find their own name tag, my son learned to recognize his name very quickly this way. There are many details I could go into about why I found this school preferable to others, but there is not enough room!
--Submitted by a parent

My family loved the 5 week Saturday preschool class we participated in last summer. I don't know of any other preschool making a Saturday program like this available. I can work during the week in my daughter's preschool classroom, but my husband can't. It gave him a wonderful opportunity to be more involved with her in the class and see first hand the joy and excitement of all she was learning and experiencing. That is one of the reasons the parents that registered are so excited about the class. They have an opportunity to see first hand what their child is learning on a day that doesn't conflict with their work schedule. I am sure we all know people that would love to be part of a cooperative preschool but can't because of their work and other commitments during the week.
--Submitted by a parent

MVPNS is an amazing preschool. For the children its a magical place where learning flows from curiosity and observations through activities tailored to the children's interests and connected to the guided but flexible lesson plans. Children graduate with an "I can" attitude and wonderful social skills that help them throughout their whole lives. As a co-op parents get the privilege of participating, setting a foundation for positive involvement in their children's community and education throughout the years. The parent commitment can at times feel like a lot of work. However, knowing the children, parents and teachers, seeing the classroom in action, learning about important family development and community topics, and having that "ahhhh, thank goodness" feeling when when you find 5 other families are managing the same family and child development issues as you *right now* are all priceless and WELL WORTH the time and effort.
--Submitted by a parent

I have now finished two years of MVPNS with my daughter, and am looking forward to four more years at MVPNS with my younger children. MVPNS has provided high quality education for my child and has given my family a home-base of social activities, friends and community. I knew that MVPNS was a parent participation school, and that I would get to work in the clasroom with my child every week. I didn't realize how supported I would feel by the teachers and other parents. They have been mentors, cheerleaders, wonderful listeners, and an endless source of parenting ideas. The progression of challenge and structure felt custom-fit for my daughter. The increase in structure and challenge in activities felt right as she grew during her two years at MVPNS.
--Submitted by a parent

My son (and I) spent two years at MVPNS. There are several components that made MVPNS click for me as a Mom: the co-op experience where parents are involved and educated in child development at the hands-on level, a faculty and staff that are truly amazing, and growing to know the families in my son s class. My child learned to trust safe adults (the parents/teachers in our class), walked (and sometimes ran) through award-winning curriculum and truly believed, and then later wished, that the faculty and staff were a part of our immediate family His transition to kindergarten was seamless. He has a love for learning that is contagious, and it all began at MVPNS. We continue to get together with our MVPNS class of families, and believe the friendships fostered there will be life-long, for children and parents alike!
--Submitted by a parent

We just finished off a wonderful first year of preschool at MVPNS! When deciding which preschool was right for us, we toured MVPNS and it instantly felt right. At the time, we weren't sure if a COOP school would be right for our family so we enrolled in another school in addition to MVPNS. We liked our other school and felt there were many benefits to their program...but we LOVED MVPNS! I have such respect for the excellent teachers there. I've nicknamed both Teacher Claire and Teacher Wilma the "Preschool Whisperers"! I'm in awe of their ability to read each child and find just the right way to guide them. They should also be called the "Parent Whisperers" because I've learned so much as a parent since I've been involved in MVPNS! Looking forward to another great year in 2010-2011!
--Submitted by a parent

Both my sons have attended MVPNS and they have enjoyed every minute of it! This preschool encompasses all the great learning experiences and joys that you envision for your preschooler. But more importantly, the teachers and parents foster a wonderful feeling of community. This co-op preschool is for families that wish to experience preschool with their child and build lifelong relationships with staff and parents.
--Submitted by a parent

I just finished my third year at MVPNS (two with my son, and one so far with my daughter) and I continue to be thankful for it! It's not just a preschool; it has an adult education component to it, which for us has been HUGE. For those of us who have questions about how to parent, this is a great resource. Teachers and parents are constantly in contact, so you always know what is going on with your child. The community events are great for meeting people that you have a lot in common with. We moved here from the east coast and didn't know anyone. MVPNS provided us with so many chances to socialize and meet other parents. The teachers are so interested in each child, and have such a depth of experience. I would recommend this chool to anyone who can participate onece a week.
--Submitted by a parent

All three of my children have been to MVPNS and I can't say enough good things about it. The teachers are warm, nurturing, and very knowledgeable about all aspects of child development. The curriculum is excellent -- creative, fun, integrated, rich, developmentally-appropriate, etc. The parents are caring and committed, and get to know each other through working together in the classroom and attending parenting ed meetings and workshops. The facility is wonderful -- organized, clean, and it inclues play structure, swings, outdoor stage, sandbox, garden, bike path, large field, arts and crafts stations, cooking station, manipulatives table, trains/blocks area, reading loft, dramatic play and dressup, etc. MVPNS families love the school!
--Submitted by a parent

MVPNS is a wonderful school for parents who really want to be a part of their preschooler's educational experience. This is a developmental, play-based parent co-op with lots of opportunities for parent involvement inside and outside of school. The school emphasizes independent play that's balanced out by some structured, teacher-led activities. All the activities are fun, engaging, and educational and the school itself is such a wonderful, safe environment where kids can choose to run around to their heart's content, get messy in one of several art projects, make a feast in the play kitchen, or cozy up with a great book in the reading loft. I can't say enough wonderful things about this school!
--Submitted by a parent