Both of my daughters attended a co-op preschool, Diamond Bar Community Preschool in Diamond Bar, and it was the best choice I could have made. My daughters both received a strong academic foundation while enjoying the many benefits of having tremendous parent involvement, which included numerous field trips, low teacher to student ratios, as well as being surrounded by other parents that are active participants in their childrens lives. My favorite part of the experience was not only being at the preschool to watch my child grow, learn and make new friends, but the lifelong friendships I developed at the preschool as I worked alongside the other parents. It truly becomes more than a community of parents and teachers working together to create a fabulous preschool experience, but a "preschool family" that develops into close friendships for you and your child outside of preschool.
Macaroni Kid subscribers are lucky enough to have two co-op preschools in our area. Diamond Bar Community Preschool (DBCP) in Diamond Bar and Fullerton Community Nursery School in Fullerton. These very special preschools are worth checking out to see if they are a fit for your family. A Co-op preschool does require more from it's parents than simply dropping off your child and sending a check each month. You must be prepared to actively "work" at the preschool, usually 2-4 days each month (depending on how many days a week your child attends) as well as attending regular meetings and usually serving on a committee, ie art, curriculum, snack, field trips, fundraising, etc. While a co-op preschool may not be optimal for all families, it is definitely worth it if you can make it work. If you have younger children not old enough to attend preschool, Diamond Bar Community Preschool offers a nursery where younger siblings can play, watch movies, nap while their parent works in the classroom with their preschooler.
I LOVED the experience I had at our co-op preschool! My oldest daughter attended another traditional preschool her first year of preschool and I felt so left out of the loop as to what she was doing at preschool. I found exactly what I was looking for at DBCP. I got to see what projects and letters she was working on, who her friends where and always felt like I knew what was going on because I was involved! The director, Ms. Mitzie Bailey is fabulous and has a genuine love for and a very special connection with the children. Ms. Pamela, is warm and wonderful and always coming up with interesting art projects and ideas for the childrens activities. My favorite activities included the annual Trike-a-thon, Muffins with Mom/Donuts with Dad, ALL the fieldtrips, Teddy Bear Tea Party Day, Pajama Day at Christmas, and there's so many more I could mention.
If you think a Parent-Participation Preschool may be a good fit for your family, please contact these great co-op preschools and find out more! If you do decide to contact these preschools, please let them know you heard about them from Hillary from Macaroni Kid-Yorba Linda!
**This is article reflects my personal experience with parent-participation preschools and was not paid for in any way. I am so thank ful for the experience my daughters, as well as myself, had at DBCP I wanted to let everyone know there is a different kind of preschool out there.
Diamond Bar Community Preschool has a 2-Day program for 3 year olds 9:15am-12:15pm T/TH, a 3-Day program for 4-5 year olds MWF 9:15am-1pm and a 5 Day Pre-Kindergarten program. The tuition is extremely reasonable and much cheaper than most traditional preschools.
Classes start Monday, Sept. 9th at DBCP!
Diamond Bar Community Preschool
400 South Rancheria Rd.
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
909-861-2260
www.diamondbarcommunitypreschool.org
www.diamondbarcommunitypreschool.org
Membership: Ana Martinez
membership@diamondbarcommunitypreschool.org
Fullerton Community Nursery School has a 2 & 3 Day program. Please refer to their website for additional information and feel free to talk to them with any questions!
Fullerton Community Nursery School
2050 Youth Way, Building 2
Fullerton, CA 92835
714.525.1251 | fcns@att.net
www.fcns.org
Fullerton Community Nursery School has a 2 & 3 Day program. Please refer to their website for additional information and feel free to talk to them with any questions!
Fullerton Community Nursery School
2050 Youth Way, Building 2
Fullerton, CA 92835
714.525.1251 | fcns@att.net
www.fcns.org