The Calvary Experience

Calvary Cooperative Preschool is not a traditional or ordinary preschool.  When your child attends our preschool, your entire family becomes part of an extended family community, and just like any family you will have certain roles and responsibilities that contribute to everyone’s success.  For instance, you will be expected to be a teacher’s assistant twice a month in your child’s class.  On these days you will need to come to school early to set up, engage and instruct large groups of children during class, and clean up after class is over.  You will also be expected to play an active role in our school’s fundraising events, and your commitment to raising a specific amount (typically $250 per family per school year) is critical to our school’s financial success. You or your partner will also need to attend several parent meetings during the school year and serve as part of a committee or as a member on the Board of Directors.

Even our classroom environment might not be what you expect (although we think it ‘s the best!). Our primary focus is making sure that our student’s first experience with school is a positive one.  Our goal is to create a warm and secure environment to bridge the early years at home and Kindergarten.  Our classroom environment focuses on learning through play and hands-on activities and not so much on completing workbooks or memorizing flashcards.  We are also a Christian preschool.  Although we never try to force certain religious beliefs on our students, we do teach the children about morals and values.  We also celebrate Christmas and Easter with our students as part of our school year.

This may sound like a lot at first, but here’s a key point to remember: You are joining a family, and like any family, the rest of us are here to help you and make sure that we all succeed and, most importantly, that our children have a positive preschool experience.

Here are some questions to help you decide if Calvary is a good match for you:

1) Do you agree that preschool education is not just about learning the academic skills needed for kindergarten?

2) Are you willing to commit to actively participating in your child’s class, the school’s committees, and fundraisers?

3) Are you willing to commit to your fundraising goal and either use the fundraising opportunities provided by the school (such as bulb/cookie dough sales) to raise the money or pay the school an equivalent amount?

4) Do you understand that a co-op preschool is definitely not a “drop the kids off for the day” environment, and you will need to be actively engaged during the school year?

If you like what you read, and answered yes to all of the questions, then we are very excited for your child AND you to enroll at Calvary Cooperative Preschool!