Reflections after 2 years at MCPC for Preschool

My daughter had been at MCPC for preschool for 2 years, but before that, she attended their Toddler Playtime program for about 1.5 years. So, technically we’d been at MCPC for about 3.5 years.

Looking back to when we first started researching preschools, the MCPC website had a testimonial from an alumni parent that said “MCPC is a magical place.” I kind of rolled my eyes and thought "yeah right, how is a preschool magical? They must be saying that just to get people to enroll.”  But we applied anyway and were accepted.  Since we were part of the Toddler Playtime program, we thought we knew what it meant to be part of a cooperative preschool, but were we wrong!  Helping run a cooperative preschool is a lot of work! 

At MCPC, each family has one workday during the week, a family job, and is required to attend the monthly General Meeting.  So, all parents put in a lot of time and work into the school.  But all of those workdays and meetings transformed into bonding experiences that my partner and I were able to share with other parents at the school. All our kids are about the same ages, and we were all going through similar experiences and reaching the same milestones, so it was natural to chat before and after our workdays and general meetings to bond over all our different experiences.  We all worked together for the same goals of running the preschool and raising our children.  And all that work we put into the school magically transformed our preschool community into a family.  I guess I was wrong, there is magic at MCPC.

Reflecting to one of my first workdays during my daughter’s first school year at MCPC, she was very clingy and cried whenever she couldn’t get her way or couldn’t express herself. Of course, she had a very severe speech delay, so a lot of her outbursts were because others couldn’t understand what she was saying or wanting.

But then, on my last workday 2 years later, she is barely by my side and playing with her friends who now understand everything she says. She hadn’t gotten into as many conflicts and knows how to check-in with friends and is vocal to make sure she is heard. It makes me proud to see how independent and confident she has become during these two years at MCPC.

And looking back on my first workday for the current school year, I remember all the Turtles (1st year preschoolers) and stopping them from taking multiple paper towels from the automatic paper towel dispensers. I watched each child take sheet after sheet, not understanding that it would continue to produce a sheet until they stop taking it.  So, I had to instructed each child to stop and leave the next sheet for their friend waiting behind them, which they very hesitantly did. 

Fast forward to my last work day, these same Turtles were playing “office” in the playroom. Since the office equipment was limited, you’d expect there to be a lot of tears and fighting. But these kids weren’t fighting. All who wanted to play office were able to play, and they all talked and checked-in with each other and were able to resolve conflict without yelling or crying.  They all worked through their differences without much guidance from the teachers or working parents.  

These moments during my last workday were magical to me.  I could see how much my daughter had grown during these 2 years, and how much the Turtles had grown during their first school year.  I watched them and all the other Owls (2nd year preschoolers) and Bobcats (5-year old preschoolers) during the last 2 years during my workdays, and other events, so seeing how much they’ve all grown is so rewarding.  And these transformations are all thanks to the MCPC Director and Teachers.  The way they handle the kids and guide us working parents to teach the kids how to think on their own and make their own decisions is all part of the MCPC magic. 

And then came the last day of school, which was the crowning ceremony for all the children.  For those families going on to “New Beginnings” like us, this is where our MCPC preschool door closes, and the MCPC alumni door opens to a new chapter of our lives.  This new chapter is not only for the children, but also for us parents.

During these last 2 years together, we created a very strong community, grew-up together, and created friendships so strong that many of us parents plan our children’s extracurricular activities together, go camping together, go out to dinners together, and generally enjoy being around each other.  I’m sure we’re not alone, but we will miss our MCPC family/community. All the work for the school was a big part of the magic because these 2 years at MCPC were one of the best experiences we’ve gone through together as a family.

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.

So, THANK YOU to the Director and to all the teachers and parents who worked with us side-by-side during our years at MCPC.  Thank you for the memories and thank you for the magic.