Our half-day and full-day preschool classes provide opportunities for every child to thrive
With a keen eye toward meeting each child where they are, teachers fine tune curriculum to address the varying needs and abilities in each class. Teachers design routines and activities to encourage children to manage as much as they can independently, building more autonomy as children become increasingly confident and capable. Our play-based emergent curriculum develops as teachers establish relationships with children, and discover their interests, strengths and challenges.
Each classroom provides interesting, open-ended materials so that children can pursue their own interests and develop their own ideas, as they explore art, science, math, and literacy in developmentally appropriate ways. Through both solo and collaborative play, children make choices during free play time and gym. They form a sense of community as they share songs and books at group and story times, and share a family style snack each day.
Teachers create a safe emotional climate in each classroom, keeping routines consistent and clearly communicating rules and expectations. They provide comfort and guidance as co-collaborators, and actively support children as they learn to communicate their ideas, take risks, express and manage their emotions, and negotiate turn-taking and conflicts. Our gentle separation process sets the tone right from the start, when families provide classroom support for their child as they become familiar with school and form relationships with their teachers.
Our 2-Day, 3-Day, 4-Day and Full Day classes include assisting for each co-op family, providing the opportunity to work alongside teachers and gain insight into their child’s school experience. Each family assists about every four to eight weeks. Families come to view assisting as one of the great benefits of our co-op. Parents really get to know their child’s peers, and see firsthand how their child operates within a group. Assisting helps deepen the parent-child relationship and fosters connection between families.
Learn more about the differences between our Nursery School Program classes below.
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2026-2027 Nursery School Programs
2-Day morning Program
Tuesdays and Fridays
Time: 8:30 – 10:30am (Extends to 10:45am in January/February)
4.5:1 child/adult ratio
Born before or on March 1, 2024
Our 2-Day Morning class offers a gentle introduction to preschool for our youngest children. The group is slightly smaller than our other classes, with three teachers, an assisting parent, and sixteen children. This allows teachers to build strong relationships with the children in their care. Children come to know they have an ally who can not only introduce fun new activities, but help them ask someone for a turn, find their family picture if they’re missing home, or cozy up together with a favorite book. As kids encounter new ideas and different points of view, teachers support and model appropriate ways to share materials, and provide a safe space to feel and express big emotions. Children explore a variety of art materials to become familiar with their properties, rather than to produce a specific product. Children are offered age appropriate math and literacy exposure and explorations, beginning with seeing their own name displayed on their cubby. Group times are a way to gather with all the children and teachers each day for a few songs or a story, and for children to come to know they are a part of their classroom community. Parents should expect to arrange for a support person to accompany their child for at least the first few weeks of class.
3-Day Morning program
Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Time: 8:30 – 11:30am
4.5:1 child/adult ratio
Born before or on January 1, 2024
Our 3-Day Morning program is also an entry point for most families, and has three teachers, an assisting parent, and eighteen children. Teachers focus on building strong relationships with the children in their care, and children are encouraged to understand their emotions and express them in constructive ways. Teachers actively encourage communication to ensure a safe and collaborative environment, and encourage and support children’s negotiations around materials. Children come to know teachers will help them on the block rug or in the bathroom, and that they can bring teachers their worries and dilemmas, along with their wonders and discoveries.
Kids are encouraged to explore and discover the properties of art materials, blocks, sand, and water. They may be introduced to board games and other early math activities, and teachers may introduce using signup lists for turn taking, and to build name recognition and early writing skills. Group times offer a chance for children to experience being a part of the larger group, and share songs and stories in community with their peers. Parents should expect to arrange for a support person to accompany their child for at least the first few weeks of class.
4-Day morning Program
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Time: 8:30 – 11:30am
5:1 child/adult ratio
Born before or on September 1, 2023
Our 4-Day morning class is usually a mix of first-time students and children who attended Park West the previous year. Many of the children are familiar with school routines and procedures, and have some practice sharing materials and asking or waiting for turns. Teachers provide a strong emotional base, and children quickly come to know the rhythms and expectations of classroom life. Teachers actively support children to explore and understand their own emotions, and to express themselves to others. Language development really blossoms in the classroom, with teachers supporting and expanding children’s efforts to share their stories, ideas, problems and solutions with their teachers and peers. As children begin to consider the emotions, needs and desires of the other children in the group, teachers help students make connections and sustain social interactions.
Teachers promote a climate of inquiry and wonder, and support children to challenge themselves and take risks. As children become more familiar with the letters of their name, and become interested in the names of their peers, teachers provide a variety of writing tools to explore. They offer meaningful ways for kids to explore literacy as they use sign up lists, make signs and books, and create the snack board each day. Kids develop math concepts as they work with manipulatives and blocks, board games and the classroom calendar. Grouptimes become a bit longer, with more time for children to share their ideas, contribute to discussions, or suggest songs. Teachers also use group times to demonstrate new games or materials or to provide a forum to discuss classroom happenings. Children develop a strong sense of community and belonging, and begin to feel a real sense of ownership of their classroom. Parents should expect to arrange for a support person to accompany their child for at least the first week or two of class.
Junior Kindergarten Program (JK)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Time: 1:00 - 4:00pm
6:1 child/adult ratio
Born before or on September 1, 2022
All Junior Kindergarten (JK) children are four and most have previously been in group settings. While still very much a preschool program, our JK class offers meaningful, age appropriate experiences that prepare children for meeting the challenges of kindergarten the following year. Parents are invited to visit once or twice a year, instead of assisting regularly.
Children in JK can extend familiar activities, play increasingly difficult games, and create and sustain complex fantasy play scenarios. Art, Block and tactile explorations combine multiple techniques and children apply what they know about materials in new ways.
Teachers encourage JK kids to communicate their ideas and emotions to one another, and help children navigate the ups and downs of friendships. They encourage kids to work in larger groups, while acknowledging each child’s increasing sense of individual identity. Children’s ideas and suggestions inform group-time content and classroom activities, and group decision making. For instance, children may vote and then work to create different play scenarios in the playhouse, such as a spaceship or a post office.
Teachers incorporate literacy into every aspect of the classroom. Children become confident using writing tools as they make the daily snack board, work in journals at Table Time and help to write the agenda for group time. Leader Cards, signup lists and surveys provide opportunities for children to broaden their understanding of written language and its uses.
Children develop math skills through classroom routines and opportunities for play, as they sort pumpkins from apples in the sand table, compare water in vessels at the water table, tally votes, keep scores, measure plants, and play board and card games. Teachers support this development through conversations and extension activities, tailoring their approach to each individual’s needs.
JK children are well prepared for the academic challenges of Kindergarten. They are also practiced in regulating their emotions, have confidence in their ability to problem solve and communicate their ideas, can advocate for themselves and will seek out teacher help appropriately. Parents should expect to arrange a support person for the first few days of class.
FULL DAY Program
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Time: 8:30 – 4:00 pm
5:1 child/adult ratio
Born before or on September 1, 2023
Our full day program, for children 3 and 4 years old by September 1 of the school year, is usually a mix of first-time students and children who have previously attended Park West. Many are familiar with school routines and procedures and have experienced group interactions.
Our teachers build upon this familiarity with school by providing and encouraging more complex play scenarios and meaningful social interactions to help students make new connections, discoveries, and relationships. They must use some of these skills to contribute to more complicated projects that use writing tools and art materials, or collaborate to create a play scenario in the playhouse. Teachers also incorporate classroom calendars into the daily routine and may employ voting to make group decisions.
Afternoon programming includes Lunch Bunch, and a dedicated rest time. After a robust morning, children benefit from solo or small group play in the courtyard or gym, then wind down while sharing a hot lunch with teachers and peers. Afterwards, cots with personalized bedding provide a cozy space to nap or rest. Teachers support children as they ease into sleep, or for those who no longer nap, thirty minutes of down time to listen to quiet music, engage in quiet activities, and process their morning. Whether or not kids nap, during the rest of the afternoon teachers extend children’s curricular experiences, offer opportunities for students to work in small groups or pursue solo interests. They spend more time outdoors and in the gym, and venture out with the group on outings within the community.
Note: All program class meeting days and times are subject to change
Enrichement classes
We are proud to host several trusted enrichment class providers at Park West, providing enrichment class opportunities to babies, toddlers and preschoolers in our community.