More About Aftercare...
Aftercare is an extension of the Co-op. It is not a parent co-operative, but is run by an experienced and wonderful credentialed teacher/director, assisted by a second excellent and creative teacher when more than eight children are present.
Aftercare is a wonderful transition to school for younger children because there are fewer children and it is a slower pace than the morning program. It also provides an excellent preschool experience on its own for parents who do not wish to participate in the morning Co-operative.
The afternoon starts with lunch, which the children bring. Then kids have lots of time to play and explore, both indoors and outdoors, including art projects, science activities, manipulatives and dramatic play. Mid-afternoon, there is a rest time when the children lie on mats and listen to stories. Some take naps. Afterward there is more time for play before children are picked up. There is a one-time $50 registration fee for non-Co-op members using the afternoon program.
More About our History and Philosophy...
Our Full History
The organization we know today as the San Anselmo Co-operative Nursery School was founded in Fairfax in June 1947 as the Fairfax Community Nursery School. Several families formed the nucleus of this first school, but much motivational credit goes to Marjorie Egger, founder, parent and first Director. During that first semester, classes were held daily in the Fairfax Council Hall, which presented a number of drawbacks. Each morning the director and her helper mothers were required to move the council table, chairs, etc., out of the chamber, replace them with the school's furniture and then reverse that process in the afternoon.
Late that year, the school was forced to move out of the Council chambers. For several months it shared facilities with the Sunny Hills Nursery in San Anselmo. Then, late in the spring of 1948, that arrangement also came to an end and classes were held in the home of the first executive board president, Bonnie Cockburn. Fortunately, for the 1948-49 school year, the school was able to resume use of the Fairfax Council Chambers. Thus began almost sixteen years of uncertainty about facilities.
In 1949 the school moved again, this time to the music building of Sir Francis Drake High School. Along with this move came a name change to Drake Community Nursery School. The previous year, the school had joined the Marin Council of Co-operative Nursery Schools at its inception. With that legitimacy, DCNS was now accepted as a supported organization under the Tamalpais Union High School District Adult Education Program. Still later, in 1954, it received sponsorship from the College of Marin Adult Education Department, Marin Junior College District, a relationship which was maintained for many years.
Throughout this time, the school was forced to move frequently. Star Hall and the San Anselmo Women's Improvement Club provided some of the temporary quarters. Often parents' homes were the only available space. In 1956, the name was again changed to better reflect the school's locale and it became the San Anselmo Nursery School, Inc.
In 1963, the school, now known as the San Anselmo Co-operative Nursery School, purchased the current property at 24 Myrtle Lane, finally acquiring the permanent home it had so long wished for. Since this was a residential building, much work was required to meet the school's, as well as the city's, requirements. As always before, parents and local businesses provided labor and financial support. By 1971, all the plans were in place for a major remodeling as designed by parent-architect Dan Goltz. By the fall of 1972, all the work was finished on the building as we know it today. One last item required attention and although it took twenty years to get to it, the wait was well worth it. In 1996, parents installed the new playground that we still enjoy today, designed by parent John Merten.
Since then, little has changed, except the faces of the children and their parents. Many who spent their pre-school years at SACNS have chosen to return with their own three-, four- and five-year olds. Today the Co-op continues to provide that environment of free play and exploration that allows each child to develop at his or her own pace, and allows parents and children to grow together.
A co-operative nursery school provides a unique experience for families who wish to be involved in their children’s education and learn alongside them. By sharing parenting issues, insights, joys and struggles, parents gain a sense of community with one another and a greater understanding of their own child’s development. Through their participation parents create the kind of school they desire for their children. Their many talents, strengths and interests provide the energy that fuels the school. By relying on parent ingenuity, teamwork and labor, we keep fees low and the school available to a wide spectrum of people.
The goal of the preschool is to foster physical, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual growth in each child. We do not consider it the school’s task to transmit a prescribed set of knowledge within a certain period of time. Rather, we provide a nurturing, secure environment that offers challenging, age-appropriate experiences from which children may choose. We then step back and allow the children to help each other, play together, converse, argue, explore, experiment, make friends, and simply learn to be in the world. Their individual paces are respected, their thoughts and feelings are honored, and their interests determine how their time is spent. To balance spontaneity with structure, we have a flexible daily routine which allows for a natural flow of events. We strive at all times to promote feelings of success, self-esteem and belonging.
Since we believe that learning to interact effectively with others is so important, we allow children every opportunity to practice social skills. Difficult exchanges between children are viewed as opportunities to guide them toward social competence.
Adults are involved in the learning process at the Co-op. We strive to keep the school environment positive by providing a safe forum for discussion and the exchange of ideas. Through this model of adult collaboration, we hope to bring young children and their families one of the richest and most rewarding experiences of their lives.
It is our intent that your child learns:
• the joy of expression through beautiful and messy materials
• how to interact with his/her peers
• that adults ae interested in his/her efforts, and
• that learning and fun are synonymous.We are a non-profit, non-sectarian organization, owned and administered by the parents. We are licensed by the State of California, and affiliated with the local and state Councils of Parent Participation Nursery Schools. We welcome families of any race, creed, color, gender, religion, national or ethnic origin.
More about Parent Participation
Our school is run by parents. An Executive Board consisting of nine parents is in charge of the school’s administration. Only our teachers are paid; everything else is accomplished by the parents of enrolled children. As you would expect, it takes a lot of effort and teamwork to make this happen, and it has been working successfully for nearly 60 years. While the time involved is substantial, we believe the community that develops is well worth the effort.
At a minimum, parents of children enrolled in the morning program participate by:
• assisting as an aide one morning per week
• performing a job (e.g., gardener, fundraiser, librarian, newsletter editor, snack buyer)
• providing three projects and leading one circle time per year
• attending one business meeting per month
• attending five parent education meetings per year
• being “on call” as an emergency parent one day per month
• performing housekeeping and general maintenance 14 hours per school year
• contributing both time and money to various fundraising programsMore Details about the Morning Program...
The Co-op provides a flexible daily routine, striving to achieve a balance of spontaneity with structure. Cooking, art and science projects are provided by parents so the curriculum is ever-changing and draws upon the experience and knowledge of participants. This structure is the backbone of the community-based philosophy that is the essence of the Co-op experience.
In a typical day, the first hour is spent doing activities of the children’s choice; they may play inside or in the front yard or may choose to do one of the projects set up by parents. Then all children wash hands and gather together and sing. Next, half the group stays for a teacher- or parent-led Circle Time activity, and the other half goes to snack in two small groups with a parent. Afterward the groups switch. Snacks are provided by the school and consist of a fruit or vegetable, a starch, and a protein; we use organic ingredients whenever possible. During the last hour of the day the children play in our spacious backyard, where there are always art or science activities set up for those who choose. The last few minutes of the day are spent in a final Goodbye Circle before children meet their parents at the gate.
An outside music teacher comes in for many sessions during the school year, as well as a series of visits by Bobcat, a local animal expert who brings small live animals for the children to hold.
We enjoy several traditions, including riding bikes in the San Anselmo parade, a special Halloween celebration, field trips to the Fire Station, Post Office, and a nearby grocery store, a trip to see the Nutcracker, a pumpkin patch and egg hunt, and school at Teacher Edith’s house in June.
For children who will be moving on to kindergarten, our teacher offers a Pre-K program on Friday afternoons. It is not heavily academic, but has a slightly more structured format than the morning program.