Now, as we enter the MCPC alumni door, I see that MCPC really is a magical place - not only for the kids, but also for us parents. I didn’t see this last year when we were continuing on at MCPC, but I see it now. And I understand why parents from previous years also have their younger children attend MCPC, have kept in touch, and have held on to this amazing community. MCPC truly is a magical place.
Read MoreWe became interested in trying to give our children the opportunity to explore the world through play. We felt like there would always be time for academics but little time to be a child. Along that path, we discovered cooperative preschools. We knew it was going to be both a lot of work and an opportunity to have special time with our child. After trying another coop first, we learned about MCPC. We found the grounds at MCPC magical, the chickens, the sensory experiences, and the different play yards. The way the teachers spoke to the kids and parents was amazing, something we wanted to copy at home.
Read MoreMCPC’s teacher/parent to child ratio is 1:5, while the teacher to parent ratios at TK is 1:24 and sometimes 1:12. These are the major differences between MCPC and TK programs. In this blog, parents look at the differences between MCPC and TK to determine what’s best for their little one.
Read MoreDuring the first weeks of school, the main goal for all the parents who work at MCPC is to make connections with all the kids. This connection is very important because it helps the kids know who we are so when we explain things to them to correct behaviors or set boundaries, they listen to us.
Read MorePart of the experience of being in a co-op is sitting in on the morning and noon debriefing meetings with the teachers to discuss the children at school that day, ongoing themes with the children, and ask questions about how to handle certain situations that happen with the kids.
Read MoreYou may have seen on our Diversity page that our curriculum stems from anti-bias principles of education. But what does this mean on a daily basis for the children at MCPC? For us as parents?
Read More“One thing I had learned from watching chimpanzees with their infants is that having a child should be fun.”
– Jane Goodall
Read MorePeriodically at MCPC the teachers sit down with one child at a time and invite them to ‘tell a story’ of their choosing. It can be real or imagined — and is almost always hilarious. Read on for some laughs!
Read MoreAt MCPC, all behavior is seen as communication and we believe each child is doing their best with the skills they have.
Read MoreYou might wonder, how can a co-op preschool that requires a big time investment from families, and is located in Montclair, a traditionally white, hills community, address diversity issues of race, socio-economics, family structure, disabilities and more? We are asking these same questions…
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