Summary
Contact Info
Cupertino Co-op Nursery School
563 W. Fremont Avenue
Cupertino
, CA
94087
www.cupertinocoop.org
Tel:
(408) 739-8963
Director:
Michelle F. Edgecumbe
medgecumbe@earthlink.net
Admissions Director:
Vice President in charge of enrollment
General Approach to Learning
 |
Play-based with some structure |
|
| Predominantly teacher-led instruction |
Application Information
| Applications accepted |
After a face-to-face meeting at the school (tour, conversation with director, etc.) |
| Deadline for applications |
Rolling |
Key Statistics
| Student/teacher ratio |
3:1 |
| Age cutoff for enrollment |
3 years |
| School year |
09/2008 - 06/2009 |
| Summer Program |
07/2008 - 07/2008 |
Kindergarten Placement
Parent Ratings
| Parents at this school would recommend this school to other parents. |
|
| Quality of teaching |
|
| Development of social skills and work habits |
|
| Home-school connection |
|
| Parent community |
|
| Discipline |
|
| Facilities |
|
| Health |
|
| Safety |
|
| Handling of separation |
|
Survey Information
Number of parents surveyed:
13
Director survey: Yes
Savvy Source survey: Yes
General Info
Basic Stats
| Student/teacher ratio |
3:1
|
% of teachers with:
| - Teaching credentials |
100%
|
Transportation and Drop-off Policies
Transportation
Dropoff Procedure
Features of the Preschool
| Provide a third year |
Yes
|
| • Parent have the option to either let their child complete an extra year in the AM or PM class. Many families choose to have their young child complete one year with our M,W,Th PM teacher and then another year with our T,Th,F PM teacher the following year. |
|
| Provide a kindergarten and elementary school program |
No
|
| Affiliated with a religious institution |
No
|
| Some experience serving children with special needs |
Yes
|
| • CCNS works closely with the family to make sure that we are providing an environment that supports the child and the parent so that their first school experience is a successful one. Our teachers will utilize outside resources in order to make sure that CCNS is helping our families to our fullest capacity. We check in with our families daily to make sure that their needs are being met. |
|
Accreditation, Membership & Awards
| Accreditation by the National Association of Young Children |
Yes
|
Other Accreditations
Facilities
| CONDITION OF FACILITIES RATING (4.4) |
|
| Building, bathrooms, hallway |
|
| Classroom equipment and furniture |
|
| Outside play equipment |
|
Facilities Include:
| Classrooms (with bathroom attached) |
|
| Classrooms (with kitchenette attached) |
|
| Music room |
|
| Art room |
|
| Library |
|
|
Office, Dress Up Area
|
|
|
Playground
|
|
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?
CCNS is a true community. We have a wonderful family event committee that provides activities that promote our sense of community. Each year we have a Fall Festival, Wine and Cheese Social, Winter Festival, Spring Carnival, AM & PM Campouts at our school, Parent's Night Out, Spring Dinner Party, and Scrap Booking Nights. Friendships are made that continue long after our families leave our CCNS community. The love of the school is apparent as we have many families returning with their own children. Our school is much more than a school, it is our home!
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
I have had 3 children go through this program and I highly recommend it. One of my children was very shy and behind his peers in almost every dimension. The teacher and the director worked with my husband and I, as well as with my child, to bring him out. They had great suggestions for how to bring some techniques into our home to address his challenges and, best of all, they did so without singling him out or making him feel "wrong". We are about to start our 4th child at CCNS because I think this program does a fantastic job working with every child and parent individually.
Parent #2
This is our second year at CCNS. My daughter is in the 4s and 5s class. I would highly recommend this preschool to anyone who has a more independent learner. It offers a play-based approach to learning where kids can pick and choose what they would like to do and participate in. Ratio is great, there are 8 work parents on each day and one teacher who floats and leads circle and carrot times. We enjoy the family events, which include festivals, Super Saturday, Movie Night at school and a campout in the CCNS yard!! My daughter in particular loves the animals at CCNS and the outside play area. There are so many things you can do! Being at school with your child is very rewarding. My husband and I both have enjoyed the workdays, and have benefited from attending the parent education classes. There is a big time committment (parent work days, janitorial weekends, committee positions, monday night meetings 2x per month, special project hours), but you do get out of it what you put into it. I would recommend this to a family seeking involvement in their child's education and wanting to connect with other like-minded families.
Parent #3
Cupertino Co-Op Nursery School (CCNS) is having an Open House on January 20, 2009 (Tuesday) and January 21, 2009 (Wednesday). It starts at 9:15am-11:15am for the 3 year olds and 12:30pm-2:30pm for the 4 year olds. Your child has to be 3 years old by 12/2/2009 to enroll for the 3'sclass and 4 years old by 12/2/2009 to enroll for the 4's class. Everyone is welcome to come with their kids. They are located inside the Fremont High School Campus so you can park on the parking lot located on Fremont Avenue before Sunnyvale-Saratoga Rd. I recomment that you and your child attend the Open House so you can observe your child while interacting with the other school children and see why everyone loves CCNS.
My daughter loves going to her pre-school and playing with her classmates and singing, dancing, playing dress-up, doing arts and crafts, cooking or science, gardening, and carpentry projects. She also loves playing/feeding the animals. CCNS has 2 rats, fish, 2 rabbits, and 2 chickens. She can even borrow her favorite books and read at home for her bedtime story. CCNS has lots of blocks, puzzles, games, books to play with. The children loves pretending to have princess tea parties and cooking/baking. They have school events for the whole family like an Ice Cream Social, Halloween Trick or Treat, Harvest Festival, Winter Festival, Dad's Day Out, Movie Night, Field Trips, etc.. Your child will surely love this preschool and their wonderful and loving teachers. And your family will have a long-lasting friendship with the other families too.
Parent #4
PROS: Excellent school if your child has food allergies; the staff and working parents are very attuned to it and strictly enforce a "no-nut" policy. The variety of activities offered (e.g. field trips, arts & crafts, etc.) are great.
CONS: Teaching staff is mixed. Some teachers genuinely enjoy intereacting with all the children while others play "favorites". Children in the "non-favorite" group are subject to disparate disciplinary measures, harsh tone & demeanor by the teacher (and sometimes working parents) and limited interaction with the teacher. Heavier emphasis should be placed on teaching children how to interact better with each other (e.g. truly caring about each other and respecting differences), rather than letting them "fend for themselves".
Parent #5
This is a wonderful school where children are well loved, nurtured and respected. There is a strong sense of community and cooperation amongst the parents and teachers. Everyone there is very dedicated to the children and the school itself. The only drawback is that the school requires a great deal of work from the parents: work one day each week in the classroom, attend two evening meetings a month, hold a committee job with a minimum of 10 hours of work, perform two janitorial weekends per year, perform 2 special project hours, plan the curriculum with other parents in May, and complete a memory book of your child's year the school. Also, the parent's actual work day can be labor intensive, busy and demanding.
Parent #6
On a day when I was exasperated with my child, the director spent time with me listening to the problem, the incident and offering suggestions and resources to help me deal with the issue.
Parent #7
This school develops both parent and children social and academic involvement. CCNS bring a sense of community to parents to help each other and share ideas.
Parent #8
The strengths are the excellent teachers and director as well as the parents.
Parent #9
I think that a lot of parents can be afraid to attend a co-op preschool because of the work. And it is a lot of work, but it is worth every moment that I've had to invest in the school. My oldest children, who are 12 and 14 also attended CCNS and some of my best friends are parents I met back then. I bonded with them on our workday years ago and we are still connected. I am also a better parent because of all of the parent meetings I've 'had' to attend. I have heard over 50 speakers over the years from everything from nutrition, positive discipline, sleep issues, fathering, effects of media in our children's lives, and about 45 more. These meetings have changed our lives. My children will grow up a little happier, and my husband and I are a lot saner because of these meetings. This school has changed our lives for the best. There are few things I can look back on and feel as good about as I do CCNS. It has been wonderful!!
Parent #10
CCNS is a huge time commitment that pays off tremendously. The children learn to be caring, empathetic, well-mannered members of a community. Parents treat ALL children as if they were there own. We have a close-knit community that is reliable, responsible and loving.
School Philosophy & Day in the Life
School Philosophy and Mission
We believe that children reach their fullest potential when they are able to develop a positive self-image. They can do this best in a safe, consistent, nurturing environment that is rich in opportunities for them to master tasks appropriate to their individual levels of development. These tasks support their intellectual development, social-emotional development, physical development and foster their creativity.
We know that children learn by doing. Through play, children interact with their surroundings and with other people, discovering relationships, deriving concepts and creating a reality that is unique to each child.
We believe that play is the most effective means available to young children to accomplish integration and growth. Our goal is to provide the time, space, materials and guidance needed by children to optimize their play experience.
We believe that parenting young children is a challenging role and that the skills of parenting can be shared and learned, facilitating a positive passage for both parent and child through this most important stage of a child's life.
Typical Day-In-The-Life At This School
Our children are greeted at the front door by their teacher waiting for them.
They then come in, wash their hands, and then return to their teacher for a good morning hug and to put their name tag on. A child may then choose to participate in the game room, dress up room, block room or art studio.
The teacher rings the bells, sings a song, and the children then follow her to our Music Room for Opening Circle time.
Opening circle time is a time to come together as a family for greeting. All are welcome! We sing, we dance, play musical instruments, drums and love each other. The teacher then advises the children what special experiences are available for them to explore.
The children are then released to have free play for 1 uninterrupted hour. They can choose between art exploration, games, dress up, blocks, science, cooking, carpentry, sand play, bikes, climbing, sliding, gardening, balancing...
The bell rings after an hour for snack time. The children return to the classroom to wash their hands and then move to a snack table.
6 children sit at a table with a working parent to participate in a family style snack and story.
After snack the children are sent out for some more free play.
At the end of our day the children, along with the working parents and teacher, clean up the school. When the school is cleaned, the bell is rung again for carrot time.
Carrot time is where the child, whose parent brought snack for the day, sits in our honored 'carrot chair' and then gets to pass out carrots for our children to eat while a story is read.
After story time we sing our good-bye song, hug and then say our good-byes until another day!
Our afternoon class differs in that they have another circle time with their teacher where they explore pre-kindergarten readiness activities.
Half of the class has circle time and the other half has snack.
Quality of Teaching
Teachers Are:
| OVERALL RATING: (4.8) |
|
| Full of energy and seemingly happy in job |
|
| Patient and affectionate with children |
|
| Talks with children and listens carefully when they are talking with him/her |
|
| Praises children for accomplishments and good behavior |
|
| Provides feedback on what my child does during the day |
|
| Shares insights on my child that are helpful and accurate |
|
| Identifies my child’s strengths and weaknesses |
|
| If necessary, provides additional support to my child during pickup and drop-off |
|
| Resolves disputes quickly, calmly and fairly in a manner that allows children to learn from the dispute |
|
| Notices children who are not on task and/or engaging with other children appropriately and quickly reengages them |
|
| Manages the energy level of the children so that all children feel safe and able to learn |
|
| Provides additional support to a child when s/he is clearly failing in her/his efforts |
|
| Strikes the proper balance between active and quiet play for children |
|
Director's Comments on Individualized Teaching
Individualized Teaching
Description of how teachers work with children who are
"behind," "excelling" or "different" from the majority of students
Our teachers work extremely close with our parents. We have mini conferences daily with our parents and formal conference twice a year. During those conference the parents and the teacher come up with goals for both the parent AND the child to accomplish during the school year. CCNS is a developmental program. Our children are a work in progress. However, if there is a need for speech therapy, occupational therapy or play therapy, outside sources are researched. If a child is excelling, we help the parents find outside enrichment activities.
Home School Connection
Home-School Connection
| OVERALL RATING (4.5) |
|
| 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 |
|
Director's Comments
Our school is one in which our students are actually our parents. Our preschool is the lab in which our families put in force what they have learned through attending Parent Team Meetings, General Meetings, and daily discussions with their teachers.
Our Parent Team Meetings are where our Teachers present Early Childhood Education topics and then we meet as a group to discuss what is going on in our classroom.
Parent Team Meetings are a wonderful support group for families in or communiity.
Our parents also attend General Meetings where we bring in paid speakers to speak to our families on various topics such as Nutrition, Conflict Resolution, Personality Types, Significance of Birth Order and Positive Parenting just to name a few.
All teachers have 2 formal parent teacher conference each year, however, they also conference each day the parent works in the classroom.
All of our families participate in our Yahoo Group email. Teachers are in constant communication with our family through the email group.
Families are encouraged to call, email, or schedule a time to talk with their teachers any time!
Our PM teachers dedicate an entire Parent Team Meeting to educating our families on different Kindergarten programs within our area.
We actually have various Kindergarten teachers come from different schools to sit on a panel and answer questions from our families.
Information is also posted at school letting our families know of different Kindergarten options and Open Houses.
Our teachers work closely with all of our families helping them decide what is the best option for their child and their learning style.
Separation
|
|
-
Parents in classroom early on
|
|
-
Extra staff dedicated to handle seperation
|
|
-
Small group sessions
|
|
-
Pre-entry meetings with parents at school
|
Director's and Parents' Comments
Director's Comments
We ask our families to stay with their child until they have successfully separated. Sometimes it takes a week. Sometimes it takes 2 months! We ask that our families respect the child's needs and we support them during that time. We want our children to feel safe and secure.
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
A good play-based preschool is the BEST environment in which to nurture a child and to help him or her achieve developmental goals.
Parent #2
This is a play-based preschool that encourages individual development at each child's pace and interest. It is a nurturing community for parents, as well as children, with resources available to deal with all child (and parent) development issues. It is an enriched environment, teaching sharing, cooperation, conflict resolution, art, cooking, pets (even has chickens on site), music, science, gardening, table manners, balance, the basics (patterning, letters, counting, etc.) and PLAY, PLAY, PLAY! The children choose their own activities and can take their shoes off, make lakes in the sand and water, ride bikes, gather chicken eggs, pet bunnies and rats, learn composting, get comfort and encouragement from the wonderful teachers and parents, go on field trips, watch puppet shows (the list goes on and on) in a safe environment (both socially and physically). The director doesn't miss a thing, keeping our children safe and happy. We enjoyed every moment of this experience with our son! I highly recommend it!!!
Drop-in Policy
- During school parents are welcomed as the school has an open door policy
General Parent Education
Parent Community
| COHESIVENESS RATING (4.5) |
Parents:
Modes of Communication Between School and Home
Discipline, Health and Safety
Discipline
| OVERALL RATING (4.5) |
|
| Parents at this school, on average, believe that conflicts between children:
are handled extraordinarily well in a way that not only gives me confidence in the safety of my child but also reassures me that my child (and his/her peers) are learning the early skills needed to socialize effectively with one another
| |
Overview
Director's Description of Approach Toward Discipline
Our discipline approach is very simple. We discuss the problem with the child using positive discipline and conflict resolution skills. If the child continues in disruptive behavior, we will redirect their play. There are times where we need to get our parents involved. The teachers discuss the problem with the child's parents and come up with program where the child will meet with success. From the very first day that our children enter our program we actively use conflict resolution in all situations. By the time our children leave our program they are experts at expressing their needs and wants.
Director's Response to a Sample Discipline Scenario
Description of how teachers handle the following scenario: Child A and Child B are good friends and usually play together. One day, Child A decides to play with Child C and tells Child B, 'I don't want to play with you today. I'm playing with Child C instead.'
We gather all 3 children together and discuss what the situation is. Many children at this age are trying to find out what qualities they want in friends and in doing this usually jump from friend to friend. If the children want some time alone, we must respect their needs. We can try and find a game where all of the children are included, or even pull in more children to make a larger group. We will always include some type of discussion regarding their feelings. Would it be possible to have the 3rd child come back a little later to join in? Would it be possible to create a game where we could have 3 children play together immediately? We need to constantly provide our children options and choices.
Parents' Notes on Discipline, Health and Safety
Parents' Comments
Parent #1
We are fortunate in that not only do most of our teachers have the minimum ECEs, but they also have bachelor's degrees and half have valid California teaching credentials.
Parent #2
Everything a child (or parent) could want! The parents, as well as the children, learn how to deal with conflict. The children are asked what they think they should do. They are encouraged to use their words and work things out themselves to develop confidence and self esteem.
Health
| OVERALL RATING (4.7) |
|
| Temperature and overall air circulation is comfortable |
|
| Healthy and nutritious snacks are provided
|
|
| Toys and furniture are cleaned regularly |
|
Food Allergies
Medications
Safety
| OVERALL RATING (4.8) |
|
| Screen and identify all visitors
|
|
| Parents may not bring sick children to school where they may infect others |
|
Kindergarten Placement & Tips
Parents' Admission Tips
Advice from Parents to Prospective Parents on Admissions
Parent #1
I am an alumni, and I applied one year early.
Parent #2
Personal attention given by the president and staff.
Parent #3
Early enrollment
Parent #4
Sign up BEFORE the Open House to get priority on the list!
Parent #5
Apply early (September/October) because the 3's classes fill up quickly before the open house in February.
