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Pasadena, CA
Cottage Co-Op Nursery School

Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents.

Review this preschool

neighborhood: Southwest Pasadena ·  Telephone: (626) 799-0387

• Summary
• General Info
• Curriculum &
  Teaching Approach
• Quality of
  Teaching
• Home/School
  Connection
• Discipline,
  Health & Safety
• Kindergarten
  Placement&Tips

Home-School Connection

OVERALL RATING (4.2)
Conducts an open house at start of school year
Conducts a parent-teacher meeting at start of school year
Conducts regular parent teacher conferences
Provides summary of child’s learning at end of year
Provides guidance on developmental goals for the following year
Provides guidance on best Kindergarten and elementary schools

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Separation

OVERALL RATING (4.6)

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Parents' Comments

Parent #1
Parents welcome and actively involved in all aspects of school. Really feels like a community?parents hang out after school and just chat while kids run around and play.

Parent #2
Great, dedicated, nurturing teachers. Great environment.

Parent #3
There are two formal Parent-Teacher conferences at Cottage, but additionally, each time the parent volunteers in the classroom, there is a debriefing session with the two teachers and two parent volunteers in order to discuss the day's happenings.

Parent #4
Cottage Co-op is the ideal school for parents who want to be a part of their child's preschool years. I believed parent participation would help ensure that our child would be well taken care of. What I did not expect was the learning and growing that we experienced as parents working alongside our child in the classroom.

Parent #5
We have not yet completed the first school year.

Parent #6
As for the learning goals outlined at the beginning of the year at parent education and training sessions, since the school offers an emergent play-based, developmental curriculum, the goals provided were tailored to that philosophy. As for the end of the year summary, in addition to a written summary of my child's developmental progress, the teachers also provided extremely thoughtful verbal guidance and information in the parent teacher conferences. As for advice as to kindergarten for the following year, the school hosts a kindergarten summit in the fall to provide information to parents about local public and private school opportunities. As for dealing with separation anxiety, the school and teachers provide parent training and reading materials on the issue before school starts. The teachers also work with the parents to help their children navigate through these issues. In the classes with 2 year olds, for example, for some families, the process of parents leaving the classroom can be gradual, with some parents attending class for the first several weeks of school as that 2-year old child adapts to the teachers and the new environment. The teachers work with each of the parents on a plan to transition into a situation in which the child is comfortable being left in class by himself or herself.

Parent Community

COHESIVENESS RATING (4.2)

Parents:

- Sit on the board of trustees

- Hold social events at the school to build community

- Fundraise

- Are required to make donations ourselves

- Are able to visit the school anytime we want

- Volunteer in the classroom

- Receive newsletters

- Hold social events outside of the school (with and/or without children)

- Encourage play dates out of school

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Parents' Comments

Parent #1
Be pro-active in any area that we might feel the school is lacking?we feel very comfortable offering suggestions, and everyone's ideas, and time, are welcome.

Parent #2
Participation in the board of trustees is optional and does not include all parents. Because the school is a co-op, each family takes on a job to assist with school operations. The jobs are varied so that it is a matter of parent choice as to the type and level of commitment a parent takes on.

Parent #3
One can be as involved or distanced as one wants. There are specific social functions and fundraisers throughout the year, lots of potlucks at school, dates outside, and these include the children. Parents need/want different levels of exchange/community. You can find whatever level you want at Cottage.

Parent #4
Pairs ?old? parents with ?new? parents

Parent #5
Because the school is a co-op with two parents in each classroom every day, the parent community is a very tight-knit group. Most families make lifetime friendships while their children attend the school. Parents also participate in school operations in various ways.

Parent #6
Pairs old parents with new parents

Modes of Communication Between School and Home

Parents' Comments

Parent #1
Wish box in the entryway.

Parent #2
Conferences including other parents.

Parent #3
The school is a co-op, so there is a very active dialog between teachers and parents. The teachers are extremely skilled at helping children to develop the confidence and language skills necessary to express their interests and needs, at helping them develop the skills to problem solve and to resolve conflicts with their peers, and at encouraging them in their creative play and expression. Because two parents are in each classroom every day, the parents have the opportunity to learn valuable parenting skills from the teachers so that the education of the children gets carried into the home environment. There are also numerous parent education and training events at which there is an open forum in which the parents can discuss a wide variety of issues with the teachers.