Auburndale, MA
Burr Cooperative Nursery School

Director's Comments

Question to director: Do you have any additional thoughts on what parents should consider when looking at your school? Is there any advice that you would like to provide to prospective parents?


Above all, we are a parent cooperative school, where parents are not only welcome, but are intimately involved in and out of the classroom. The cooperative nature of the school bridges the gap between home and school, and gives parents a greater understanding of their child?s experience in nursery school. Being a part of a cooperative nursery school is a wonderful experience for the children as well as the parents. Children enjoy the community of parents and their special parent help days, and parents contribute their own enthusiasm to the school and get to know other families through their work together.


Parent responsibilities include being a parent helper in the classroom 7-10 times/year, and taking on a family job (either serving on the Board of Directors, or on a supporting committee). Each year we have a diverse group of families, with varying schedules and other commitments. We work with each family to find the right committee position or board position, that will fit well with the other commitments in a family?s life. The involvement of our families is a large part of what makes Burr Cooperative so special.

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
Because of a few moves, we've had the experience of three nursery schools. We were fortunate enough to spend two years at Burr Cooperative. Burr Cooperative is a wonderful place for children to experience their first schooling. The School was essentially an extension of our family.

Parent #2
The teachers are warm, caring, and understanding. The cooperative model means that both parents and children are part of a close-knit community. I love being parent helper in the classroom, and being able to my son play and learn at school.

Parent #3
We loved that it is a co-op which builds a strong, close-knit community of families. The school provides a nurturing environment where my child is able to interact with children of different age groups. This helped to instill a natural big sisterly/brotherly attitude towards the younger classmates. Being a co-op also means parents have a more vested interest in the school. Don't choose this school if you're looking for an impersonal place to leave your kids for a few hours, where you hardly get to know any of the other parents. DO choose this school if you're looking for a warm, nurturing, supportive community of families who go the extra mile for the school and by extension, your child.

Parent #4
Strengths include: regular parent involvement in the classroom, which is the heart and soul of the program; emphasis on nurturing children's curiousity, love of learning, exploration, socialization, and building of self-esteem. Another strength is the community building process, which is nurtured by the non-profit Board of Directors -- alll of whom are parents in the program. The Board organizes and facilitaties play dates, special programming for the children, and other opportunities for the children and parents to participate. Additionally, the teacher/student ratio is excellent.

Parent #5
The teachers at Burr are endlessly patient and caring. They have many years of experience working with this age group and it shows. The program is play-based and child-led, so when kids show an interest in a particular subject, the teachers can adapt and delve further. Being a cooperative, parental involvement is key, and the Burr community is warm and welcoming. I could not imagine a better fit for my children and family.

Parent #6
Burr cooperative is a warm, caring and intimate environment - perfect for a child's first school experience. The fact that parents get to help out in the classroom on occasion only enhances the experience for the child. My daughter gets so excited on my "parent help days" because she loves sharing what she does in school with me, and I love it too. The teachers are extremely creative and the kids are encouraged to play and explore their interests. My older daughter attended first and is currently thriving in kindergarten. Her younger sister now loves it as much as she did. I'm so happy we've found this school.

Parent #7
The strengths of the school are the teachers, the community, and the child-centered, play-based curriculum. The only drawback to the program is that we are a single classroom; therefore, a small community, and it is difficult to get the word out to others about what a wonderful school we have.

Parent #8
The atmosphere at BCNS is one of a close, supportive environment where everyone works together to create a great classroom experience for the children. The cooperative aspect of BCNS allows the parents to really feel a part of their child's nursery school experience. The staff is experienced, enthusiastic, warm, and energetic. By the time our third child has graduated from BCNS we will have been involved with the school for nine terrific years!

Parent #9
For a Coop to work effectively and smoothly parent involvement is important. the parents and teachers at BCNS are committed to keeping the school going. A weakness, for me, is there is alot of free play but the positive side of that is the kids are learning cooperative play and social skill building and teachers are always around and interacting with the kids.

Montessori? Waldorf? Play-based?

What school type is right for your child? Is one model better than another? What does the research say?

View an example from the Savvy Source guide to learn more.

Get large plastic buckets (or sand buckets if you have lots of really little toys )in a variety of solid colors (red, blue, yellow, green, pink). Ask your child to clean up his/her toys by putting the toys in the bucket corresponding to the color bucket. Great for teaching personal responsibility, color identification, and sorting.

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