Preschool Tour #1

On Friday morning, Momily, Mather and I took a tour of the Sunset Co-op, our first pre-school visit. We are starting to consider Magoo's future! It's amazing how much time has passed and how much she's grown up and changed.

Sunset is a parent-participation co-op, which means that tuition is kept low by having member parents assist the paid teachers in managing the students. The advantages of a co-op preschool are many: they are more affordable, there is more parental involvement, and they create a tightly knit community. I went to a co-op preschool myself*, and a number of the families we met then remain amongst my parent's closest friends.

Sunset Co-op was thoroughly charming. The interior is a riot of color and play areas: there is a bouncy-room filled with mattresses, easels ready for young painters, a clay table, a playdough table, books, puzzles, a play kitchen, chests of dress-up clothes, hammocks, just tons of stuff to explore! The building is a bit old, but they will be rebuilding it next year. The yard is fantastic, with colorful old play structures, a wickedly twisted climbing tree, swings, and an inspiring salt-sea air and vibe (the co-op is across the street from Ocean Beach).

Since we were there for a "school" day, we got to witness the morning ritual: the kids arrive and start playing in the yard, then they check in with the school director and mark their attendance on a big chart, then there is a circle time which marks the official start of the day. All the students sing a welcoming song in about ten different languages (English, German, Gaelic, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Czech, Russian, a couple more).

The child whose parent brought the snack for the day receives the honor of "child of the day", so he got to call out roll and name some of the activities available for the day. Then the kids dispersed to various play stations around the facility, guided only by their own desires and inspiration. This is play-based learning. The kids get to choose an activity, and can pursue it for as long as they wish. Parents and teachers are there to keep everyone safe and to provide materials and project concepts, but there are minimal restrictions.

Mather was a little shy but really came out of her shell for the chance to paint. She put quite a bit of work into her first of many masterpieces:

The only downside to the Sunset Co-op is that it's only a part-day preschool -- either 9-12 or 1-4. It doesn't solve the complete daycare need. And of course, it requires a lot of hours from the participating parents. But we like that. We've submitted an application.

*My own preschool is upcoming on the tour itinerary.